We recently connected with Sonja Wendt and have shared our conversation below.
Sonja, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the story of how you went from this being just an idea to making it into something real.
My business is writing, publishing, and marketing a book, which then became, multiple books. The inspiration and passion drove me and continues to drive me through the execution. A local Denver radio host, Dom Testa, had just published his book, so I contacted him for advice. He referred me to a book marketing consultant in the area, Judith Briles, the Book Shepherd. The book needed to be written, edited, illustrations made, and book covers designed. Once that was complete, the question of how and where to publish was next. In parallel and ongoing, was the marketing of the book. Marketing included creating a website, creating a book theme, establishing, and getting familiar with social media platforms., writing blogs, finding the book niche, getting out there at bookstores, festivals, and fairs. But then, there were unforeseen obstacles such as Covid that prevented personal interactions. I continued to pursue different avenues to get the messages from my books out there in unique forms and avenues. All my children’s books have been audio and visually transcribed for hearing and sight impaired children. I have created an Intergenerational program to bring children and seniors together to connect and better understand each other. I wrote a parenting book under the same theme which is ideal for parent small group discussions. The execution continues with new ideas springing to life. The process doesn’t end.
Sonja, 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?
I never planned on being an author. It started one day as I was working as an IT Project manager in the Telecom Industry when an email came in. It was an advertisement, and I was about to quickly delete it but something about it caught my eye, so I read it all the way through. It was about wrinkle cream. What, wrinkle cream? Is someone trying to not so subtly inform me that I might want to consider the use of wrinkle cream! OK, this might be serious, I better read this. The ad had a story about a little boy would had an ugly grandma and a beautiful grandma. The beautiful grandma of course, used the wrinkle cream where the ugly grandma did not. I was appalled by the label “ugly” to describe a grandma and something as natural as aging and wrinkles. Is this the message we want to send our kids? Kids today are already struggling with their own self-esteem, self-identity, and self-confidence and to label a little boy’s grandma as ugly because she had wrinkles!
This angered, prompted and inspired me, to develop a story in my head, “Can Old Be Beautiful?” I had no intention of putting it to paper and publishing it. But then, something else happened. I got laid off from my job of over 35 years. They offered training to change careers as part of the severance package. I took classes on writing and publishing children’s books from Gotham out of New York. Shortly after that, I was prompted to address other issues that were occurring, even in our own community, child suicides. I felt compelled to write stories for children on inclusion, acceptance, and welcoming.
There was a local Denver radio show host, Dom Testa, that had recently published a book. I connected with him for advice on publishing a book. He referred me to Judith Briles, the Book Shepherd, who lives in the Denver area, also. I made a conscious and deliberate decision September 2019, to start the process of seriously writing and publishing a book.
I learned that it was good to have a book theme, and “Cultivation Compassion in Children,” fit perfectly. My husband and I own a home where we have a few acres of land, so we are able to have a large vegetable garden along with flowering gardens. I felt a strong correlation between growing gardens and growing compassionate children.
The next several months were composed of getting a web site created, social media activated, writing, editing, finding illustrators and printers, and learning about different writing, marketing, and publishing tools. The learning is never ending. Covid-19 also hit which prevented in person book launches and marketing events. I ended up writing 4 children’s books during this time. They all have to do with compassion, inclusion, and acceptance.
My ultimate goal is to get the message of compassion out to children. All my children’s books have been audio and visually transcribed for hearing and sight impaired children through Imagination Videos. Two of my books are intergenerational in nature and I have created a program to bring seniors and primary school children together called Reading & Seeding.
In 2021, I published a Parenting book, related to the same theme, called “Growing Compassionate Children: A Grower’s Guide,” which is composed of the 12 steps to grow a compassionate child starting with the soil, or the environment a child is in. I developed a parents of small children study guide to go along with this book which is free off my website.
I’m honored that all my books have won awards, several with Amazon #1 Best sellers and one with a first-place award. I continue to work on getting my messages of compassion out, “planting seeds of compassion one story at a time.”
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I am completely driven by a mission in my creative journey. My overall theme is “Cultivating Compassion in Children,” with a goal of “planting seeds of compassion one story at a time.” There is misinformation, misunderstanding, and broken connections in this world leading to violence, hatred, and destruction. There are also mental health issues that are not being recognized or addressed. I have this compelling drive in me, inspired outside of me, to do what I can to make this world a more compassionate and caring place to live in together.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect of being creative is the feeling of accomplishment when thinking outside of the box and executing a solution to a problem or obstacle in reaching my mission or goal. One of the most complex obstacles has been trying to move forward in a Covid-19 world. This has required changes of direction or creative solutions such as writing additional books during this timeframe rather than going all out in marketing, or using virtual meetings to reach people, although not as ideal as in person gatherings. Another reward of being creative in addition to overcoming challenges is that creativity is infinite, so it never gets monotonous or dull. Even though not easy, this journey feels alive, colorful, and fulfilling.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www,sonjawendt.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skwendt/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sonja.k.wendt/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonjawendt/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/sonjalangewendt
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5HT1k2eqT16grnLwZmjrkw
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