Angels Among Us: Tessa Dunn Talks Faith and Imagination
Tessa Dunn, behind the children's book "The Angel Feather," joins us to unpack her journey of bringing a long-held story to life. At its core, this tale is a heartfelt exploration of faith and embracing the unseen, a message that's not just for kids but for all of us trying to navigate this wild ride called life. Tessa shares her inspiration from a real-life encounter with a former princess turned nun, revealing how that moment sparked a passion for storytelling that's been simmering for decades. As we dive into her creative process, we discover how her book aims to instill hope and a sense of divine protection in both children and adults alike. So, grab a comfy seat and tune in; this conversation about faith, angels, and the magic of storytelling is one you won't want to miss!
The Angel Feather is more than just a children’s book; it’s a heartfelt exploration of faith, belief, and the sometimes-overlooked presence of angels in our lives. In this episode, Tessa Dunn shares the compelling backstory of her book, rooted in her childhood meeting with Mother Alexandra, a fascinating figure with a royal heritage who later became a nun. Tessa’s journey from a hesitant storyteller to a published author is both relatable and inspiring, as she recounts the encouragement from her husband and friends that finally pushed her to put her thoughts on paper.
As we chat, Tessa elaborates on the themes of her book, emphasizing the importance of faith in the unseen. She draws parallels between the imaginative beliefs of childhood—like the existence of Santa Claus—and the belief in angels, pointing out how adults often dismiss the latter despite their significance in many religious teachings. This ironical take on our selective beliefs opens up a discussion about how we perceive spiritual entities in our modern lives. Tessa's insights into the Eastern Orthodox perspective on angels add depth to the conversation, illustrating how these beings are revered and acknowledged as protectors and intercessors. Her hope is that both children and adults will find reassurance and encouragement in her story, reminding us that we are surrounded by a heavenly host, even when we can’t see them.
The episode is peppered with humor and warmth, making it an enjoyable listen. Tessa's candidness about her writing process, the challenges she faced, and the collaborative effort with her illustrator adds a layer of authenticity to her journey. The discussion culminates in a powerful reminder of the importance of faith, not just in a religious context, but as a guiding force in our everyday lives. For anyone looking for a little inspiration or a rekindling of their childhood wonder, Tessa Dunn’s The Angel Feather offers a beautiful narrative that resonates across generations.
Takeaways:
- Tessa Dunn shares her long-time dream of writing a children's book inspired by personal experiences and a remarkable figure from her past.
- The book 'The Angel Feather' teaches children about faith, hope, and the unseen forces surrounding them, aiming to connect with both kids and adults alike.
- Tessa emphasizes the importance of listening to our inner voices and faith, especially when navigating life's challenges and uncertainties.
- The discussion highlights the contrasting perceptions of angels across different Christian backgrounds, revealing a lack of awareness in some communities.
- Tessa's journey shows that despite initial hesitations, pursuing creative passions can lead to unexpected support and validation from friends and strangers alike.
- The podcast explores how storytelling, especially in children's literature, can instill hope and positivity amidst the negativity pervasive in today's world.
Links referenced in this episode:
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- Amazon
- Evangelos Press
Transcript
Welcome back.
Speaker A:My name is Ashley, and this is a Black Sheep Christian podcast.
Speaker A:And today I am honored and blessed to have Tessa Dunn.
Speaker A:Welcome.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker A:You are the author of a beautiful book called the Angel Feather, and this is a beautiful story about faith, faith and believing what we may not have all the information about.
Speaker A:So tell us about your journey with this book.
Speaker B:Well, it actually started longer ago than I'd like to admit.
Speaker B:I was kind of embarrassed by a friend of mine who self published a children's book last year, and when she showed it to us, the first thing that came out of my husband's mouth was, well, Tess has had a story in her head most of her life, and she's just never put a pen to paper.
Speaker B:And truth be known, that's exactly the truth.
Speaker B:So at that point, my best friend and my husband started to encourage me to put pen to paper, which I did.
Speaker B:So, again, this is a story that's been in my head for a long, long time.
Speaker B:I didn't really kind of know exactly how to tell it, especially for children, so I just had to get started.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah, it's interesting.
Speaker A:Okay, let me take a step back so we can give the viewers some context, because I just had another question in my mind, but we'll get there.
Speaker A:This story is a fascinating story inspired by a true story.
Speaker A:And how did you learn about the story that you've had in your.
Speaker A:In your mind to be able.
Speaker A:That you had.
Speaker A:That you had difficulty articulating?
Speaker B:So I didn't have all the puzzle pieces until I was an adult.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:But when I was about.
Speaker B:I'm going to say about 12 years old, my dad and mom took my brother and me to a monastery in Pennsylvania.
Speaker B:It's in Elwood City, Pennsylvania.
Speaker B:And I met the Mother Superior of this convent.
Speaker B:Her name is Mother Alexandra.
Speaker B:Actually, it was.
Speaker B:She passed away in the 90s.
Speaker B:But mother Alexandra was previously Princess Ileana of Romania.
Speaker B:Princess Ileana's parents were the last reigning king and queen of Romania before the Bolshevik Communists came in.
Speaker B:After World War II, the Nazis were thrown out and the Communists took over Romania and exiled her family out.
Speaker B:She had six children at the time.
Speaker B:And just to give you a little context on her, she was a cousin of Queen Elizabeth.
Speaker B:She was a cousin of Tsar Nicholas of Russia, and she also married a Habsburg.
Speaker B:And so her royal family line is pretty impressive with the who's who of royalty in Europe.
Speaker B:So when I met her, she was an older woman, and she was in full black habit.
Speaker B:And my father said to me, tessa, Mother Alexandra is A real life princess, which as a child who grew up with Disney fairy tales and Barbie dolls, that kind of resonated with me.
Speaker B:But again, I didn't really realize till I became an adult and found her books that she had written.
Speaker B:She wrote about five books.
Speaker B:Two of them are about her story.
Speaker B:And I've read both of those.
Speaker B:Fascinating.
Speaker B:I mean, we think we're going through tough times right now.
Speaker B:We have no idea the degree of cruelty, the degree of perseverance.
Speaker B:These people who went through the Nazis and then the Communists, we have no idea.
Speaker B:So her story is very compelling.
Speaker B:She had an incredible amount of strength in her to do the things that she did because she only did good.
Speaker B:She started.
Speaker B:She had the Red Cross there.
Speaker B:She started, you know, had a hospital and she was raising six children, so she had her hands full.
Speaker B:But she also wrote a very interesting book about angels where she literally goes from the beginning of Genesis, all through Revelation and anywhere where angels are brought up.
Speaker B:She gives a full perspective of what was that all about.
Speaker B:And I've read that book as well.
Speaker B:I've read Billy Graham's book on angels.
Speaker B:I've read Dr. David Jeremiah's book on angels.
Speaker B:I've kind of had a fascination with angels all my life.
Speaker B:But in each one of Mother Alexandra's books, she has a one page that she describes this encounter that she had as a child.
Speaker B:So she had four older siblings and a younger brother.
Speaker B:Her younger brother evidently had an illness that he was born with.
Speaker B:So when she was seven years old, she woke up in the middle of the night in the nursery in the castle where she and her little brother slept, and there were angels there.
Speaker B:And she describes this encounter and that's really where the story kind of started.
Speaker B:I mean, how would we react if we woke up in the middle of the night and there were angels in our room and we were actually talking to them?
Speaker B:Well, as it turns out, her little brother did die, which is not part of the story.
Speaker B:That's a whole other story.
Speaker B:I won't go there, but I had to make this story for 48 year olds.
Speaker B:That left the reader with hope and promise and encouragement.
Speaker B:And the fact that Mother Alexandra had that in each one of her books, to me is significant in that she wanted to convey that we have this heavenly angelic host that is with us always.
Speaker B:And I wanted to instill that in my readers, both children and adults.
Speaker A:Thank you for that.
Speaker A:You were.
Speaker A:You touched on something in that earlier that I was thinking, I was like, oh, I need to save this question because we need Because I read a portion of your book which is on Amazon.
Speaker A:There's a sample which is beautiful pictures, by the way.
Speaker A:I know I'm having a squirrel moment, but the thoughts are coming through.
Speaker A:The pictures are very rich, I do have to say.
Speaker A:But there was something that you touched on earlier that I can finally be able.
Speaker A:We can talk about, which is, you know, when it comes, kids are great at seeing the unknown, that they're great at believing the unknown.
Speaker A:I mean, examples is Santa Claus, you know, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth fairy, you know, etc.
Speaker A:Etc.
Speaker A:Why is it when it comes to angels in our faith, why are we not putting that same energy into that?
Speaker B:That's a great question.
Speaker B:I think it has to do with your background.
Speaker B:And I can only share you with you.
Speaker B:My background.
Speaker B:So I am an Orthodox Christian, Eastern Orthodox.
Speaker B:And any Eastern Orthodox Church you go into is filled with iconography.
Speaker B:And there are icons of angels everywhere.
Speaker B:Up on the sanctuary of every Orthodox church, you will see the angel Michael and you will also see the angel Gabriel, who are two of the more famous archangels.
Speaker B:There are nine choirs, so to speak, of angels.
Speaker B:And all of these things you can read about.
Speaker B:But what I've learned is if you did not grow up in an Orthodox background, you may not necessarily understand that or see it.
Speaker B:We are different from the Roman Catholics in that we have icons.
Speaker B:They tend to go with statues.
Speaker B:The reason that we go with icons is because icons actually go all the way back to the first century.
Speaker B:The first icon painter was actually Luke, and his first icon was of the Virgin Mary.
Speaker B:So all of these things kind of go back to the first century church.
Speaker B:And so if you haven't been raised in a church that has that as part of its background and teaching, I mean, on a Sunday Divine Liturgy at any Orthodox church, you will hear about the cherubim and the seraphim.
Speaker B:They're in the prayers, they're in the.
Speaker B:They're in the hymns.
Speaker B:They're everywhere, and they're all around you.
Speaker B:And so that's probably why many people are not familiar.
Speaker B:As familiar with angels as maybe we should be.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Thank you for that contacts.
Speaker A:I.
Speaker A:What's fascinating about churches?
Speaker A:Well, I should take a step back.
Speaker A:What's fascinating about denominations is that each denomination has a. I'm trying to figure, like an anchor of some sort, you know, like Mariness, for example.
Speaker A:People don't really know about that as part of the Catholic Church.
Speaker A:And when you talk about people like, I don't know what that is, and it's like, okay, Mary.
Speaker A:Mary.
Speaker A:I always describe it.
Speaker A:Mary is a rock star.
Speaker A:And so when they have, like, this anchor, the anchor is part of the broad belief of what they focus on.
Speaker A:So that's really fascinating for you to bring that up, because when it comes to angels, you know, me being Baptist, angels is really.
Speaker A:Is not angels, is kind of like backup dancers, I guess, You know, as far as, you know, the.
Speaker A:What.
Speaker A:What is in scripture.
Speaker B:But interesting how many times angels are actually mentioned in Scripture.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker B:All the way through Old and New Testament.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker B:And the only thing I can say to you with regard to the.
Speaker B:To the Virgin Mary is that we see her as the.
Speaker B:We call her the new Eve, where Eve rejected God.
Speaker B:Mary totally embraced God from the first moment that Gabriel spoke with her.
Speaker B:We also refer to her as the Theotokos, which is the Greek word for the God bearer.
Speaker B:She bore our Lord and Savior.
Speaker B:There's no other way to.
Speaker B:She was the greatest woman who ever lived.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:So in as much as we don't worship her, we venerate her greatly, and we see her also as an intercessor.
Speaker B:So people think, well, you know, you should only pray to Jesus.
Speaker B:Well, yeah, we pray to Jesus, but just like you would ask somebody to pray for you, we ask the Mother of God to intercede for us.
Speaker B:That's how the reference really can be misunderstood by people who perceive that the Orthodox and the Catholics, Roman Catholics, worship her.
Speaker B:I can't speak as much for Roman Catholicism because I've never been Roman Catholic, but I can speak as an Orthodox.
Speaker B:We venerate her.
Speaker B:We do not worship her.
Speaker A:Big difference.
Speaker A:Wow, that's interesting that you said that, because I was in a Bible study yesterday, and we are in the Book of John, and it is where we were at the part where the wedding, they're running out of wine, and Mary goes to her son, hey, make some wine.
Speaker A:And it was.
Speaker A:We were two talking at how the way he addressed her, which was woman.
Speaker A:And it's funny that, that you say that because, you know, in Bible study, you take that time to really understand the text and the context and the fact that he didn't address her as mother, but as woman.
Speaker A:The pastor did speak about that.
Speaker A:Her being.
Speaker A:How did you describe it?
Speaker A:The new Eve.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, I'm digesting.
Speaker A:That's fine.
Speaker A:It's funny.
Speaker A:I mean, this is what reading the Bible is all about, you know, just talking and sharpening that iron, you know, and it all interconnects to each other when it.
Speaker A:Switching gears when it comes with your book, as far as it's going called the Angel Feather.
Speaker A:And it is about just having faith in the unseen.
Speaker A:This is seen, this is presented as a children's book, which is a medium for all.
Speaker A:It's just not for children.
Speaker A:But it is for adults as well.
Speaker A:For children, it's just a beautiful story about two children who.
Speaker A:They can relate to having this adventure, you know.
Speaker A:But for adults, what are you hoping that they receive?
Speaker B:Well, both of the major characters have moments in the story where they're praying and both children's prayers are answered.
Speaker B:Where the little boy is concerned, he's in a tough situation.
Speaker B:He's frightened.
Speaker B:And it, to me, illustrates how God acts many times with unseen things.
Speaker B:We've.
Speaker B:We've all had experiences where we don't know exactly how and why something happened, but we know something good on our behalf happened.
Speaker B:Angels are messengers of God.
Speaker B:They are inner.
Speaker B:They're in between God and us.
Speaker B:They're intercessors for us.
Speaker B:And the Orthodox Church believes that we are assigned an angel at birth.
Speaker B:That angel never changes.
Speaker B:There's never more than one.
Speaker B:They have.
Speaker B:They have a duty to follow us all through our lives.
Speaker B:And so my story basically shows that when you pray to God, the angel is there to be your intercessor and hopefully help with the answer to that prayer.
Speaker B:Now, granted, when we pray to God, he's not a vending machine, and we have to remember that it's only going to be answered in his will, in his timing.
Speaker B:And that really should be sufficient for us as believers that he's answered our prayer, even if it isn't what we perceive that we wanted at the moment.
Speaker B:At my age, I've gotten to the point where I just go.
Speaker B:I just go with it because I've seen too many times when either a prayer wasn't answered, and I am so abundantly grateful that at the time it wasn't answered, or sometimes it's answered many years later with so much context and history to show me that he's God and I'm not.
Speaker B:And he knew better and I didn't, and he protected me.
Speaker B:And I wasn't even needing to know at the time that I needed protection, but it's all about his will.
Speaker B:So, again, getting back to your question, children and parents reading this story will see how God's intercessors work for us.
Speaker A:You know, that is very comforting and a reminder because we walk in this world as if we're alone when we're really not.
Speaker A:We're just not listening.
Speaker A:We're not feeling his presence.
Speaker A:And the angels Presence.
Speaker B:And it's also acknowledging that we never leave or he never leaves us.
Speaker B:We're the ones who, when we are really feeling that alone, maybe it's because we just need to drop on our knees and ask for him to be there for us.
Speaker B:I had a cousin once who, who was a self proclaimed atheist and, and I said, I said, you have more faith than you think.
Speaker B:And he says, what do you mean I don't have faith?
Speaker B:I said, you, when you're driving down the street and the cars come in the other direction in the other lane, you have faith that he's not going to cross in front of you and hit you.
Speaker B:And he just kind of rolled his eyes.
Speaker B:But it all goes back to our beliefs.
Speaker A:Yeah, I'm digesting what you just said.
Speaker A:Yeah, that, and you know, that example is a good one in a sense that yes, we do have faith and more than we think, but sometimes we put stock in the wrong thing, you know.
Speaker B:And Satan's smiling the whole time.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:But one of my favorite sayings now as a grandmother is we get what we allow.
Speaker B:So we have to realize that we are in complete control.
Speaker B:What we allow or don't allow.
Speaker A:Kingdom authority.
Speaker A:Kingdom authority.
Speaker A:And, and it's interesting once you realize.
Speaker A:I, I'm trying to find the adjective because I don't want to use power.
Speaker A:I, I think that that word is misguided in many ways or maybe influence may be right.
Speaker A:I don't know.
Speaker A:I'm trying to find the right adjective.
Speaker A:But once we realize what we can really do, I think we really are a disservice to ourselves.
Speaker B:We can be.
Speaker A:Yeah, we're really a disservice to ourselves in the fact that, I mean, we have the Almighty God, we have an angel, and then there's us.
Speaker A:There is nothing that we should not, there's nothing that, that, that, that really shouldn't stop us for, for achieving God's plan.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker A:I'm digesting when.
Speaker A:With this.
Speaker A:Are you planning on writing other books?
Speaker B:I'm sorry?
Speaker A:Are you planning on writing other books?
Speaker B:I have another story in mind that I may publish, self publish.
Speaker B:And it actually has to do with the third archangel, which is Raphael.
Speaker B:And Raphael is only mentioned once in the Bible in the story of the, in the Book of Tobit, which Protestant Bibles do not include that book.
Speaker B:They look at that as part of what they call the Apocrypha.
Speaker B:But the orthodox Bible, the Old Testament, is the Septuagint.
Speaker B:And the Septuagint has all of the, Excuse me, all of those Books included.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:So the book of Tobit is a beautiful story.
Speaker B:It's a story that is Christ foreshadowing.
Speaker B:I remember the first time I did a Bible study and I learned about Abraham getting ready to slay Isaac on the altar and all of the symbolism and imagery of how that was a foreshadowing of Christ on the wood getting ready to be killed.
Speaker B:And who stopped him?
Speaker B:An angel.
Speaker B:So that same feeling of a foreshadowing of Christ will come over you if you read the Book of Tobit.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker B:It's actually a very short book.
Speaker B:It's a beautiful, beautiful story.
Speaker B:So if I can throw that out there too, that, that is the book that I am considering creating a children's story of.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:If I do okay, I'll be on the lookout for it.
Speaker A:I don't know why it prompted me to ask.
Speaker A:May have been something that you said earlier.
Speaker A:And I'm like, I feel like there's more stories that, that are just cooking over there.
Speaker A:But I.
Speaker A:This is a beautiful subject.
Speaker A:When it comes to angels, I think angels in my side of the world is not a subject matter that is really talked about.
Speaker A:You know, it's all about purpose and plan and all those other fun things that, that, that we're still trying to figure out, like the basic things that we still haven't figured out.
Speaker A:But this talking about angels is really a tool, a resource that the Lord gives us.
Speaker B:He does.
Speaker A:We're not utilizing.
Speaker B:Very much.
Speaker A:So when it came to your journey and putting this book together because your husband's made a comment, fuel in your fire, how long did it take you for to put this book together since it was in your head all this time?
Speaker B:Well, I wrote the story in probably three, three months.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker B:Part of the reason was because four to eight year olds can only digest a thousand words or less.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:So I had to become less wordy.
Speaker B:So I had to hammer it down to under a thousand words, which.
Speaker B:The angel feather is 900 words long.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:And then I would say the longest part was with the illustrator.
Speaker B:And that wasn't.
Speaker B:That wasn't easy doing the picture book part and getting the ideas conveyed to him.
Speaker B:And he lives on the other side of the world.
Speaker B:So I used an app that most writers use.
Speaker B:And so I was doing with email with him back and forth constantly.
Speaker B:And we did it in chunks.
Speaker B:And he.
Speaker B:And this was.
Speaker B:This, of course, was after I had had it professionally edited.
Speaker B:I had a wonderful young woman in Nigeria who edited the book for me.
Speaker B:And then my illustrator was from Greece.
Speaker B:My formatter was from Sri Lanka.
Speaker B:Yeah, these people are all over the world and they are brilliant.
Speaker B:They are brilliant.
Speaker B:So there's plenty of help out there if you want to write a book.
Speaker B:But I would say to this point, I started probably around the first of June last year.
Speaker B:So here we are.
Speaker B:And I.
Speaker B:The book went, went live on September 16th on Amazon.
Speaker B:The easy part's writing the story.
Speaker B:The hard part is getting the story out.
Speaker B:And it gives me a lot of respect for people who write long books because One of the YouTubers I follow says it's a lot easier to get somebody to buy your book than to read your story.
Speaker B:But when your story is only 900 words long, you can get a lot more people to read it than you can a 500 page chapter book.
Speaker A:Yeah, interesting.
Speaker A:Yeah, that's an interesting point of view.
Speaker A:Now I do have to say, I mean the pictures are beautiful, very detailed.
Speaker A:So I do have to say on that I had another thought and it left because you said something and it prompted me to think about something.
Speaker A:Oh, you have a coloring book.
Speaker A:That's what it was.
Speaker A:Because we're talking.
Speaker A:I was thinking about pictures.
Speaker A:You have a coloring book as well?
Speaker B:Yeah, that was kind of an upfront contract with my illustrator.
Speaker B:I told him I wanted to have a companion coloring book.
Speaker B:So whatever he produced, I needed for him to be able to strip all the color out of it for the coloring book.
Speaker B:And then I also created some puzzles in the back and like a word search thing.
Speaker B:Just things that a child.
Speaker B:I did a crossword puzzle that the only way you can complete the crossword puzzle is to read the story.
Speaker B:So it's kind of an activity coloring book.
Speaker B:But yes, it's a companion that goes along with it to reinforce the story.
Speaker B:And children love to color.
Speaker A:Yeah, they do.
Speaker A:They do.
Speaker A:As an adult, I still like to color.
Speaker A:And, and with this one because the.
Speaker A:How the pig, how the pages are, they're.
Speaker A:It's not like those adult coloring books.
Speaker A:Like it's very detailed.
Speaker A:You know, got to use one coloring pencil, use another coloring pencil.
Speaker A:It's, it's a very crown friendly so you can do those long strokes, which is very soothing in itself.
Speaker A:It's just so weird.
Speaker A:Who knew coloring as, as an adult would be so relaxing?
Speaker B:Well, there's things in there for four year olds and there are things in there for eight year olds because a four year old's not going to be able to do the crossword puzzle.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, yeah, Very valid.
Speaker B:Well, I have two granddaughters too, so that helps.
Speaker B:One is eight and one is 10.
Speaker B:So it was very helpful, kind of knowing what they were doing and knowing.
Speaker B:I mean, when I go to see them, they want me to read them stories.
Speaker B:And so I've read some of their books, and.
Speaker B:And quite honestly, Ashley, that was another thing.
Speaker B:What I find is that there are parents that are grandparents, there are teachers.
Speaker B:There are even librarians who have become increasingly frustrated with the quality of children's literature today.
Speaker A:Really.
Speaker B:There's a lot of bathroom humor books.
Speaker B:There's a lot of stuff that's kind of off the wall.
Speaker B:And then there's a whole other group of people that are writing children's books that are really not being written by humanity.
Speaker B:They're being written by AI they're being illustrated completely and written by AI I can't be completely down on AI because, to be quite honest with you, my illustrations are AI And I've taken a lot of heat from real artists because I lowered myself to using AI But I can't deny that when he started sending me these illustrations, I was captivated by the beauty of his work.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And the expressions that he was able to create on the faces of the children at different parts of the book.
Speaker B:So I was impressed from that perspective.
Speaker B:But my desire was to create an enchanting tale that children and adults would find inspiring and encouraging and give them hope.
Speaker B:And these are the kind of stories that we need to read our children before they go to bed at night.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:When they put their head down on the pillow and they fall asleep, they need to have good stuff going on up there because absolutely.
Speaker B:We.
Speaker B:We are controlled by our thoughts.
Speaker B:And, you know, Scripture tells us what we need to keep our mind on.
Speaker A:I didn't even know that was.
Speaker A:That was going on.
Speaker A:My.
Speaker A:My child is older, so, you know, it's a time that is.
Speaker A:Just feels like a long time ago when it comes to children's books.
Speaker A:But I didn't realize there was a frustration in the community.
Speaker B:Very much so.
Speaker B:I mean, even librarians will tell you half the books on the shelf and hear a junk.
Speaker B:They're just not good.
Speaker B:They're just not good stories.
Speaker B:I mean, AI is a good thing and can go so far.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:But it will never be humanity.
Speaker A:So basically, the human aspect is being left.
Speaker B:In many cases, it is.
Speaker B:But I also feel like it's also inspiring people like me who are my age who have lived through what we've lived through and feel that we have a story to tell that's.
Speaker B:That's uplifting, that's encouraging, and the message will continue to be purchased because people want it.
Speaker A:Okay, well, thank you for that.
Speaker A:If people were wondering why my colleague needed a.
Speaker A:Needed a utensil, if they saw something in the background, they'd be like, what is that?
Speaker A:What is happening?
Speaker A:Oh, I love it.
Speaker A:But anyways, back to your point that you were talking about.
Speaker A:I'm.
Speaker A:I'm glad that you listened to the Lord and to be able to write this book, because I didn't, because I. I'm removed as a parent now in.
Speaker A:In that age group.
Speaker A:You know, it's funny as parents, and it's not a bad thing, but, you know, when your child is at a particular age group, like, you're just so laser focused that you are missing what parents who have children that are younger than you, what they're going through and what they're facing.
Speaker A:And, you know, it's almost sad in a way that I think we are realizing sooner rather than later is that when it comes to AI and technology, we are realizing that we shouldn't be embracing all of it.
Speaker A:You know.
Speaker B:It'S like the Internet.
Speaker B:I mean, it can be used for good and it can be very nefarious, and it can be very negative, and there's outright evil on it.
Speaker B:Yeah, so that's important, too.
Speaker B:The other thing that Ashley, I think, kind of worked on me is, again, I mean, I'm a grandmother now.
Speaker B:I've got three grown children.
Speaker B:My two sons were both are both military.
Speaker B:And my oldest son, he was in Iraq during the worst of the war.
Speaker B:And one of the things that really struck me is when he would come home and he would tell me about his comrades who he was serving with and how many of them enlisted like he did, but they didn't have the good fortune to come from functional families.
Speaker B:On his second deployment, his first deployment, he could not even have a computer.
Speaker B:And he didn't have a cell phone with him either.
Speaker B:We only got to speak with him once a week, and it was on, like, a satellite phone.
Speaker B:But his second deployment, he had a phone and he had his computer and his home screen.
Speaker B:On his computer was a picture of our house.
Speaker B:And one time he had his computer out and somebody turned around and made a crack, like, what's that picture of?
Speaker B:And he turned to them and he said, that's like my house.
Speaker B:That's my home.
Speaker B:And the guy looked at him and he said, you live there and you chose to come here because most of the guys that he served with joined the military because it was a better lifestyle than where they came From.
Speaker A:Correct.
Speaker B:And, you know, when you're in your early 20s, you don't process the fact that not everybody grew up like you did.
Speaker B:Not everybody is as lucky as you as you've been.
Speaker B:Not everybody is instructed that you have a God that loves you or that you have an angel that's protecting you.
Speaker B:And so that really resonated with me as another reason I felt this story needed to be out there.
Speaker B:Because there are more people out there that don't have hope or encouragement, and because there's just so much negativity out there as an adult or as a child, we just kind of need to rein it in and remember that we are all children of God.
Speaker B:We are all loved by Him.
Speaker B:And if we believe, we can do incredible things with his help.
Speaker B:And we just need to always remember that.
Speaker B:And the story is just a tiny microcosm of that within the story of these two little children.
Speaker B:But I want it to resonate with a lot of children and a lot of adults as a result, especially, like you said, adults who maybe go to a church where they didn't ever hear that there was an angel out there to protect them.
Speaker A:Right, right, right.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:That's unfortunately lost in translation if it's not taught at all.
Speaker A:And I think another thing, too, is I think some people have a hard time grasping that, you know, like, there's a God, there's a devil.
Speaker A:Those are clearly two concepts that everybody understands.
Speaker A:But to say that I have my own angel, it just.
Speaker A:Some people just can't wrap their minds around that.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker B:Very true.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Well, I do have a few more questions before we go, but I just want to take the time to thank you for just being able to write this book.
Speaker A:This.
Speaker A:When I first saw the story, you know, it's funny because I'm so away from it, from children's stories, and so I really can't.
Speaker A:I really don't understand the landscape of what is out there.
Speaker A:But I do want to say this is a beautiful book.
Speaker A:The pictures are beautiful, and it's a beautiful story.
Speaker A:That is not.
Speaker A:It was refreshing.
Speaker A:And, you know, it's funny because I don't read children's books anymore, so it's like, I. I don't know what's out there, but yet this was a beautifully written book.
Speaker A:And is one of those things like you can read it and then you can go back to it and just.
Speaker A:Just observe it, just soak it in, if that makes sense.
Speaker A:I hope that makes sense.
Speaker A:So what I'm saying, because there are some children's books that I do remember in the past that it was just, you just didn't need to read it.
Speaker A:You just open it and just soak in what was on the page.
Speaker A:So I just want to take that time to thank you for writing this.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker A:I pray that this book will be able to touch some people or many people.
Speaker A:I mean, the more the merrier.
Speaker B:That's how I look at it.
Speaker B:I didn't do it to become a best selling author.
Speaker B:And you know, I've often said I wouldn't mind being rich, but I really don't want to be famous.
Speaker B:But everything is a God thing.
Speaker B:Every bit of it is a God thing.
Speaker B:And so I just felt like I was led to put this story out and what will happen will happen and that it always just ends in the right hands.
Speaker B:I've been very blessed to have a lot of friends, have read the book and have written beautiful reviews.
Speaker B:I've gotten a lot of reviews for a new book.
Speaker B:The book's only been out six weeks and it's, it's getting some traction.
Speaker B:But everything today is on algorithms.
Speaker B:So I'm, you know, working the.
Speaker B:And the algorithms change weekly.
Speaker B:So trying to stay ahead.
Speaker B:It's almost like going on YouTube.
Speaker B:If you look at a YouTube that giving advice, if it's longer than a year old, it's no longer relevant because things just change so quickly.
Speaker B:So just trying to stay ahead of that.
Speaker B:Like I said, the easy part was writing the story.
Speaker B:The hard part is what I'm doing now, trying to get the story out there.
Speaker B:And there's just a lot of noise out there.
Speaker B:Some of it's good, some of it's not.
Speaker B:But again, it's a God thing and I'm not going to worry about it.
Speaker B:It certainly doesn't keep me awake at night.
Speaker B:I think, you know, like I said, at my age, there's very little that keeps me awake at night.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:As I get older, it's funny because, you know, when, when you're young and people say things, you're like, what are they talking about?
Speaker A:But you know, as, as I get older, you, it's not a mind thing to understand, it's more of a feeling thing to understand.
Speaker A:And I understand that feeling.
Speaker A:There's nothing new under the sun as it is written.
Speaker A:And because of that, you know, everything, just not everything but you, you get to a point where things become a, like a rerun of a television show.
Speaker A:And so you just don't put the same energy, you don't have the same, same feelings.
Speaker A:Because you.
Speaker A:You have faith and you just know that it's going to all come out in the end.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker B:And we're not in control.
Speaker B:And actually, that's a.
Speaker B:That's a good thing.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:I really wouldn't want to be in control.
Speaker B:It's too much pressure.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:Too much pressure, too much energy.
Speaker A:That's another thing.
Speaker A:Like, you just be like, I just don't have the bandwidth.
Speaker A:That, you know, that's my new phrase.
Speaker A:Don't have the bandwidth.
Speaker A:I was talking to my manager and he was like, it was a question about, like, other departments, other people or something like that.
Speaker A:And, you know, because, you know, trying to make the team better, you know, that that's really where it was a genuine question.
Speaker A:And I was like, I. I say, I really can't comment on.
Speaker A:On that.
Speaker A:I'm just trying to clean up my own house.
Speaker A:And he was like, that's fair.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:You just get to a point like, I only have my own porch to clean and only have my own house to clean.
Speaker A:I don't really have the bandwidth to be looking at or judging other people's houses.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So, as we conclude, I did say have two questions, and one of them is about your journey and writing the book and looking back, what surprised you the most in this journey of having the story and finally seeing it to completion?
Speaker B:I'll just say I've learned who my real friends are.
Speaker A:Whoa.
Speaker A:I was not expecting that.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker A:I was not expecting that.
Speaker A:Please elaborate.
Speaker B:Yeah, I wasn't either.
Speaker B:You know, we all know who our circle of influence is around us, and the people who we hold closest to us and the people who we would count on in tough times, and the people who we know would be genuinely happy for us when something good happened.
Speaker B:And I'll just say, I have had people who are Facebook friends that I've literally never met face to face before in my life, who have done more to help me and help promote my work than people who are pretty close to me.
Speaker B:I'll just leave it at that.
Speaker B:It kind of surprised me.
Speaker B:My husband and I talk about it all the time, but that.
Speaker B:That really.
Speaker B:But then again, it's a God thing.
Speaker B:I'm not going to worry about it.
Speaker B:I don't worry about it.
Speaker B:I find it a little sad, but God reveals things to us all the time in different ways.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker B:And so sometimes it's the least we expect.
Speaker A:But it.
Speaker B:But it happens.
Speaker B:But it's good to know.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker A:I'll.
Speaker A:I'll pray for you.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker B:I appreciate that.
Speaker B:But I'm.
Speaker B:Like, I said, I'm good.
Speaker B:I'm okay.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:To me, it's just now I have that knowledge.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:And, you know, correct me if I'm wrong, because I'm having this thought.
Speaker A:Correct me if I'm wrong.
Speaker A:It's interesting because you've had this story in your heart for a long time, and God wanted you to write this story.
Speaker A:And it's interesting because even in scripture, when we read about, you know, what various people go through in scripture, you know, there's a main story, and a main story is you writing this book for children, and you're also hoping adults will be able to have.
Speaker A:Have a closer relationship with God.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:And you're using angels as that.
Speaker A:As that subject to be able to have that connection.
Speaker A:And then also in scripture, there are, like, these subplots that we just don't see until, you know, and as God gives us our plans and our purpose, we see the main thing.
Speaker A:But, you know, there's these subplots that really enrich someone's journey.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:I mean, I think back to when I was a kid and I met Mother Alexandra.
Speaker B:Who would have known, had I not met her, I would have had no context for any of this.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker B:But.
Speaker B:And it's funny, our youngest son just got married a few weeks ago, and I was sitting across the top table at the reception with my brother, and I said, do you remember?
Speaker B:Because he said, I want to hear all about your book.
Speaker B:I said, do you remember when we went there?
Speaker B:And he said, absolutely.
Speaker B:So, you know, even.
Speaker B:Even he was moved by it.
Speaker B:And it's just.
Speaker B:We just never know.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:What little thing, our little memory in our mind and where it's going to take us.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker B:And as I shared with you a little earlier, what I find, when the subject of angels comes up with adults, intuitively, everybody knows something happened to them at some point in their life that they can remember that they really can't explain or can't articulate even sometimes, but they know that there was a positive force that protected them.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And I mean, I believe that God puts that in every one of us, whether or not we choose to accept that gift.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker B:I used to try.
Speaker B:Try to explain grace to my children when they were little.
Speaker B:And I said, well, when everybody's born, they.
Speaker B:It's like God gives them a gift, and we choose whether or not we're going to open it up and enjoy it.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:But not everybody opens that package and enjoys it.
Speaker B:So we need to embrace sometimes, like you said, those Subplots that run through our lives because they are important.
Speaker B:They're not just fleeting thoughts by some random event that happened.
Speaker B:There are purposes to so many things, and sometimes we need to just stop and be.
Speaker B:I mean, we're not human doings.
Speaker B:We're human beings.
Speaker B:Sometimes we just need to be and think and ponder and wonder at everything that is around us because it's so precious.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Well said.
Speaker A:Well said.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker A:After that, I'm just debating if my last question is even.
Speaker A:Is even you.
Speaker A:You gave so much advice today, and I'm grateful for that.
Speaker A:Is there something that we didn't talk about that that is on your heart?
Speaker B:I think we've covered it.
Speaker B:I do, I do.
Speaker B:I appreciate your asking that question.
Speaker B:It's funny because you get all of these questions that you might be being asked, and so that was definitely one of them.
Speaker B:And that's one of the reasons I brought up the thing about when my son was in the military and he had the.
Speaker B:The aha.
Speaker B:Moment that not everybody's as lucky as he has been.
Speaker B:And we need to be reminded.
Speaker B:We need to be reminded of those things.
Speaker B:But again, you asked that wonderful question.
Speaker B:So here we are.
Speaker B:Yeah, it's been a blessing.
Speaker B:I thank you so much for your time.
Speaker B:And you're giving me the opportunity and the platform to maybe share what all of these years.
Speaker B:It's funny, my father in law, God rest his soul, he used to say the only good thing about getting older is you get a little bit smarter.
Speaker B:And there's truth to that.
Speaker B:But as Christians, my prayer is that I become wiser because wisdom is only from God, in my opinion.
Speaker B:And when you've lived a life and you've seen the ups and downs and you've seen the good and the bad, and you sit back and you look forward to the years that God gives you to spend moving forward, you just hope that you have some wisdom.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:I'm gonna leave it at that.
Speaker A:I.
Speaker A:There's nothing more that I can say.
Speaker A:Thank you.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker A:I know your book is on Amazon and you also have a website as well.
Speaker B:I do, I do.
Speaker B:My.
Speaker B:My imprint is evangelospress.com and I'm on.
Speaker B:I'm on all the major platforms still struggling a little bit with Tick Tock.
Speaker B:I haven't figured that thing out.
Speaker B:There's really wild stuff on that.
Speaker B:And trying to wade through all of the muck to get to the place where you need to be.
Speaker B:I don't know.
Speaker B:I was told I need to be there, but I'm not sure if I'm going to be on there.
Speaker B:I'm not sure if I'm capable of creating.
Speaker B:What are they called?
Speaker B:Just, yeah, I, I can't, I can't do clickbait.
Speaker B:I'm just not, I'm not good at clickbait.
Speaker B:I'm not good at sound bites.
Speaker B:I'm much better at at thoughts.
Speaker A:Yes, valid, valid.
Speaker A:I'm also on TikTok, but I just posted post.
Speaker A:I don't, I don't really.
Speaker A:I, I know exactly what you mean by that because tick tock it, the different platforms have different languages.
Speaker A:I think that's the best way to, for me to describe it.
Speaker A:Like there's different languages.
Speaker A:You know, it's like English is different from Spanish, which is different from Chinese.
Speaker A:Like there's different languages and then once you understand that language you can be able to articulate your thought.
Speaker A:And I'm more of a long form thought.
Speaker A:Like I'm more of a slow cooker thought.
Speaker A:I think that's the best way to describe it.
Speaker A:You know, there's, it's like a movie, beginning, middle and end.
Speaker A:Like, like it all has to flow and so I know exactly what you mean as far as when it comes to tick tock because I, I, I don't have the bandwidth to understand because it moves so fast and, and I just can't keep up with it as well.
Speaker A:So don't, don't feel bad.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And again, I mean I kind of look at it as a God thing.
Speaker B:I, I got on it because I was told I need to be on it and I've been on it probably the last six weeks and I just don't think it's the best platform for what I'm trying to do based on where I've been.
Speaker B:And frankly, I'm not willing to spend thousands of dollars with somebody to figure out their algorithm because I'm too well known on other platforms.
Speaker B:But yes, I'm getting back.
Speaker B:So yeah, the book's available as well as the coloring book.
Speaker B:It's available on Amazon.
Speaker B:Both of them are available on Amazon.
Speaker B:I couldn't put them together on Amazon, but if you go to my website, you can buy them on my website and I even have a reduced price if you buy them together.
Speaker B:So my website would be www.techlorospress.com.
Speaker A:Thank you.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker A:Well, thanks for watching and remember, God is love and God wants you to show his love to the world.
Speaker A:Until next time.
