Q&A with Richard Jones

 

 

 

 

Richard Jones is the author and illustrator of the children's picture book Where Have You Been, Little Cat?. His many other books include Perdu. He is based in the UK.

 

Q: What inspired you to create Where Have You Been, Little Cat?

 

A: I’d had the story of an inquisitive feline floating around ever since we adopted our own cat, Moppet, in 2016.

 

Having had a dog companion for many years who rarely left my side, I’ve never quite got used to opening the door and letting Moppet go wandering off on adventures of her own.

 

Most of the time, she seems happy enough to lie in the sun, but she sometimes disappears through the hedge at the bottom of our garden and is often gone for an hour or two. Where to or with whom, I have no idea. The next thing we hear from her is a gentle tap at the front door as she waits to be let in.

 

Every time she comes home we go through the same performance; she rolls around on the carpet and I always ask, “Where have you been, little cat? What did you do? What did you see? Were you kind?” Questions that adults ask children every day. It took me a year or two of this routine before I realised there might be the bones of a story here!

 

Q: Did you work on the text first or the illustrations first--or both simultaneously?

 

A: The text and the artwork came along at the same time for this one. I usually aim to get the story in a good shape before I start scribbling and then make any adjustments to story as the pictures develop. However, with this one the words and pictures grew together.

 

Q: The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books called the book a “feline-focused look at the treasures of both new experiences and familiar places.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: I think it’s a lovely way of describing the book, thanks for sharing it! It seems to me that the writing around the subject of children’s books both in the US and in the UK is of such a high standard at the moment. It’s really inspiring to see how seriously reviewers take children’s books and with what care they talk about them. 

 

Q: What do you hope children (and adults!) take away from the story?

 

A: Above all, I hope people see that being generous and kind need not get in the way of a cracking adventure!

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’ve just finished working on another story with the same wonderful team that created Where Have You Been, Little Cat? It’s about a child who meets a little bird and feeds it some breakfast.

 

The next day, the little bird comes back with two pink-tailed mice, and the next day they are joined by four squirrels and then eight kind-eyed wolves and then 16 elephants until eventually, one day, there are 247 animals for breakfast! It will be published around the world in the spring.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I also have a story publishing soon with Walker Books in the UK and Candlewick Press in the US. It’s about a little boy and a storm and how being brave can have unexpected and brilliant consequences! 

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb

Q&A with Diana Janney

 

 

 

Diana Janney is the author of the new novel A Man of Understanding. Her other novels include The Choice.

 

Q: What inspired you to write A Man of Understanding, and how did you create your characters Blue and Horatio?

 

A: One inspiration came from my many visits to the mountains in the north of Mallorca, where the novel is principally set.

 

The area’s natural beauty, combined with its focus on the arts seemed the perfect setting for a novel that explores the importance of the arts as a means of expression, especially in times of loss and grief, which the narrator Blue is experiencing, his parents having been killed in a car accident before the story begins.

 

Blue’s grandfather, poet-philosopher Horatio Hennessy, whom, mysteriously, Blue has never met, is to be his guardian, so Blue is sent to Mallorca to live with Horatio in his Finca.

 

Another inspiration for writing A Man of Understanding was my background in philosophy. I was an undergraduate and postgraduate in Philosophy at University College, London, and the subject continues to fascinate me.

 

I weave philosophy into all my novels, making it come alive in an accessible way that is interesting to readers, whether or not they have previous knowledge of the subject.

 

Horatio is fascinated by what great philosophers such as Aristotle, Kant, Hume, Descartes think about subjects such as aesthetics, virtue, courage, friendship, love, the soul.

 

Horatio chooses as a role model for Blue the Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, who was orphaned at a similar age to Blue, and was then taught about poetry and rhetoric by his uncle.

 

Poetry was another inspiration for the novel. My first poems were published at a young age in the school magazine, and I have continued to write poetry ever since. My poems have proved very popular in my novels, even to those who don’t usually read poetry.

 

In a novel, the reader already understands a great deal about the characters’ life experiences and emotions that are behind their poetry, which gives perspective to their poems.

 

I created Horatio as a character who would fit well with the environment in which the story is set.

 

In a sense, he reflects this part of Mallorca, he personifies the elements that have drawn so many celebrated names in the arts to have lived in the north of the island – Robert Graves, Chopin, George Sand, to name a few.

 

Horatio is particularly learned in the arts. They matter to him. He wants to show his grandson why they matter. He tries to help Blue to overcome his grief through embracing the arts, especially poetry, and philosophy. Horatio seems to be as strong and resilient as the mountains around him …but is he?

 

I created Blue as an only child, sensitive, reflective, who is bewildered at first by his enigmatic grandfather.

 

Initially, the two of them seem very different, not just in age. Blue is introverted, quiet, inexperienced, untravelled, whereas Horatio is a talented published poet, an extrovert, knowledgeable, charismatic, widely travelled.

 

How will these two seemingly diverse characters get on? What will bring them together? Do they have more in common than they realise? And what will they learn from the relationship about themselves, about each other, about other characters in the novel, about life? When secrets are uncovered, how will they react?

 

Blue has left behind the only home in England he has ever known to start a new life with Horatio, filled with unexpected happenings that he could never have anticipated, and there are interesting consequences for them both.

Q: Can you say more about the dynamic between grandfather and grandson?

 

A: The creation and understanding of poetry is a powerful dynamic that changes the lives of Blue and Horatio. Both learn from the experience in different ways.

 

It’s a very moving part of the story when they create their first poem together and discover through doing so that they can express their emotions and address questions that they were unable to address through conversation.

 

Similarly with philosophy, both characters learn from this powerful shared interest. There are moments when Blue’s questions lead Horatio to reflect in ways he hasn’t reflected before, and at times the initial master/pupil relationship is reversed.

 

It is the beginning of a dynamic journey of discovery for them both.

 

Q: How was the novel’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: I considered hundreds of titles before deciding on A Man of Understanding. It is a multi-layered story and so there are many aspects from which to draw. However, none of the titles seemed quite right.

 

Eventually, I opened the Bible and read what I saw on the page. It was Proverbs 10:23, “…a man of understanding hath wisdom.”

 

This seemed the perfect description of Horatio in every sense of the word “understanding.” He is intelligent and understands many subjects. He is understanding in that he is empathetic to the needs of others. He “gets” people. And he is a wise character (much of the time). The question is, will Blue become a man of understanding too?

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the story?

 

A: A good question, and one that I ask myself regularly while I’m writing a novel. For me, it’s important to make readers reflect on ideas that they may not have considered before, or at least to offer a different perspective. I aim to create interesting characters who stay in the memory long after the story is over.

 

I hope that readers will feel that when they close the book, they are leaving behind real characters whom they will miss, as I do. I hope that readers will take from the story reflections for their minds, love for their hearts, and a desire to tell others how much they have enjoyed A Man of Understanding!

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’ve finished the first draft of my next novel, due out in 2025. I believe strongly in the importance of reading and rereading my work, rewriting any parts with which I’m not entirely happy, until I’m confident that the story is exactly as I want it to be.

 

There are some similar themes in my new novel to those in A Man of Understanding: the importance of the arts (the main character is a musician) and philosophy, and again the story is interwoven with poetry. However, the story and characters are very different from those in A Man of Understanding.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I am very proud that A Man of Understanding was the Runner-Up in the People’s Book Prize, Fiction category, of which Frederick Forsyth C.B.E. is the patron emeritus and the late Dame Beryl Bainbridge was the founding patron.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb

Sept. 14

 

 

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
Sept. 14, 1860: Hamlin Garland born.

Q&A with Anna Johnston

 

 

 

Anna Johnston is the author of the new novel The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife. She lives in Melbourne, Australia.

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife, and how did you create your protagonist, Fred?

 

A: I was over halfway through medical school when I discovered that my true fulfillment lay in aged care. When my grandfather and best friend Fred was diagnosed with dementia, I changed career paths and took a job at his nursing home so we could spend more time together.

 

Pa was a wordsmith and an inspiration to me as a writer. Right up until his early 80s, he wrote poetry and letters for my gorgeous grandmother, Dawn. When dementia took away that ability, I became his pen and helped him write to her, so he could continue loving her in the way I knew he wanted to.

 

After an injury left me unable to return to aged care, I began to write about it, channelling my experience and love for older people onto the page.

 

People over 80 are vastly underrepresented in literature, so I wanted to create not just an elderly character, but a much-needed elderly hero who inspires hope and shows that, unlike eyesight, worth and purpose don’t diminish with age.

 

My grandfather provided the perfect inspiration, and my protagonist Fred not only shares his name but also his cheeky, selfless, and endearing nature.

 

Pa had countless strengths, but his poker face wasn’t one of them! He was so honest and full of integrity that he even found it hard to play a card game that required bluffing.

 

Plot stems from conflict, so I contemplated what would happen if you placed such a man in a situation where he was desperate enough to deceive (if he believed he wasn’t hurting anyone).

 

Doppelgängers and cases of mistaken identity have always fascinated me. I began developing the idea of one man being able to redeem another man’s life, even after death. The story grew quickly from there.

 

As well as embodying my grandfather on the page, I also wanted to capture the epic love that he and my gorgeous grandmother Dawn shared. The plot, setting and characters in the novel are fictional, but the love is entirely real.

 

Q: The writer Amy Meyerson said of the novel, “A life-affirming and hilarious tale of mistaken identity, The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife insists that it's never too late for a second chance.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: I am delighted with that description! “Life-affirming” and “hilarious” are exactly what I was aiming for in my writing. I’ve read some wonderfully funny light-hearted books in this genre that weren’t particularly deep and some excellent heart-stirring books that had little humour. I wanted to turn up the volume on both fronts!

 

They say, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” To make lemonade you need sugar, and for me, humour is that sugar making the unbearable, bearable. I wanted to shed light on some heart-breaking issues, such as grief, dementia, and aging, but use humour as a vehicle to bring the reader through to an uplifting ending.

 

I am passionate about positive aging and believe that we remain capable of growth, and change (and second chances!) at any stage of our lives if we are open to it.

Q: How would you describe the dynamic between Fred and Denise? What about Fred and Hannah?

 

A: Fred is compassionate towards everyone he meets, including the antagonist of the story, Denise. Although she doesn’t treat him or the other residents with respect or dignity, Fred’s kindness towards her is unwavering. In his own words, “I’ve yet to meet a person in my eighty-two years who is irredeemable.”

 

Denise dismisses Fred, rendering him invisible like many older people in society. Fred always gives people the benefit of the doubt and sees her behaviour as symptoms of something deeper.

 

Without going into any spoilers, the relationship between Fred and Hannah is a (non-romantic) love story, but like any interesting love story, it is fraught with complications, particularly owing to Fred’s hidden identity.

 

Q: How was the novel’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: The novel went through a few titles before we landed on the current one, which I adore! I chose this title because it sparks curiosity and plays with the idea of walking in another man’s shoes.

 

Fred epitomises kindness and is the sort of man who returns things in better condition than when he found them, including lives! This is really what the book is about—how Fred returns a broken life to mint condition. 

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m currently working on my second book, set for release in the US in early 2025. It centers on Griff, a retired Michelin star chef who lives in a nursing home, widowed, depressed, and determined to depart this earth.

 

Unwilling to let the flavorless mush served at the home be the last thing he tastes, he breaks into the kitchen to cook himself a final meal, sparking a long-forgotten joy and an unexpected chain of events.

 

Fifty-year-old Lisa harbors a shameful secret. During her weekly visits to her stepbrother, who suffers from dementia, she unexpectedly falls in love with an older man. Their relationship is put to the test as Lisa begins to show signs of a genetic kidney disease that claimed her mother’s life before she could find a donor.

 

As their stories converge, the heat is turned up while Lisa fights to hold onto life and Griff seeks a reason to embrace it. It’s a story about the power of food, purpose, visibility, and connection.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: More than anything, I hope that The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife inspires kindness–something I think we could all use a little more of. We have started a #spreadthefred hashtag on socials to promote this idea!

 

Many readers have expressed their desire to see Fred on the screen. As a movie buff whose love of writing comes from a childhood spent penning plays and short films, this has also been my goal from the start. Now that my dreams have begun merging with reality, I am starting to believe that anything is possible!

 

As well as being an author, I am a positive aging advocate who is passionate about representation of older people in the arts. You can read more about this on my website: www.annajohnstonauthor.com

 

I also love hearing from readers! Please follow me on socials @annajohnstonauthor / Anna Johnston Author for more updates!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb

Q&A with Emiliana Vegas

 

 

 

Emiliana Vegas is the author of the new book Let's Change the World: How to Work Within International Development Organizations to Make a Difference. She has worked at the World Bank and Inter-American Bank, and is a professor of practice at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Let's Change the World?

 

A: I passionately believe in the power of education to change lives and feel privileged to have been able to devote my career to this cause. I have spent my career working to bring evidence to inform education policy in the so-called Global South, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean.

 

My heart lies in bringing evidence to the hands of decision-makers, especially those working to improve educational opportunities for children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

 

A little over a year ago, I met up with Noam Angrist, who had worked in a few different types of roles – research, policy, and practice – and was on a mission to connect the dots between all three, with good evidence translating into real-world change.

 

We met in a café in Harvard Square. Noam wanted advice on how to maximize ongoing engagements with two multilateral organizations, which seemed on the cusp of translating some exciting new evidence into large-scale change. I had spent most of my career at those two institutions, the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank, and I was more than happy to provide my perspectives to him.

 

We met at 3 p.m. and talked past 6 p.m. (when I had to go catch the shuttle back to my apartment), and right before parting ways, Noam said, “You ought to write a book about your experiences.” He continued, “Had we chatted 10 years ago, it would have made navigating the ins and outs of these organizations much easier! And now that you’re a Harvard professor, you can say whatever you want.”

 

This has become my goal.

 

Q: Former World Bank official Elizabeth King said of the book, “There is much to learn here, including reasons for genuine optimism about our capacity to help the world for the better.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: I love it because there are a few other former World Bank officials who wrote books about their experience, but they cast international development organizations (IDOs) as too bureaucratic, with too many vested interests at play, to be able to have impact.

 

In my experience, IDOs have the capacity to dramatically improve opportunities for people living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Yet, I also know that these institutions can be riddled with limitations and inefficiencies and that sometimes their staff are more interested in pursuing individual agendas than the institutional mission.

 

Luckily, I’ve lived through it all. I know there are people who really care in this field, and there are ways to operate on the inside that genuinely put the cause first and amplify impact.

I want young people and professionals to know they can make a difference in the world by working within these organizations, benefiting from their resources, and dodging—or redefining—systemic setbacks and misaligned political agendas.

 

I hope this book will encourage those interested in pursuing careers in development to really go for it. With the right guidance and education, you can contribute to real and meaningful change in our complex world. And the World Bank, the United Nations, the Inter-American Development Bank, and similar international organizations provide a remarkable platform to do just that.

 

Q: What did you see as the right balance between your own story and a wider framework as you wrote the book?

 

A: When I started writing the book, my first few pages were too autobiographical. I have a good memory and had a lot of interesting stories of moments throughout my career that I knew would be informative for early- and mid-career professionals interested in working in IDOs. 

 

As I made progress and got early feedback from trusted family members and friends, I realized that readers would get the most if I was able to give them useful information and tips, but also provide anecdotes from my own story to illustrate and engage them.

 

Q: Can you say more about what you hope readers take away from the book?

 

A: I hope readers will better understand the many options in the international development sphere to make a difference.

 

For example, there are organizations that focus on policy, while others are directly involved in program implementation. There are global funders and private philanthropies, and also many think tanks and other advising organizations, such as consulting firms. 

 

Also, there are IDOs whose primary mandate is to convene interested parties to agree on agendas, such as much of the United Nations. I want readers to understand the skills that help one get into IDOs, to navigate them effectively, and, most importantly, to make real difference in the world.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I teach courses on global education and education policy to our master’s and doctoral students at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

 

I am also involved in conducting research with some of my students to analyze key challenges and policy options for improving education systems in LMICs. And I serve on a number of Boards and Advisory Committees of several IDOs. 

 

I like having a portfolio of different activities, from research and writing, to teaching, and advising real organizations.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: My proudest accomplishments are my two young adult sons, Tobias and Emilio Abelmann. They are in their early 20s, beginning their own careers after having excelled in their education. More importantly, they’re kind and fun, and they still enjoy spending time with me and each other.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb

Q&A with Christie Green

 

 

 

Christie Green is the author of the new book Moonlight Elk: One Woman's Hunt for Food and Freedom. She is also a landscape architect, an artist, and a clothing designer, and she lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Moonlight Elk?

 

A: My experiences with the animals and their habitats during many hunting seasons came through as experimental stories over the years. I wasn’t originally intending to write a book, but to somehow capture and reflect on my own inquiry and transformation that evolved through my time with the animals.

 

The process of the book’s evolution feels like a direct manifestation of my own internal evolution as a hunter and woman, coming to know myself through the animals and reflecting on that through the process of writing, perhaps akin to any artists’ creative expression of an external product reflecting an internal process.

 

The stories morphed and came together as braided essays and, eventually, as a braided whole. Writing has been one of my highest aspirations.

 

Q: The writer Holly Morris said of the book, “Moonlight Elk is courageous, pro-woman prose that unfolds in the crucible of the natural world.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: My writing is a direct extension of my experiences. It is a parallel experience to hunting, which requires a kind of surrender to something deeper, otherworldly, and mysterious. I hadn’t considered myself a pro-woman writer necessarily, I was just trying to listen to the stories that seemed to want to come through, and to listen to my own voice.

 

For me, the most direct conduit for listening and storying is being in close connection with the earth. The book is a love letter to the earth and the animals. If it happens to also be supportive of and encouraging to women then, of course, I love that.

 

The settings in which I hunt, widely removed from the human world, have indeed felt rich and challenging, often like the testing ground for me to listen and learn. The “crucible of nature” is, I believe, our most authentic teacher.

 

Q: How was the book’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: Moonlight Elk is the name I hold for the cow elk I encountered at dawn on November 15, 2021, at the edge of a meadow near Cabresto Creek just northeast of Questa, New Mexico. She came to me in crisis in what felt like a highly unlikely suspended, liminal state.

 

Our life-and-death encounter was an ultimate test of my skill and abilities, and of something greater, like trusting a deeper knowing and surrendering to the choice of sacrifice, of making sacred.

 

It feels appropriate that the gift of that elk be celebrated in the title of the book. She lives on…

Q: What impact did it have on you to write Moonlight Elk, and what do you hope readers take away from it?

 

A: As mentioned above, my practice of writing is directly related to and parallels my hunting practice. In both, I turn myself over to listening and observing, to paying attention to what stories want to come forth. Like tracking the animals and tracing their movement through textures and terrain. I learn through direct observation and visceral experiences.

 

The evolution of the book and its numerous iterations over the past 10+ years have taught me how to listen, focus, trust, and surrender.

 

I hope the book attracts diverse readers and that they allow themselves the possibility of thinking and feeling differently about any number of the themes in the book like human-nature relationship, animals’ intrinsic value, women’s identities and power, local and wild-harvested food, and reproductive rights.

 

I would like the book to invite readers to reflect and feel deeply and consider the possibility of other perspectives, like the book could be a bridge between extremes.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m working on Salmon Dreaming, the second book that UNM Press will publish in 2026. It takes place in the Kenai River watershed of Alaska where I grew up fishing. There is also a third book, Undamming the West, that I’m working on that UNM Press will publish in 2028.

 

In direct complement to the stories in each of these books, I’ve created digitally printed fabrics and clothing in the christienell.com wild-inspired collection.

 

These patterns originate from photographs I’ve taken of the animals and their habitats while hunting. Each pattern corresponds to specific animals in the books, like elk, turkey, grouse, quail, and salmon.

 

The garments are custom crafted for each customer and are meant to embody the animals’ beauty, wisdom, and power, reminding women of their own power, and invoking that from within their own bodies as they wear the clothing.

 

I just developed a complementary line of activewear that’s more accessible for everyday wear. I love the animal and habitat prints against my skin, empowering and inspiring me in my daily hot yoga practice. I hope other women can feel this kind of inspiration through the animals and their bodies, too.

 

I also continue to work on my landscape architectural projects and write for local publications like edible New Mexico.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

        

A: Hunting and writing continue to challenge and inspire me. They, along with motherhood, have been my greatest teachers.

 

More info may be found at:

 

beradicle.com     landscape architecture

christiegreen.net stories + imagery

christienell.com wild-inspired fabrics + clothing

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb

Sept. 13

 

 

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
Sept. 13, 1943: Mildred D. Taylor born.

Q&A with Sally Chaffin Brooks

 

 

 

Sally Chaffin Brooks is the author of the new memoir Going to Maine: All the Ways to Fall on the Appalachian Trail. Also a stand-up comedian and podcaster, she lives in Atlanta.

 

Q: Why did you decide to write Going to Maine? 

 

A: I wish I could say I wrote Going to Maine for a noble reason, but the truth is that I really loved writing about this time in my life. Hiking the Appalachian Trail gave me so much–self-confidence, perspective, lifelong friendships…A HUSBAND–and this book is my love letter to the trail.

 

Delving back into the adventure a second time through writing was so much fun, and I think that is reflected in the end product! 

 

Q: The comedian Bobcat Goldthwait called the book “the perfect mix of heartfelt and laugh-out-loud funny.” What do you think of that description? 

 

A: The quote is exactly what I hope people find in my book, that it is both full of heart and laughter. And to have those qualities recognized by one of the most talented comedians and directors around? That is a literal dream come true. 

 

Q: What impact did it have on you to write Going to Maine?

 

A: I’ve been a freelance writer and comedian for over a decade, but Going to Maine is my first book, and I learned so much by writing it!

 

In fact, writing a book and long distance hiking are very similar–both seem like a fun idea when you start, there is a point about a quarter of the way through when you start to question your life choices, and by the end you are a changed person. 

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?

 

A: My main goal is for readers to be entertained. Whether they are in it for the love story, the friendship, the journey of self-discovery, or the adventure, I hope that readers enjoy the journey as much as I did.

 

Q: What are you working on now? 

 

A: I’m working on a couple of projects– one is a book about pursuing a stand-up comedy career, tentatively titled Middling, and the other is a novel loosely based on the time my mom was run out of Chicago by the mob (allegedly). 

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I’m also a stand-up comedian and podcaster! If you like to laugh, I have two comedy albums that you can find on Spotify (Brooks was Here, Street Bird) and a podcast (The Ridiculist) that you can find wherever you get your podcasts.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb

Q&A with Niamh McAnally

 

 

 

Niamh McAnally is the author of the new memoir Following Sunshine: A Voyage Around the Mind, Around the World, Around the Heart. She also has written the book Flares Up. She is based in Florida.

 

Q: How was your new book's title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: Choosing a title for a book is probably one of the hardest parts of the project. And this memoir went through several titles including Freed Spirit, Surfacing, and A Woman Emerges.

 

There’s a line near the end of the book that says “I’ve lived life as a scatterling, following sunshine” which not only sums up my journey to this point in my life but also helped define the subtitle: A Voyage Around the Mind, Around The World, Around the Heart.

 

Q: What impact did it have on you to write the book, and what do you hope readers take away from it?

 

A: Writing this memoir and seeing it all the way through to publication has been a lesson in perseverance. From typing the first line to seeing it on a bookshelf has taken eight years.

 

While my agent was pitching publishers in the UK and Ireland I wrote my second book Flares Up: A Story Bigger Than The Atlantic. Ironically, that one got picked up first, but things happen for a reason.

 

I was then able to go back to Following Sunshine and bring the epilogue up through the pandemic years and to the point when I took the iconic photo of Paul Hopkins and Phil Pugh when they held their flares up having rowed a 20-foot wooden boat 3,000 nautical miles across the Atlantic. Now Following Sunshine serves as a prequel to Flares Up.

 

I write from the belief that it is never too late to create the life you believe you should be living rather than the one friends, or family think you should.

Q: The writer Sinead Moriarty said, “Niamh McAnally is a brave, fearless adventurer, who grabs life and lives it to the full, picking herself up when she falls and moving forward, always with hope in her heart.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: A very lovely statement, one I think gives an idea of the contents of Following Sunshine, but while the characteristics of my story may differ from others we are all essentially the same. We all have that instinct to survive, to pick ourselves up and keep going.

 

At times it’s tough. We have to force ourselves to look for the gift in all of it, and understand things are happening for us, not to us. If we look for nuggets of positivity in every situation we can find them. They are there.

 

Sometimes we have to turn our thoughts upside down. When motherhood passed me by I felt empty. But to pull myself out of that despair I asked a better question  — What can I do that women with childrearing responsibilities can’t? The answer brought a new direction to my life: long-term and volunteer travel.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: In 2020 I founded an international writers’ group and have run monthly Zoom meetings for the past four years. My goal is to see all of them traditionally published and so I came up with the idea of creating an anthology of all their short stories. In 2023, we all met in person in the UK for the first time and agreed on a theme.

 

I’m now curating that work titled: Stories of Place: ///zinc.level.blindfold. The subtitle, and each story title, highlights the geo location algorithm of ///what3words, a company that mapped the entire earth into three-meter x three-meter squares and given them each a unique three-word address. This collection will be published by Black Rose Writing in May of 2025.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I still love working on the water and am now a guest speaker on Celebrity Cruises.

 

Along with my husband, Gary Krieger, I’ll be sharing behind the scenes stories from my books and giving talks on how to write your memoir on the next transatlantic cruise from Barcelona to Tampa, followed by a Caribbean cruise to Honduras and Mexico.

 

I also enjoy meeting with book clubs who choose to read my work. 

 

And finally, I would say to my readers, believe in yourself. Living a fulfilled, meaningful life is a choice. Visualize the life you want to live, take the necessary action to achieve it, be open to the all the possibilities it offers, and then live in quiet expectation and gratitude. It will come. Enjoy this gift called life!

 

To learn more about my work visit www.thewriteronthewater.com

and to follow me on social media https://lnk.bio/thewriteronthewater

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb