We were lucky to catch up with Kathleen Kastner recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kathleen , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Going back to the beginning – how did you come up with the idea in the first place?

I came up with the idea of my first children’s book, Karma Cats to the Rescue, after my soul mate cats, Julian and Oliver passed. I had them for 17 and 20 years and they were the greatest friends I’ve ever had. After they passed, I felt empty inside and wasn’t sure if I was ever going to be happy again. Writing the book helped lift my spirits and brought me back to life, knowing their story was going to help kids and animals.

I wanted to share Julian and Oliver’s love and compassion with kids to inspire them to do kind acts towards animals and their friends.

In this heartwarming story, the Karma Cats seek the neighborhood looking for animals in need of help and discover, Noah an abandoned cat. Follow their adventures as they help Noah find his forever home and place in the world.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and got into writing when I was a yoga studio owner in Kansas City for 16 years. My first book, The Cheerleader Speaks: What God Taught Me About Men and Myself, was published in 2012 and is a funny and spiritual memoir of my dating experiences leading up to meeting my husband in a yoga class. I wrote it to help single woman find their husbands.

My second book, Yoga’s Path to Weight Loss: A Mind Body Spirit Guide to Loving Yourself Lean, was published in 2015. I have a Master’s Degree in Exercise Physiology and I saw more people lose weight practicing Ashtanga Yoga, than I ever did when I was working in the fitness industry for years. I wanted to write the book to help people lose weight permanently with yoga, meditation, prayer, walking in nature and a vegan diet.

I’ve been vegan since 2002 and have a vegan cooking channel on youtube @kathleenkastner. I love sharing the benefits of a plant-based diet for health and the animals. Helping animals is my passion in life!

I teach an Ashtanga Yoga Retreat in Costa Rica every March with my husband, Wade Mortenson at the Bodhi Tree Yoga Resort in Nosara. Details are on my site: www.kathleenkastner.com.

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

When I first wrote my children’s book, Karma Cats to the Rescue, I had a different title, story, editor and illustrator and chose to scrap it all after meeting with a children’s book writing coach. It needed serious rewriting to the point that I needed to start over from scratch.

I was crushed and the emotional toll manifested in my body as a crazy sciatic nerve injury that sent me to the ER twice! I remember my husband saying you don’t have to write the book, but I was determined to start over
to honor the memory of my cats.

After I got the book done a year later, a friend introduced my to an editor from a big publishing company, who said a few discouraging words about cat books and then passed on my book to an agent, who didn’t return my emails. I moved forward with my original plans to self-publish and I’m happy with my decision.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

From the beginning of my children’s book, I wish I would have known about Miriam Laundry Publishing and her free resources for being a children’s book writer. I highly recommend signing up for her newsletter. I wish I would have known about the wonderful illustrators, graphic designers, and videographers on Fiverr, who ended up bringing my book to life. I’m now learning Amazon Ads to help market my book, which I feel is important for anyone who has written a book.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kathleenkastner.com
• Instagram: @kathleenkastnerwriter
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathleen.kastnermortenson
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathleenkastner/
• Youtube: @kathleenkastner
• Other: www.thekarmacats.com

Image Credits
My headshot, the photo with my cat, and the family photo are by my husband, Wade Mortenson