You're the Right Mom for Your Kids: Bite-sized Pep Talks Just For You by Christy Thomas comes out today and we had the pleasure of interviewing the author.
1. How long have you wanted to write a book or be an author?
I have always wanted to be an author. I would daydream stories and act them out with dolls. I would cut out pretend families from the Sears catalog and turn them into my leads. Then, school writing changed from fiction to nonfiction. I felt I couldn't keep up. So I buried that dream a little bit deeper away from red pens and commas and grammar rules. I recently realized that writing is a team sport, so I embraced the vision again, and I'm so glad I did!
2. What three books would you take on a deserted tropical island?
Sing a Song of Seasons-- a nature poem for each day of the year. It's illustrated and full of a variety of art and words. Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Comstock is a homeschool tome full of curiosity about the world around you. The third--- could it be a magic book that every time you open it the story has changed, but it's always about families? Like open and it's Ramona. Open it again and it's a Jane Austen novel. A third time and it's Anne of Green Gables. I love reading about families who love each other so much, but mess up often and then repair and love each other more.
3. What advice do you have for authors in the making?
Writing with a pen in a bright yellow journal helped. I brought it with me everywhere for months. I could write down lists or doodles or a few sentences at a time. Letting myself write from heart to hand to paper instead of brain to keyboard freed me to play with it all more. Let yourself play with words, and put down the rules of what you think a serious writer does. Instead, lean into the fact you're a human and humans get to play with stories and words and art-- doodle and daydream a lot.
4. What advice would you give to an author mom?
Be honest with your family about your dream. Tell your family and your support system about your dream. Second, build your writing team of other writers and editors. Life is too fragile to do alone and your words are needed, so find the right people to coach and encourage you.
5. Where do you most like to write?
I really like writing after exercise when my brain is awake and focused. I would stand and write in my bright yellow journal while standing at the kitchen counter. I also spent a lot of time writing in the pews of my church when it was open for prayer.
6. Who is your book for?
Any woman who mothers. Mothering is a radically optimistic task of tending, nurturing, and caring. Some of the most amazing mothers I know have never given birth to children but they mother still. Some of the most amazing mothers I know cry themselves to sleep at night and wake up to try again. Some of the most amazing mothers I know have rocky and painful relationships with their moms. This book is meant for women who mother and care with each breath they take for the humans around them.
You're the Right Mom for Your Kids: Bite-sized Pep Talks Just For You by Christy Thomas is out now. Get your copy in paperback or Kindle.