Move over, C.S. Lewis; Melissa Studdard is here! Annalise of the Verdant Hills is one of the most delightful protagonists to skip through the pages of literature since Dorothy landed in Oz. Join Annalise and her two walking, talking wondersheep as they travel to ever more outlandish places and meet outrageous and enlightening folk on their journey to discover interconnectedness in a seemingly disconnected world. Discover with them how just one person can be the start of the change we all strive for. A book for all ages, for all time: wonderful, wacky, and bursting with truth!
Bursting at the seams with joy and truth, My Yehidah leads you through one of the most important adventures you can take--the journey to the center of your very own self.
Filled with writing and drawing prompts and beautiful illustrations to color, this book is the perfect jump start for meaningful, creative exploration for people of all ages.
My Yehidah can be done alone or along the novel Six Weeks to Yehidah.
About Melissa Studdard
Melissa Studdard is the author of the bestselling novel Six Weeks to Yehidah, which also won the 2011 Forward National Literature Award for Middle Grade Chapter Books. She is also a professor, a book reviewer at-large for The National Poetry Review, a contributing editor for both Tiferet Journal and The Criterion, and the host of the radio interview program Tiferet Talk. As well, she is a member of many literary organizations, including the National Book Critics Circle and the Society of Childrens Book Writers and Illustrators.
She loves anything related to writing and reading, whether it's sitting alone with a book and a cup of hot tea, or attending a large poetry reading or literary festival. She also loves travelling, meditating, going for walks, bicycling, practicing yoga, and spending time with family.
She currently resides in Texas with her wonderful daughter and their four sweet but mischievous cats.
Interview with Melissa Studdard, the author of the delightful, imaginative "Six Weeks To Yehidah", as well as "My Yehidah"
Welcome, Melissa, and congratulations on publication of your book.
Tell me about your book. How did you come up with the story idea?
Six Weeks to Yehidah is the tale of a spunky young girl on a metaphysical journey. As she travels from one adventure to another through magical, mystical lands, she learns ancient wisdom traditions and gains deeper and deeper insight into herself and her world. Eventually she must make the most important decision she's ever faced-- whether or not to return to the self she has always known. The companion book, My Yehidah, is a journal designed to take readers on similar, but more personal, journey of self-discovery through writing
and drawing prompts and mandala and illustration coloring.
The idea came to me because I was in a wonderful critique and writing group in which we took turns assigning prompts each month. One woman asked us to read The Oxford Book of Modern Fairy Tales and write our own short tale. It turned out that I was so compelled by the voice and characters I’d created that I kept writing and writing until I realized I was no longer working on a short story. I was writing a
novel.
You also mentioned your daughter wrote the poem the Main Character, Annalise, recites in the first chapter. How was it working together?
This is a great story. Thank you for asking! Near my home, there’s a restaurant where children draw on paper table cloths with crayons. One night, when my daughter, Rosalind, was about 8 or 9, we’d just
ordered dessert, and I looked down to see that instead of drawing during dinner, she’d written a poem. I loved it so much that I took the table cloth home, knowing that I would use the poem somehow, someday. When I created Annalise a few years later, I just knew Annalise had to recite Rosalind’s poem! Now Rosalind is 14, and she’s a brilliant writer. We love working together and editing each other’s stories, and she’s actually working on her own novel now. She’s always had a tendency towards writing though. Even in pre-school, when she had show-and-tell, she would write a book, photocopy it for the class, and give the original to the teacher.
Do you have a set writing routine?
Yes and no. It’s very cyclical. When I’m working on a book, I get into the routine of writing daily, but, when I’m not, I sometimes take weeks or even months off at a time. I love writing more than almost anything else, but life experience enhances writing , so I have to force myself to live too! Haha. When I’m deep into a project, I’m a bit obsessive. Often, my daughter will come in to find me typing away in the dark because I’m so deeply into my writing that I don’t notice the sun going down. When this happens, she just turns on the lamp, shakes her head at me, and commits to cooking dinner that night. Likewise, when her writing is flowing well, I do whatever I can to support her and make sure she doesn’t have to stop until she’s ready.
What are you working on at the moment?
I’m usually working on multiple projects simultaneously. At the forefront right now is a book based on the radio interview program, Tiferet Talk, which I host for the literary journal Tiferet. Thepublisher, Donna Baier Stein, just started a press associated with the journal, and the first book will be a compilation of the first year of Tiferet Talk interviews. It’s filled with insight and wisdom about spirituality and writing. I was fortunate enough to interview such luminaries as Julia Cameron, Robert Pinsky, Marc Allen, and Jeffrey Davis. I can’t wait to see it all collected together as one book! I am also considering a sequel to Six Weeks to Yehidah because I’ve had a lot of requests. And I am working on a poetry collection and two short story collections—one is eclectic, and the other is a series of interlinked stories set in the zany, mythical town of Halfway, Texas.
What would you advise aspiring authors?
First of all, you should always remember that you’re the only person who can speak your truths, and you are worthy of being heard. Secondly, be patient and keep after it and write without ridiculous expectations. Sometimes your writing won’t be good, but you have to write through that to get to the good stuff. Quitting writing won’t fix anything. Don’t be wary of writing the bad stuff. Just laugh at it, think of it as practice, don’t show it to anyone if you don’t feel like it, and keep writing until the good stuff starts flowing again.Just do not stop writing. The most important thing is to keep doing it against all the odds, obstacles, doubts, and insecurities. Those who keep after it are the ones who succeed. I’ve seen it over and over again with my writer friends.
Thank you, Melissa for stopping by. It is an honour and a delight to have you here.
My Review:
Six weeks to Yehidah is a quick, easy and a fun read with some good messages in there, like acceptance of others and patience among others, the young generation would greatly benefit from this story, and learn some things along the way. It is a story of told through the eyes of Annalise, who enters a magical land with her two sheep and they meet different cast of characters from very annoying, to charming. I enjoyed Melissa Studdard’ delightful writing style and a her great imagination in writng this book. Six Weeks to Yehidah is a must read for any young person, and can be enjoyed by adults as well, and is a treasure to keep.
My Yedidah a journey into the story, is the accompanying book to Six Weeks to Yehidah, a delightful treat. It is full of colouring pages and questions with spaces provided.
To visit Melissa online, please click on the following links:
Six Weeks to Yehidah:
My Yehidah
