We were lucky to catch up with Aileen Cook recently and have shared our conversation below.

Aileen, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I have three meaningful projects, One, my husband adores and is the only project he ever helped me with. Trucker Daddy is a family favorite for us. My husband is a truck driver; he has been most of our twenty-five years together. I wanted to write a book to explain a little bit about the trucking business and how important it is to our economy, but more importantly how a family stays in touch when their loved one spends so much time away. My husband takes lots of pictures out on the road, so I incorporated some of them in this book.

Aileen, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Aileen. I am a writer and illustrator known in the industry as A.N.Cook. I started writing years ago when a simple idea popped into my tired head and flourished into a full story, taking only twelve days to write. The book ideas haven’t stopped since that first day. I am an eclectic writer, ranging from picture books to young adult. I like to write in several different genres as well. My twelfth book, Nightmare Race, is a middle-grade thriller and is set to release on April first.

I like to write things that influence others. Trucker Daddy is a picture book to help families find ways to communicate when parents aren’t always together every night. The communication styles used in the books were the ones we used with our kids when they were growing up, apart from their dad, while he was busy working. Little Miss Not So Perfect is another inspirational novel based on some personal experiences of a teen pregnancy. Pushed Over the Edge is not inspirational, but more of a book about awareness for the dangers of bullying and teen suicide.

My other picture books are holiday books. I had so much fun with these. When my children were small, they would ask, “What does Santa have to do with Christmas? What does the bunny have to do with Easter?” I didn’t have an answer for them at the time. When I started writing, I gave them the answers and carefully merged everything together for what I think are the perfect stories.

I write what comes to me at the moment, whether it’s a fantasy novel, series, thriller; you name it. I am proud of all twelve books and of the fact that I am not afraid to write outside my comfort zone. I will continue to write until I am out of ideas, and as of right now, I have several books in line, so we have a while to go before that happens.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

This may seem simple, but buy directly from an artist. Stop buying mass-produced prints, or if you buy books, leave a review. Indie writers, like myself, rely on reviews to become more visible. As an artist, I would love people to purchase artwork directly from the seller. If someone doesn’t have what you’re looking for, ask if they will do a custom.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I published my first book around fifteen years ago. I go to as many book festivals as I can, appear at craft fairs, and some comic cons. The cost of attending these events is sometimes astronomical, and as an author, I don’t always get my table fee back. I have to constantly tell myself that the event is for exposure. It’s not about the money. I have submitted my work to agents and have been denied so many times that I can use the rejection letters to wallpaper my office. It makes you want to quit. I won’t let them make me feel that way. After my eighth book was published, I created my own publishing brand, Uniquely Imaginative. I don’t need people to tell me no. I can do it on my own, and the bookshelf I have built proves that. It’s all about your mentality.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.aileencook.com