Tell
me, Fay, or what are you grateful?
I am immensely grateful for my husband,
who encourages me in building and sharing my talents and skills. Without him I
could not have accomplished much in writing. My children are wonderful. By
sharing with me their wealth of knowledge and skill, I have grown and felt
supported in my endeavors.
At
what age were you the happiest? What triggered such joy?
I was the happiest in my youth and teen
years. My father built a cabin in the mountains for our family. We lived there
almost all summers and many weekends throughout the year. There I was free.
Free to explore. Free to just be myself. Free to enjoy my childhood.
We didn’t have many modern conveniences
in the mountains. Life was very simple and calm. The happy memories are endless—catching
frogs at the pond, climbing mountains, riding horses (with or without a
saddle), attending western “stomp” dances, many hours of playing Double
Solitaire with my mother and siblings . . .
What
authors had an impact on you growing up and as an adult?
Two in particular. One was Richard Bach,
the author of Jonathan
Livingston Seagull. He had a gift of telling
a story that gave readers purpose in their own lives, a drive to do better.
Another would definitely be Louisa May Alcott, the author of Little
Women. Sometimes now I’m reminded of that book as I see my life with my family
and extended family, and I think it could fit so well with the sweet portrayals
in that book. The drama, the tragedies, the character-building events . . .
Sometimes as events unfold in my life, I think if we just had a movie
soundtrack added, the pictures would fit very well with the movie “Little
Women”!
Do
you have any “must haves” with you while you’re writing?
Yes, indeed! One of the main “must haves”
is quiet. I do not write well in chaos. Some writers need music. Not me. As I
write, I play the words through my mind and then verbalize them. I couldn’t do
what I do without quiet time.
Another main “must have” is time to pray
and the feeling that I am being guided to write. Driven or compelled to write a
message that needs to be shared.
Do
you have a common theme or item that appears in each of your books?
It started back when I was a young
mother. I was a professional illustrator and wanted to share my love of
motherhood and the joy of babies. Then those visuals began to turn into words,
and then to books. The themes of joy in motherhood and the strength of women
can be seen threaded through all of my work.
Tell
us about your latest release:
I have two books being released this month. The fiction book (for ages 8 to 12) is fully illustrated (Christian, national). A couple of my beta readers (non-professional critiquers) were in this age category, and oh, my goodness, they did such a marvelous job and were very entertaining to work with. The artwork was done by Briana Shawcroft. She did an excellent job and I had a lot of fun working with her on this project.
I Am Strong! I Am Smart!

To my delight, I Am Strong! I Am
Smart! received 23 endorsements before it even went to press. I hope
mothers and granddaughters, in particular, will feel the “warmth” of this book
and gain from it:
Praise for I am Strong, I am Smart:
What a delightful book written and
illustrated with a light, humorous touch. The message is right in the title, I
Am Strong! I Am Smart! One of the most protective factors in any child’s life
is the self-perception that “I am capable, important, and powerful.” This book
allows children to enter into this self-perception along with our heroine. A
valuable, fun read, reinforcing key family
—Joe L. Freeman, Master of Divinity, LCSW
My second book out this month is a non-fiction
book, that also has received many endorsements. I am immensely grateful to the
many people who contributed to We Are Strong! Mothers and Daughters Stand
Together.
We Are Strong! Mothers and Daughters Stand Together
Every girl needs a mentor, someone she can trust to show her the way home to Heavenly Father. The stakes are high—as women of influence, how we live and how we teach Heavenly Father’s daughters will change the course of their lives forever. Using compelling real-life stories from women of all ages, award-winning author Fay A. Klingler clearly defines how and why we must continue to live and teach the Young Women. We Are Strong! beautifully illustrates how powerful a faithful woman’s example can be.
Praise:

—Lorene Elder, Stake Young Women
President
How did you decide on your story plot?
My fiction book was the product of my
wonderful mother’s example. As a child, my mother taught me 100 ways to play Solitaire
and Double Solitaire. I’ve learned so much from her and from my children and
grandchildren, I wanted to show how, no matter our age, we not only can learn
from each other, but we can build each other up and help through the crises
that come our way.
The non-fiction book came about from an
outline I was given from my Heavenly Father. As I proceeded with the writing,
just the “right” stories came forward as contributions in the most unusual
ways. What a blessing it has been to see so directly the hand of the Lord.
Sounds like some great reads! Thanks for stopping by Fay, we enjoyed your visit!
Book Trailer: I Am Strong, I Am Smart
Author Bio:

An active member of The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints, Sister Klingler has served in various stake and
ward Relief Society positions, as a ward Young Women president, in the Primary,
and as a stake missionary.
The Klinglers have twelve children and
thirty-five grandchildren in their blended family. They reside in Draper, Utah.
Connect:
What strong, inspirational messages! And it's easy to see why I Am Strong, I Am Smart received so many endorsements. Wishing you the best with your releases, Fay. I loved your memories of childhood. What a wonderful way to group up!
ReplyDeleteSo nice of you to stop by Mae and take the take to write such a sweet comment for the author. I'm sure she appreciates it!
Delete