We were lucky to catch up with Thea Kvamme recently and have shared our conversation below.

Thea, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?

I hope that through my books I touch many hearts and make a difference in their lives. I also hope I can help people in any way I can. I try to write each of my books on something different that is sometimes hard to explain to children. (ex. Alzheimer’s disease, Depression, etc.) With my books, I let children know that it is okay to have feelings, it is okay to feel scared or sad, and most importantly, it is okay to talk to someone when you feel this way. I want people to remember me for my kindness and how I never gave up on my dream. I would love for people to see my picture and think “Hey, that’s the person who told me to never give up on my dreams!” If you believe it, you can achieve it!
I strive to make everyone feel as though they matter, because no matter what every person is special in their own unique way. Everyone has a dream, don’t ever tell someone they can’t do it. Everything I have written my children’s book about is something I have personally dealt with and watched my children deal with and I always wished there was something to help people understand more about them, with something that people enjoyed.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

I was born in the small town of Shelly in northern Minnesota but grew up in Decorah, IA. I am currently living in Minnesota again with my family and am mom to four great kids. I have always dreamed of being a writer and took creative writing classes in both high school and college.

After 19-years of working with the elderly in nursing homes, I changed up my career path by becoming an infant and toddler teacher, following in my mom’s footsteps of previous years. After a few years, I changed my career path again. I now work for an abstracting and family law company, where I can type all day and get some amazing ideas. I have decided to further my writings and begin writing an adult psycho horror, which is roughly half-way done at this time. I like to craft in my spare time. Writing, of course, is still my passion, but knitting is becoming a close second!

Upon receiving my mom’s diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease, I quickly realized I needed to write a children’s book to help them through the process of having a grandparent or other family member change, as well as help them understand what is happening. My debut book, which was released in August of 2020 release, is a fantastical children’s fiction book, about Alzheimer’s disease, for the young reader, ages three to ten years old. My second book, which was released in winter of 2021, is another fantastical children’s fiction book on depression. My third book is set to come out in 2023, and, well, I can’t spoil what that one will be about!

My family has always meant the world to me, and I cherish every moment I have with my children and siblings, as I did with her parents. I had always hoped to pursue a career in writing, to help anyone escape from reality – even just for a short while – and enter a fantasy world!

I love making people smile. Through my books I hope it helps people use their imagination. I’m proud to keep my promise to my mom and keep her favorite stuffed mouse, Mr. Mousey continuing on adventures. Each book has family member’s names in them.

Is there a mission driving your creative journey?

Helping children understand health issues and to let them know they don’t have to be scared. Also so they know it’s okay to have feelings when dealing with day to day life. I have personally dealt with depression myself. I used to be scared to even talk about it, because I thought people would think differently of me. So many people feel that way, and I want to let them know that it is okay to talk to people about it. I have loved writing since I can remember. I don’t remember a time that I haven’t written, whether it be poems, stories, or letters, you could always find me with a notebook and pencil (yes, pencil not pen) writing away. I always dreamed of publishing a book and thanks to Foxpointe Publishing, I was given that chance!
It’s funny, I can sit down and write about everything, but when it comes to writing about myself, sometimes I draw a blank. We are always our own worst critic when it comes to something we are passionate about. We think that it won’t be good enough or people won’t like it, but the truth is, if you are passionate about it, all that matters is if it makes you happy doing it. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks, as long as you enjoy it. Keep pushing forward and follow your dreams! You can do it!

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

I met Kiersten at a gas station I work for. She was our AFLAC agent and self published. I was intrigued as she was also a self-published author. We spoke for a long time and she explained how to self-publish. I didn’t think my writings were good enough, so I never tried to self-publish. A few years later, she started a publishing company and asked me to send in my story, and the rest is history! My editors, Chelsea and Raven, have both been awesome to work with! They always explain why they edited something and it makes the story that much more amazing! My illustrator, Samantha, has made Mausdrachen come to life! The first picture I was sent, I knew Foxpointe picked the perfect person for my books! The whole Foxpointe company has been amazing to work for! Because of them, my dreams came true.

Contact Info:

• Website: Foxpointepublishing.com
• Instagram: Author Thea Kvamne
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theakvammeauthor?mibextid=ZbWKwL

Image Credits
Heather Kleiboer, Samantha Hinton.