Encore: Gathering 'Round the Author - Readings and Christmas Memory Celebrations with Brandi Dougherty

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It's staff and management. There are some

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people that make their work just another
thing they have to do, and there

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are those that make their work something
that they want to do. Welcome to

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Working on Purpose with your host Alas
Cortes. In our program, we provide

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guidance and inspiration from those people who
have found deeper meaning and personal connection to

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their work life. It's beyond nine
to five. It's Working on Purpose Now.

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Here is your host, Elise Cortez. Welcome back to the Working on

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Purpose Show. Thanks for tuning in
again this week. I'm your host,

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Elise Cortez. Here in Dallas,
Texas, my home base as this show

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airs December twenty three, we're doing
a special segment to celebrate Christmas while also

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connecting my guest work to this holiday. But before we get in today's program,

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I want to thank my media and
partner sponsor, jobbing dot com.

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If you're not familiar with them,
jobbing dot com is the leading locally focused

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job board in the nation, and
they're dedicated to helping employers find quality talent

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in their own backyard, while also
getting job seekers control of their own search

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so they can find work close to
home. Great partner for me, Thanks

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jobbing dot Com. So this week
I thought it would be appropriate and also

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fun to focus on Christmas. After
all, it's only two days away,

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And as I considered who to ask
on the show, I thought it would

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make sense to bring on someone whose
work revolves at least in part around Christmas

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and who somehow touches the lives of
children who help us all enjoy the magic

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of the season. Even more so, I thought, hey, how about

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if I try to find eight children's
book author who also writes about Christmas,

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and tada. I found Brandy Doherty, who is the author of the New

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York Times best selling picture book at
the Littlest Pilgrim, as well as for

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the Littlest Tales, including The Littlest
Christmas Star. She has also written three

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middle grade novels, a Pixar picture
book, and partnering with celebrity chef Geatay

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Laurentis to write four books in the
Recipe for Adventure series. Brandy lives and

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writes in Los Angeles, and when
she's not cooking up new stories, she's

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spending time with her husband Joe,
their new baby boy, Oslo, and

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their dog Jerome. She joins today
from Los Angeles. Brandy, Merry Christmas

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and welcome to the show. It's
great to have you here. Before I

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get into the actual questions about you
and your life and your career, what

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you do as a writer, you
know, I want to kick us off

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right with a little bit of fun. As I told you, I have

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a twelve year old daughter and I
have spent many, many years of my

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life reading her books and loved all
of that. And what I've learned over

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the years is that everybody loves to
be read to. So will you just

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start us off by maybe reading a
little bit from The Little was Elf Force.

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Absolutely, I'd love to the littlest
Elf. Oliver was an elf.

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He lived with his family in the
North Pole. There were many elves in

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Santa's village, but Oliver was the
littlest one. It was Christmas time and

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Oliver was excited. This year he
would discover his special job at one of

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Santa's workshops. He just needed to
visit each shop to see which one was

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the right fit. At the toy
workshop where his mom worked, Oliver tried

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to make cuddly teddy bears, but
he got lost in the huge stopping pile.

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Oliver and Elf asked. Oliver's mom
said, I think you're too little

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for the toy workshop. Why don't
you try helping your dad at the bicycle

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workshop instead. So Oliver went to
Santa's bicycle workshop. I'm ready to help,

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he said. Oliver watched as the
elves added wheels and seats and handlebars

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and bells, but the tools were
very big for Oliver's little hands. Maybe

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baking is your special job. Oliver's
dad told him, you should visit your

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brother at the bakery. Next,
Oliver went to the bakery. These elves

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made sugar plumb cookies and candy came
squares. But when Oliver tried to stir

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the cookie dough. Oliver looked out. One of the elves shouted. He

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fell into a giant mixing bowl.
Sorry, Ollie, his brother said,

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you're too little for the bakery.
Maybe your special job is at the bookmaker's

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shop. Oliver arrived at the last
of Santa's workshops, where his sister worked.

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The bookmakers there wrote amazing stories and
drew wonderful pictures. Can I help,

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Oliver asked, Of course, the
elves replied, but the ink pot

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was kind of tough to reach,
and the stack of paper was very tall.

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Oh, Ollie, his sister,
cried, bookmaking was harder and messier

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than it looked. Oliver wandered through
the north pole. He was sad.

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Oliver knew there had to be one
special job he could do, even if

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he was little. Then he heard
the sound of hoofs clattering at the stables.

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Inside, a herd of reindeer had
gathered to meet Dot, the new

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reindeer. She was little, just
like Oliver. Dot was very excited to

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help fly Santa's play. She practiced
for the big night by jumping and hopping

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and leaping, but she could not
fly. The reindeer's Mamma gave her a

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gentle kiss. Dot was still too
little. Dot looked very sad. Oliver

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wanted to help cheer her up.
He dug in his pockets to find a

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treat for Dot, but instead he
found little trinkets from each workshop he had

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visited. Just then he had an
idea. I'll leave it at that.

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Oh, Brandy, thank you.
What a wonderful story. Oh my gosh,

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that does bring back so many wonderful
memories for me and all the years.

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As I said, I've read to
my daughter who's now twelve and reads

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to me usually. But thank you
for letting us start like that. That

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was just lovely. Thank you,
absolutely happy to share. Well, a

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couple of questions if we can really
quick about that book. First, when

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did it come out? What was
the year it was published? It came

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out in twenty twelve, Okay,
so somewhat new awesome. Yeah, And

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I have to also ask you,
you know, I know you have a

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few Christmas oriented books at which is
part of the reason I wanted to have

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you on the show. But what
is it about this holiday for you?

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What does it mean to you?
Do have some maybe some memories around it

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or what is it about Christmas for
you. I've always loved Christmas. It's

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always been a really special time for
me and my family. And also my

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birthday is actually Christmas Eve, though
that has kind of tied into it being

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extra special. One of my great
memories from childhood is my parents always really

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tried hard to make my birthday separate
from Christmas and special in its own,

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which was really really sweet of them. So I would always get my own

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miniature Christmas tree that I got to
decorate and have in my room as my

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birthday tree. So that was always
really fun and such a cute way to

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separate the two holidays. You know, it just reminded me of Brandy,

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and part of the reason again,
I really wanted this show to be more

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celebratory in nature than maybe some of
my other shows, just because I do

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want people to enjoy the holidays,
but also because your work was also connected

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to But you've reminded me that my
dear if I can call him my big

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baby brother, who's nine years younger
than me, his birthday is Christmas Day,

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and that yeah, so that government
that we opened our presence on Christmas

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Eve, just like you said,
to separate the two occasions so lovely too.

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Yeah, yeah, nice. Do
you have siblings? I do?

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I have an older sister. Okay, okay, well I don't know if

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this will come up around that,
but one of the things that you said

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to me as we were getting ready
to broadcast this show is you told me

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that The Littlest Christmas Star was written
in part due to your memory of your

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first your first grade, when you're
when you're in a Christmas play. I

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think it's one remarkable you remember first
grade. I can somewhat remember that.

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But what was that experience tell us
about this? Where did this come from?

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Well, it definitely the memory was
sparked by looking at old photos,

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but I do remember I was painfully
shy as a kid, so being in

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a play and being on stage was
a really big deal for me. But

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my another memory around that my mom
worked to make that a special time too.

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She The photo of me is in
this green velvet skirt and matching vest

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that my mom had made especially for
me to wear for this Christmas show,

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So that was really special. But
the photo of me, I'm in a

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star costume because I'm one of the
stars in the night sky in the play.

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Who's wondering if I will be the
one to lead Mary and Joseph to

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Bethlehem. So that was the role
in the play. And looking at these

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old photos of me in this costume
made me think how funny it would be

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to write a story about a kid
who wants to be the star of a

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show that ends up being the actual
star, just like I was. It's

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wonderful. That is so wonderful.
I didn't make that connection at all.

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That's wonderful. Well one of those
things that you told me, which I

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think is remarkable, and remember this
joyishly as well. Again, wonderful that

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I well, first I wanted to
find somebody who was somehow connected to children

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with their work because of the holiday
season. And of course know that you

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have a baby, a new baby
boy named Oslo. So how old is

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he? Yes, he's five months
old. So he's amazing. I think,

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you know, the sleep deprivation is
very real, but where copping every

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minute of it. And he just
he has a smile that lights up our

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entire house. So it's been really
fun. So yeah, and super fun

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to be, you know, celebrating
Christmas with him for his first Christmas,

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your very first Christmas with a child. How fun is that? Yeah,

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it's it's really exciting. You know. I remember Brandy when my daughter was

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and she's probably gonna, you know, slay me at some point because I

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mentioned her on the show every once
in a while. But hopefully these are

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all good memories for her too.
But I remember when she would have been

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like I don't know, three or
four, I think, and we were

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in the mall here in North Park
Mall here in Dallas, and she happened

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to catch a glimpse of Santa Claus
there in the in the mall, and

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I wondered kind of what was going
on. All of a sudden, she

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breaks away from me, makes a
mad dash for Santa Claus, runs up

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to him, pass this really long
line of people waiting for their turn to

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visit Santa Claus. And I'm thinking, oh my god, it's going to

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be a revolt. I'm going to
be in big trouble here. Oh my

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gosh, runs up to him,
wraps her arms around him as best she

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can. He's got a big,
requisite big belly, and she and she

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says baby like she thinks there's a
baby in Santa Claus's belly. And thanks

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much to my relief. Everybody in
line started cracking up, laughing, and

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there was no revolt. I was
safe. And when she got her hug

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and you know, thought maybe there
was a baby in there, she was

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on her way. But such a
fun memory of these. You know,

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the children just make holidays so entirely
different, right, And that's one of

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the reasons again that I wanted to
have you and your work on the showcase

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your work on the show because we've
were at the end of the year.

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It's Christmas time and I wanted it
to be festive and fun. So I

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appreciate that you're telling me about your
work, your life and kind of what

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spawned you to write about Christmas and
children. Yeah. Absolutely, it's definitely

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just seeing the wonder and excitement with
kids around this time is so special and

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fun. Well, how was it
that you decided to write? And let

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me ask you this. You know, I don't know enough about you yet.

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You I'm just getting to know you
as well. But did you go

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to school or did you study writing? Did Jenny journalism or did you know

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you wanted to be a writer?
And did you know it was going to

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be children's books? I did not
know. I did study English. I

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was an English major in college,
and I always loved to write, and

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I did enjoy making stories even from
a very young age. But I didn't

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really actually think about officially writing children's
books until I worked for Scholastic, the

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publishing company in New York City.
My job there was to work for the

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reading clubs, and I chose books
for the middle Grade Club, which is

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you know, the catalog where teachers
can have their students order books through them

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and they get you know, they
get extra supplies and books for the classroom,

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and it's a really great program for
teachers and a really wonderful way for

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kids to get books more easily and
more accessibly. So it was amazing to

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be a part of that, and
I think the biggest piece of my job

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that I you know, my favorite
part was being connected to that experience of

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kids receiving books in their classroom,
and that was always such an amazing experience

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to know that I was connected in
that way, and so that's really what

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spurred me to want to be a
part of getting new stories to them as

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well. M Well, so you
know, I have to ask, maybe

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you don't know this, but one
of the things that I do in my

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spirit time is I'm a meaning in
work researcher, So I really care about

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why people choose the work that they
choose and what does it mean to them,

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What does it mean who they are
as human being? What do they

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derive satisfaction from? So what does
your work mean to you? You're an

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author, You've gotten the breadth of
things that you've done is wonderful, and

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I definitely want to talk about all
those things while we're on the show.

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But what does your work mean to
you? I think it's really just being

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able to connect with kids in you
know, reading is such a special important

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thing, and I think the most
rewarding thing has been to receive letters from

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from students who've read my books and
a few a few girls have even said,

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you know, your book is the
first book that I ever finished reading,

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and it made me want to read
other books. And I can't think

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of anything better than that, to
know that I played a role in helping

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a child find a love for reading
and want to do more of it,

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Like that's that's the ultimate goal.
And is there any kind of message that

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you're trying to impart at all?
Brandy? Is there anything in there that

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you're trying to make sure that kids
across the kids, each focus is different.

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But I think especially for the older
books that I write, you know,

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I write a lot about cool and
certainly in friendship and just really you

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know, hoping that I'm giving a
must penture of confidence, especially the girls,

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and and and hopefully just kind of
a good feeling in general that people

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can kind of, you know,
whether they recognize it or not. Hopefully

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it's even more stuttled than that.
It's just bringing something nice to to that

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experience, and hopefully a little nugget
of something they can't carry forward in their

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lives. Of course, you know, I love that. I am all

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about personal and professional development, so
of course I love that, and I

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love the idea that you are trying
to instill confidence and good sentiment. I

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just have to say one of the
books that I just absolutely love, and

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looking at my bookshelf right now,
and I don't know if you've ever heard

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of it before, but it's called
Stand Tall, mollylu Melon, And you

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know, I'm almost fifty years old, Brandy, I still read that book

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and once I drag my daughter in
and make her listen to me as I

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read it, and I just love
it because it does have such a wonderful

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message. The pictures are fantastic,
So you know, I don't think the

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thing of us are ever too old
to read picture books. If that's okay,

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absolutely, I fully agree. Well, I have to also know,

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and I don't know if you're you're
able to speak to this just yet because

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you're you're a new mom, You've
got a five month old. But has

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your approached or perspective about how you
write change since since you become a mom?

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I think it will definitely. I
think that you know now more than

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ever. I want to write stories
that really capture kids imaginations and makes them

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interested in reading. Like I really
want Osla to be a child that loves

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books and loves to read. So
if I'm able to write something that he

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especially is interested in reading over and
over again, then I'll know that I've

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made it, oh for sure?
For sure? And when we hear our

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children read back to us, right, isn't that a wonderful thing? When

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you get to be able to actually
hear that with Oz, it will be

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so fun to hear him speak the
words from a book to you. I

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just I love that myself. Yeah, n't wait for that, and I

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think the other goal too is also
to read, to write something that parents

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don't mind reading a million times,
because I know that that's that'll be part

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of the journey, too, is
not getting tired of the books he wants

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to hear over and over, so
hopefully I can write something that parents are

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happy to continue to read. M
You know that is such a good point.

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I can tell you that I reluctantly
gave up Gabby's books my daughter when

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she needed to do go on to
higher levels. But some of many of

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them I couldn't give up away.
My husband actually calls me a pack rat

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and actually got rid of several of
them, resold them through half Price books

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while I was away, so I
some of them I actually repurchased, Brandy,

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because I love them that much.
So I think you're probably going to

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be in good shape. Well,
if you can believe, it's already time

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for our first break. Time flies
so fast, so hang on just a

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00:18:11.960 --> 00:18:15.799
moment. Here, it's time for
us to take a short break. I'm

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00:18:15.799 --> 00:18:18.559
Alise Cortez, your host. We've
been on the air with Brandy Doherty,

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who is the author of the New
York Times best selling picture book called The

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Littlest Pilgrim, as well as for
The Littlest Tales, including The Littlest Elf,

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which she was reading from, along
with many other notable accomplishments in her

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writing career. She and her husband
Joe are also new parents, enjoying their

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first Christmas with her son Oslo.
We've been talking a little bit about how

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it was it she's gotten started,
what she finds meaningful in her work.

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After the break, I want to
hear a bit more about how it is

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that she processes her work, how
does she actually actually find time to work

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on her books, And I also
want to have her read a bit more

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from one of her other tales.
Stay with Us builds your better business,

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00:18:55.799 --> 00:19:00.039
Achieve that goal, make good on
that resolution. The Voice American Impowerment Channel,

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00:19:00.279 --> 00:19:06.720
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speaker and engagement and development catalyst.
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and engagement workshops and can bring her
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To learn more or to invite Elise
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00:20:27.799 --> 00:20:33.680
This is working on Purpose with Elise
Cortez. To reach our program today,

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please call in to one triple eight
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Again that's one triple eight three four
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may also send an email to Elise
ali Se at Elise Cortez dot com.

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00:20:48.640 --> 00:20:53.920
Now back to working on purpose,
Thanks for staying with us, and welcome

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00:20:53.960 --> 00:20:57.160
back to the Working on Purpose program
if you're just joining us. My guest

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is Brandy Doherty, who has written
Littlest Tales books, including The Littlest Christmas

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Start, three, middle grade level
novels, A Picture Excuse Me, a

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Pixar picture book, and partner with
celebrity chef Gianna de Laurentis to write four

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books in the Recipe for Adventure series. She joins us to day from Los

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Angeles, California. I'm your host
at least Cortez. Let's pick up where

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we left off. We are just
about ready to talk about really the process

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that you go through Brandy when you
write. I think that's obviously very very

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interesting for a lot of us who
wonder just what goes into a book?

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How do you pull this off?
So what's your writing process? Yeah,

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when you know, when I start, I always keep a notebook with me.

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Sometimes I have a full size notebook
that I'm also journaling in, and

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other times just like a little pocket
notebook that fits where you know, in

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a pocket or in a purse.
And anytime an idea strikes me, I

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always try to write it down.
And I find that writing it actually handwriting

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it kind of makes it thick somehow
a little better. Of course, then

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I usually do go home and transcribe
my notes onto my computer, and I

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00:22:03.359 --> 00:22:07.160
do work for my computer, but
I just love something about handwriting things initially,

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and really, once I start with
an idea, if it's a picture

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book idea, I really just try
to kind of get a sense of what

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my stort maark is going to be, and I just start to try to

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envision what the flow of each page
might look like, what some illustration moments

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might be, and just kind of
really envision it in my head and try

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to write it out in that way
where I've kind of got it, got

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each page flowing how I want it
to. And then the key is to

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revise and revise and revise a million
times. And that's that's really the key

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to any writing is to continue to
rework it. And you really don't ever

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feel like you're done doing that,
but I think finally eventually get to a

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place where you can fel comfortable enough. And then with my middle grade books,

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my longer chapter books and middle grade
novels, I like to start with

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a really detailed outline of the plot
and the characters and to really have a

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strong sense of the whole world of
my story before I even begin, and

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then I usually do write a very
specific outline chapter by chapter. So and

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this is something that talking to other
writer friends, everybody's process is different.

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Some people just start on page one
and just start writing and see where it

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takes them. I like to have
an idea of where it's going to go

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first, and of course it usually
does change as I'm writing, but I

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like to have that kind of map
blueprint to work from from the start,

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and that works really well for me. I'm glad I asked that question,

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you know, partly because one I'm
just hoping to say curious, and I

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think our listeners are too as to
how what is the creation processing? You're

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00:24:00.240 --> 00:24:02.880
right, I'm sure it's for everybody. But I have to say one thing

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that you have I don't know.
I guess kind of awoken in me is

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00:24:06.839 --> 00:24:10.799
that for me when I write,
I have not written stories or fiction.

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I write research oriented. Thing is
obviously, but I will tell you though,

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for me, my best writing,
if I look at the best works

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I've ever produced, they always started
with me jotting down my thoughts and my

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00:24:22.559 --> 00:24:27.839
outline using a pencil on a piece
of paper for two reasons. One,

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00:24:29.319 --> 00:24:32.319
right, there was the mechanical process
of writing the words, and I had

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00:24:32.359 --> 00:24:34.680
to slow down so all my thoughts
down to actually write. And then there

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00:24:34.839 --> 00:24:38.799
was the feedback the sound of the
pencil going across the page that I found

336
00:24:38.880 --> 00:24:42.759
very stimulating. So the fact that
you seem to also start like that is

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00:24:42.880 --> 00:24:47.440
maybe encouraging. Maybe I could write
like you one day, maybe, Yeah,

338
00:24:48.440 --> 00:24:52.000
yeah, I think there is something
really important about that connection that gets

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lost a lot of times, and
when you are working. You know,

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I do write notes on my phone
sometimes, but I feel like, for

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whatever reason, I tend to forget
those and I'll come back months later and

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be like, oh, yeah,
I forgot I even wrote that down.

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And so there is something about making
that connection that feels very important. Well,

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going back up to some of your
books here, one of the things

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that obviously stands out to me too
is that you've written several books that are

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their little list books. I think
there are five of them in total.

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So what's the story in the focus
on Little List Brandy? Well, as

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I mentioned, I have an older
sister. She's five years older than me,

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which is not any difference. Now
we're best friends as adults, but

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as children, it was a huge
difference, and I just desperately wanted to

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be doing everything she was doing and
and wanting her attention all the time,

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and it was really difficult because she, you know, in that five years,

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she was on another planet basically with
where she wanted to be. So

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one of the first stories that I
ever wrote was in second grade, and

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00:26:00.839 --> 00:26:03.759
it was about having an older sister
who got to do things that I didn't

356
00:26:03.880 --> 00:26:08.759
get to do because I was little. So that always just kind of stuck

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with me. And when I started
thinking about some picture book story ideas,

358
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that was one of the first things
I thought of, and I thought it

359
00:26:17.759 --> 00:26:23.079
would be really fun to kind of
tie it to these sweet holiday characters who

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are desperate to help and be a
part of the world that they're in and

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you know, find something special to
do even though they're little. I think

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00:26:33.240 --> 00:26:37.200
you know, I will confess to
you that part of my interest in bringing

363
00:26:37.240 --> 00:26:41.400
you on as an author was partly
because that you write you have some books

364
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out that have that littlest aspect to
it, because I could relate to that

365
00:26:44.759 --> 00:26:48.079
as well. I was I'm the
oldest of four children. But I was

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always the shortest kid in class,
Brandy always like you know, back in

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the day, they would line everybody
up according to heights, So I was

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always at the very very end,
the shortest end, and there was always

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these you know, this ongoing series
of much taller people toward onward. And

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so I would wear shirts that said
things like good things come in small packages.

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So I was certainly attracted to an
interested in the idea that you write

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about little lists because I could relate
to that. It's lovely. That's great.

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00:27:18.000 --> 00:27:22.799
Yeah, I really hope that kids
find something in that, whether it's

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because they're small for their age or
having older siblings or whatever it is.

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That's great. Yeah. I did
eventually sprout up quite a bit, so

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I'm not considered short anymore. I'm
considered more in the middle of tier.

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But almost all of my life,
until I was probably in eighth grade,

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I was considered the shortest kid in
class. So lots of memories to produce

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around the littlest for me, that's
great. So the next thing I wanted

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00:27:49.160 --> 00:27:52.039
to hear about I'm really intrigued as
well, is how it was that you

381
00:27:52.119 --> 00:27:56.240
got the opportunity to write the Pixar
Picture Book. I mean that sounds really

382
00:27:56.359 --> 00:28:00.279
fun, really really exciting and amazing. Tell us about that situation, not

383
00:28:00.359 --> 00:28:03.720
experience, what was it like and
how did it come to be? Yeah,

384
00:28:03.880 --> 00:28:07.880
that was really fun. I've definitely
been very fortunate to have a lot

385
00:28:07.960 --> 00:28:12.359
of friends in the publishing world because
of my time at Scholastic, and when

386
00:28:12.400 --> 00:28:17.319
I first moved from New York to
California, I did a lot of freelance

387
00:28:17.359 --> 00:28:22.200
work for Disney, who owns the
Pixar studio. And I also have an

388
00:28:22.240 --> 00:28:29.000
amazing literary agent who's great at helping
me networking and connect me with new projects.

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00:28:29.119 --> 00:28:33.400
So the Pixar book came about through
a connection of mind to a great

390
00:28:33.519 --> 00:28:37.480
editor at Pixar, and then it
it came to Fruition with the help of

391
00:28:37.559 --> 00:28:45.720
my agents. So it was a
really a good collaboration there. And Brandy

392
00:28:45.079 --> 00:28:49.599
was what is this Pixar book about? So it's for the new movie The

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00:28:49.680 --> 00:28:57.599
Good Dinosaur, which which came out
right before Thanksgiving, And it's a book

394
00:28:57.640 --> 00:29:02.839
that introduces the two main characters of
the movie, Arlo and Spots, And

395
00:29:02.960 --> 00:29:07.720
it's a story of the showcases their
friendship and their survival skills in the wild.

396
00:29:10.839 --> 00:29:12.279
So yeah, it was super fun
to do. I was able to

397
00:29:12.400 --> 00:29:18.119
spend some time on the Pixar campus, which is incredibly inspiring and creative,

398
00:29:18.279 --> 00:29:23.200
and I got to see a couple
of early versions of the film and production

399
00:29:23.640 --> 00:29:30.400
and so it was a really fun
experience. I love hearing people talk so

400
00:29:30.720 --> 00:29:33.839
fondly and wonderfully about their work,
because That's what I'm focused on, right

401
00:29:33.880 --> 00:29:36.079
I care about how you will connect
to their work and what it means to

402
00:29:36.160 --> 00:29:38.839
them and if it's fulfilling, et
cetera, et cetera. So that was

403
00:29:38.880 --> 00:29:41.799
one of those things when I saw
that as part of what you've done,

404
00:29:41.799 --> 00:29:44.160
I was like, I have to
ask her about that. That sounds really

405
00:29:44.240 --> 00:29:48.400
amazing and I can only imagine hopelessly
inspiring to be over there on that campus.

406
00:29:48.400 --> 00:29:55.880
Absolutely, yeah, so many creative
people in one place, well speaking

407
00:29:55.880 --> 00:29:56.759
you that. I mean, one
of the things I wanted to do as

408
00:29:56.799 --> 00:30:00.519
well, as I mentioned, is
really make this a celebratory show and in

409
00:30:00.559 --> 00:30:03.720
addition to talking learning about you,
but also just getting kind of you know,

410
00:30:03.839 --> 00:30:07.519
the old fashioned get around around the
radio and learn and listen and have

411
00:30:07.720 --> 00:30:11.720
fun. So to that end,
will you read also maybe something from the

412
00:30:11.799 --> 00:30:18.960
Littlest Christmas Star. Sure, I'd
be happy too, the Littlest Christmas Star.

413
00:30:21.119 --> 00:30:25.319
One snowy afternoon, Max's teacher announced
his class would put on a Christmas

414
00:30:25.400 --> 00:30:30.480
play. Everyone was excited, especially
Max. Max couldn't wait to have a

415
00:30:30.559 --> 00:30:34.880
part. Even though he was the
littlest student in his class. Max hoped

416
00:30:34.880 --> 00:30:38.880
he could be the star of the
show. I will announce your roles tomorrow

417
00:30:38.960 --> 00:30:44.920
morning, the teacher said. The
next morning, Max's teacher called out the

418
00:30:45.039 --> 00:30:48.799
role each student would play. Max
waited and squirmed, and waited and squirmed,

419
00:30:49.319 --> 00:30:52.599
and finally, Max, the teacher
said, you will be the star.

420
00:30:53.440 --> 00:30:57.599
Max's eyes grew wide. He smiled
a big, big smile. He

421
00:30:57.799 --> 00:31:03.000
really was the star of the show. You will be the star of Bethlehem.

422
00:31:03.519 --> 00:31:07.640
Your line will be follow me.
Max sank down in his chair.

423
00:31:07.240 --> 00:31:11.079
I only have one line, he
asked, Yes, Max, but it's

424
00:31:11.079 --> 00:31:17.920
a very important line, said his
teacher. Everyone in the class was jumping

425
00:31:18.000 --> 00:31:22.519
around and buzzing with excitement. I
have ten lines, said Sophie. I

426
00:31:22.680 --> 00:31:26.799
get to paint a set, said
Max's friendly. But Max did not jump

427
00:31:26.880 --> 00:31:30.519
around. He was sad. He
wanted to have a big part in the

428
00:31:30.599 --> 00:31:36.119
play, but instead he had the
littlest one. The next week at school,

429
00:31:36.160 --> 00:31:40.160
the class prepared for the show.
There were costumes to make, and

430
00:31:40.359 --> 00:31:45.119
lines to learn and songs to practice. Max didn't know what to do.

431
00:31:45.720 --> 00:31:51.319
He had his one line memorized already. Maybe Max decided he could help out

432
00:31:51.359 --> 00:31:55.640
with the other parts too. Max
began to practice the part of Mary.

433
00:31:56.319 --> 00:32:00.400
He worked on making his voice as
big and loud as he could. That's

434
00:32:00.440 --> 00:32:05.119
my part, said Sophie. Max
wondered to where the set was being painted.

435
00:32:05.640 --> 00:32:07.559
He dabbed a brush in purple paint
and began to paint a tree.

436
00:32:08.200 --> 00:32:12.720
He wanted the trees to stand out
on stage. I am the set painter,

437
00:32:12.920 --> 00:32:17.319
Henry told him, and trees aren't
purple anyway. Max walked into the

438
00:32:17.400 --> 00:32:22.480
hall where this chorus was practicing their
songs. He's sang at the top of

439
00:32:22.559 --> 00:32:25.839
his lungs, even though he didn't
know the words. Eva pointed at Max.

440
00:32:27.359 --> 00:32:31.079
You're not in the chorus. Max, You're supposed to be practicing your

441
00:32:31.200 --> 00:32:35.960
part, his teacher interrupted, But
I know it already, Max replied.

442
00:32:36.880 --> 00:32:39.160
I bet a little more practice wouldn't
hurt. She said, we need you

443
00:32:39.279 --> 00:32:44.920
to be the best Christmas Star you
can be. Finally, the night of

444
00:32:45.000 --> 00:32:49.720
the Christmas play arrived. Max's family
sat smiling in the audience, ready to

445
00:32:49.799 --> 00:32:53.920
see his performance. Max was not
smiling. No one will even notice me,

446
00:32:54.079 --> 00:32:58.599
he told his teacher. Of course
they will, Max, His teacher

447
00:32:58.680 --> 00:33:07.440
said, you'll see there. I
love that. So I don't know about

448
00:33:07.480 --> 00:33:08.599
our listeners out there, but I
could just sit there and let you go

449
00:33:08.759 --> 00:33:12.480
on and on, and I just
really that's what I wanted to accomplish on

450
00:33:12.519 --> 00:33:15.000
the show, was that feeling of
being read to. There's just something about

451
00:33:15.039 --> 00:33:17.519
it that just draws you in.
And I'll tell you for me, Brandy,

452
00:33:17.519 --> 00:33:22.640
I remember so distinctly years ago.
Oh, my daughter was probably,

453
00:33:22.640 --> 00:33:27.200
oh gosh, she must have been
like three or so, and I was

454
00:33:27.279 --> 00:33:30.400
taking shot therapy for my allergies here
in Dallas, and so you know,

455
00:33:30.440 --> 00:33:31.720
I too, like a couple of
times every week, and I had to

456
00:33:31.880 --> 00:33:36.279
pack her up and bring me bring
her with me, and so I would

457
00:33:36.319 --> 00:33:38.240
you had to be there for twenty
minutes afterwards. So I would bring one

458
00:33:38.359 --> 00:33:42.039
or two of her picture books with
me, and you know, to keep

459
00:33:42.079 --> 00:33:44.400
her kind of quiet, I would
read to her. And invariably there were

460
00:33:44.440 --> 00:33:47.119
people there waiting as well for their
twenty minutes to go after they'd gotten their

461
00:33:47.119 --> 00:33:50.319
shot, and they would all do
the same thing, right. They would

462
00:33:50.400 --> 00:33:52.200
lean in and some of them would
ask me afterwards, what's the name of

463
00:33:52.200 --> 00:33:54.319
that book? I'll just get it
from myself. I don't have kids,

464
00:33:54.440 --> 00:34:00.000
but I'm I want the book.
So there's something about yeah, you know

465
00:34:00.039 --> 00:34:05.279
what there is. It's just something
about being read to that is so glorious.

466
00:34:05.319 --> 00:34:10.000
So I appreciate that you indulged me. Thank you absolutely well. You

467
00:34:10.079 --> 00:34:15.039
mentioned earlier, but again, since
this episode is meant to be celebratory in

468
00:34:15.119 --> 00:34:17.679
nature. In nature, any other
sort of memories that you have, Our

469
00:34:17.800 --> 00:34:24.599
favorite Christmas pastimes that you do well. We always baked a ton of Christmas

470
00:34:24.679 --> 00:34:30.280
cookies, which is something that I've
carried on in my adult life. You

471
00:34:30.400 --> 00:34:34.599
can't ever have too many cookies,
but love my mom would make a huge

472
00:34:34.639 --> 00:34:38.440
batch of sugar cookie dough and we
had a bunch of cookie cutters and Christmas

473
00:34:38.480 --> 00:34:44.360
shapes, and we'd spend the whole
day baking cookies and fasting them and decorating

474
00:34:44.400 --> 00:34:50.880
them. And that's always been something
fun that I've loved. And I also

475
00:34:50.920 --> 00:34:53.239
grew up in Montana, so we
you know, going out to find our

476
00:34:53.320 --> 00:34:58.280
Christmas tree meant going out in the
woods. My dad would bring his axe

477
00:34:58.360 --> 00:35:02.840
and we would spend in the day
and decide which tree we wanted and cut

478
00:35:02.880 --> 00:35:07.840
it down and bring it home.
And that was always a great fun pastime

479
00:35:07.880 --> 00:35:13.599
that we did every Christmas. And
certainly it's very different here in La finding

480
00:35:13.599 --> 00:35:16.639
a Christmas tree, but I still
do love that tradition of getting a tree

481
00:35:16.719 --> 00:35:22.679
and decorating every year. And do
you still get a fresh tree. We

482
00:35:22.800 --> 00:35:29.039
don't go out and cut our own. But we just actually moved to La

483
00:35:29.599 --> 00:35:36.199
from San Francisco this year, so
I haven't haven't scoped to the whole Christmas

484
00:35:36.360 --> 00:35:38.360
tree seen as much as I should, But I think once Oz was a

485
00:35:38.400 --> 00:35:43.079
little older, we'll try to find
some more fun ways to go get a

486
00:35:43.159 --> 00:35:46.800
tree. There's certainly, you know, plenty of of great areas around here,

487
00:35:47.000 --> 00:35:52.280
so and I live here in Dallas
now obviously, so we don't have

488
00:35:52.360 --> 00:35:53.639
a lot. There are places you
can do that down here in Dallas as

489
00:35:53.639 --> 00:35:57.800
well, believe it or not,
if you go out further past the suburbs.

490
00:35:57.880 --> 00:36:00.360
But we did used to do that
when we'll live in Seattle, Washington.

491
00:36:00.440 --> 00:36:04.159
It was a lovely pastime. So
again I wanted to bring up those

492
00:36:04.199 --> 00:36:07.800
kinds of things that would help our
listeners connect also with their memories of things

493
00:36:07.840 --> 00:36:13.320
that they find cherished and lovely about
how they remembered those years, maybe early

494
00:36:13.400 --> 00:36:16.800
on with her family or maybe maybe
very distantly. So that's part of what

495
00:36:16.840 --> 00:36:20.440
I wanted to kind of seed with
that. So thank you for also sharing

496
00:36:20.519 --> 00:36:24.679
that too. I have some memories
myself. Yeah, that's great. Well,

497
00:36:24.960 --> 00:36:28.639
time for another quick break here.
I'm Alice Cortez, your host.

498
00:36:28.719 --> 00:36:30.039
We've been on the air with Brandy
Doherty, who is the author of the

499
00:36:30.079 --> 00:36:34.920
New York Times best selling picture book
called The Littlest Pilgrim, as well as

500
00:36:34.960 --> 00:36:38.119
for other Littlest Tales including Little Self, along with many other notab accomplishments in

501
00:36:38.119 --> 00:36:42.480
her writing career. She and her
husband Joe are also new parents, enjoying

502
00:36:42.519 --> 00:36:45.159
their first Christmas with their son Oslo. After the break, we'll hear a

503
00:36:45.199 --> 00:36:50.000
bit more about one of her other
endeavors that she's had here writing and working

504
00:36:50.119 --> 00:37:07.960
with Giatta de Laurentis. Stay with
us, it's your world. Motivate,

505
00:37:07.360 --> 00:37:16.360
change, succeed. Voice America Empowerment
dot com. Follow the Voice America Talk

506
00:37:16.519 --> 00:37:22.440
radio network on Twitter. We're at
Voice America TRN. You'll get the latest

507
00:37:22.480 --> 00:37:25.840
fix on what's happening with our shows, this week's featured guests, and general

508
00:37:25.960 --> 00:37:30.239
happenings that you should know about at
the Voice America Talk Radio Network. Now,

509
00:37:30.400 --> 00:37:34.920
you don't have to miss anything when
you're away from your home or office.

510
00:37:35.159 --> 00:37:39.000
Just go to Twitter dot com,
forward slash Voice America TRN, or

511
00:37:39.159 --> 00:37:45.800
follow along with us at Voice America
TRN the Voice America Talk Radio Network.

512
00:37:45.000 --> 00:37:51.800
We're on the cutting edge of social
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513
00:37:51.800 --> 00:37:54.800
you think you've seen online TV before, let us surprise you. Voice America

514
00:37:54.880 --> 00:37:59.920
dot TV is online now. The
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515
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516
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517
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518
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520
00:38:23.760 --> 00:38:30.079
It's your world. Motivate, change, succeed. Voice America Empowerment dot

521
00:38:30.159 --> 00:38:45.280
com. This is working on purpose
with Elise Cortez to reach our program today

522
00:38:45.400 --> 00:38:49.480
please call in to one triple eight
three four six nine one four one.

523
00:38:49.880 --> 00:38:53.119
Again, that's one triple eight three
four six nine one four one. You

524
00:38:53.199 --> 00:39:00.639
may also send an email to Elise
ali Se at Elise Cortez dot com.

525
00:39:00.320 --> 00:39:06.679
Now back to Working on Purpose.
Thanks for staying with us, and welcome

526
00:39:06.679 --> 00:39:09.000
back to your Working on Purpose program. I'm Alice Cortez, your host if

527
00:39:09.039 --> 00:39:13.159
you're just joining us. My guest
is Brandy Doherty, who has written five

528
00:39:13.280 --> 00:39:17.000
Littless Tales books, including The Littlest
Christmas Star, three middle grade novels that

529
00:39:17.079 --> 00:39:22.440
Picks our picture book, and partnered
with celebrity chef Giatta de Laurentus to write

530
00:39:22.480 --> 00:39:25.039
four books in the Recipe for Adventure
series. She joges to day from Los

531
00:39:25.039 --> 00:39:30.480
Angeles, California. We had her
read a couple of times here from two

532
00:39:30.519 --> 00:39:32.079
of her books, and she's been
talking about her own connection to her work

533
00:39:32.159 --> 00:39:36.239
and how she writes. Next,
i'd love to hear you talk a little

534
00:39:36.239 --> 00:39:39.400
bit about your collaboration with that celebrity
chef, Giatta de Laurentus. First,

535
00:39:39.559 --> 00:39:43.599
how did you meet her? And
what's that about? What's the connection there?

536
00:39:45.440 --> 00:39:51.199
So my agent was connected with Giotta's
children's book publisher, so they were

537
00:39:51.239 --> 00:39:55.400
looking for someone to pick up the
second set of books in her series,

538
00:39:55.679 --> 00:40:02.079
and everyone thought that we would be
a great So it came about through that

539
00:40:02.159 --> 00:40:07.159
connection through my agent and her editor, and it was a super fun process,

540
00:40:09.360 --> 00:40:14.199
and so four books the Recipe for
Adventure series. I haven't yet picked

541
00:40:14.239 --> 00:40:16.519
this up. I will because my
daughter is an aspiring budding chef herself.

542
00:40:17.719 --> 00:40:20.679
In fact, you know, the
reason that she likes to cook, it

543
00:40:20.760 --> 00:40:23.800
might be interesting to note is that
she is very interesting and help people connect

544
00:40:23.880 --> 00:40:28.679
back to their earlier memories based on
their sense, which I think is pretty

545
00:40:28.719 --> 00:40:32.320
remarkable for a twelve year old to
conceptualize. Wow, isn't that cool?

546
00:40:32.400 --> 00:40:35.320
I mean, I'm just very proud
of her, but I think that's really

547
00:40:35.360 --> 00:40:37.199
cool. That's one of the things
that she's aspiring to do in her work.

548
00:40:38.679 --> 00:40:42.840
So what's the series about? I
mean, are these recipe books or

549
00:40:42.920 --> 00:40:45.800
is there stories in there? What
do they like? So they're a great

550
00:40:45.880 --> 00:40:52.719
mix because they are they are fiction
stories, their chapter books, and they

551
00:40:52.159 --> 00:40:58.760
follow a brother and sister who who
like to cook with their great aunt who

552
00:40:58.800 --> 00:41:02.480
comes to stay with them, and
some of her recipes actually turn out to

553
00:41:02.519 --> 00:41:09.960
be magical and transport them to different
cities. So each book is set in

554
00:41:10.039 --> 00:41:15.280
a different city where the kids go
and have a adventure where they meet other

555
00:41:15.400 --> 00:41:21.360
kids their age and they learn about
the local food and culture in that place.

556
00:41:22.440 --> 00:41:25.159
So it's a lot of fun.
And then each book also has two

557
00:41:25.239 --> 00:41:30.719
recipes at the back that relate to
the food that the kids learned about in

558
00:41:30.760 --> 00:41:35.159
the story. I love it.
I'm totally getting these things. Is there

559
00:41:35.199 --> 00:41:39.400
a certain age range that you're trying
to appeal to? They are, I

560
00:41:39.440 --> 00:41:44.400
would say they're a little bit younger
than your daughter, probably more in live

561
00:41:44.639 --> 00:41:47.719
like seven to ten year old range. But I think because you know,

562
00:41:47.840 --> 00:41:52.679
there's each book, because it's based
in a different city, there's lots to

563
00:41:52.800 --> 00:41:58.960
learn about geography and culture and food, So I think there's a lot that's

564
00:41:59.000 --> 00:42:02.199
really appealing for them for a wide
range. I love it. I'm totally

565
00:42:02.280 --> 00:42:07.079
down with it. Even if it's
a little bit younger genre for my daughter,

566
00:42:07.159 --> 00:42:08.280
she will love it and I will
too, So I'm totally going to

567
00:42:08.320 --> 00:42:13.440
pick those up. And since you've
you're partnered with a chef, do you

568
00:42:13.599 --> 00:42:15.239
like to cook? Is this part
of what you like to do? You

569
00:42:15.280 --> 00:42:17.159
mentioned making cookies, Christmas cookies,
but are you a person who likes to

570
00:42:17.239 --> 00:42:23.159
cook too. I like the idea
of cooking. I'm definitely getting better at

571
00:42:23.239 --> 00:42:28.480
it. But that was one thing
that was really fun, you know,

572
00:42:28.559 --> 00:42:31.079
working on these stories. I went
back and watched a lot of Giada's cooking

573
00:42:31.159 --> 00:42:36.639
shows and spent a lot of time
looking at her recipes, and so I

574
00:42:36.719 --> 00:42:40.480
made a lot of her recipes too, just to get get in that mode.

575
00:42:40.599 --> 00:42:45.599
And so that has inspired me to
work on my cooking skills a bit

576
00:42:45.639 --> 00:42:50.440
more and that's been a lot of
fun. M you know, I have

577
00:42:50.599 --> 00:42:53.239
to say for me, there are
so much that that I'm sitting here thinking

578
00:42:53.239 --> 00:42:55.880
about. As I think about the
world of cooking and what happens in the

579
00:42:55.960 --> 00:42:59.840
kitchen, what does that mean to
relationships and connections and even Christmas? And

580
00:42:59.880 --> 00:43:02.199
I have to I want to share
something with your really quick about my grandmother

581
00:43:02.320 --> 00:43:07.760
and a cooking or a cookie adventure
that I had that it maybe it's pertinent

582
00:43:07.800 --> 00:43:09.880
to all this, but I can
tell you that part of my daughter's connection

583
00:43:09.960 --> 00:43:14.159
to cooking, I know has happened
because when we're in the kitchen together,

584
00:43:14.280 --> 00:43:16.440
she asked me to tell stories about
you know, what was it like when

585
00:43:16.480 --> 00:43:20.159
you were a kid and so I
told her this story, and she's never

586
00:43:20.239 --> 00:43:24.360
forgotten it. So it goes like
this. I was probably in I don't

587
00:43:24.360 --> 00:43:28.920
know, third or fourth grade,
and my mother had told my dear lovely

588
00:43:29.000 --> 00:43:31.000
grandmother that I'd started making cookies and
she was pretty proud of me, and

589
00:43:32.360 --> 00:43:36.920
I've thought that was great. So
when I was there visiting my grandma one

590
00:43:37.039 --> 00:43:39.440
summer, she mentioned, your mom
tells me that you make pretty good cookies.

591
00:43:39.519 --> 00:43:43.400
And I sat up straight, very
proudly, and I said, I

592
00:43:43.559 --> 00:43:45.239
do make good cookies, and would
you like me to make you some?

593
00:43:45.880 --> 00:43:49.400
And of course I'm sure she was
thinking to herself, yes, anything to

594
00:43:49.480 --> 00:43:52.000
keep you busy, Please go and
make some cookies. So I set off

595
00:43:52.039 --> 00:43:55.280
into the kitchen to make these chocolate
chip cookies that I made all the dough

596
00:43:55.480 --> 00:44:00.800
and got the first batch into the
oven, and I looked around her kitchen,

597
00:44:00.880 --> 00:44:04.840
Brandy and I had completely destroyed it. I mean there was flour everywhere,

598
00:44:04.920 --> 00:44:07.800
there was butter underneath the cabinets,
there was stuff on the floor.

599
00:44:07.239 --> 00:44:12.360
And I was horrified because my grandmother
was a fantastic baker and was very clean

600
00:44:12.440 --> 00:44:15.000
in her kitchen and always kept things
just so. So I set out in

601
00:44:15.039 --> 00:44:19.719
a frenzy to clean up the big
mess that I made. Well, all

602
00:44:19.719 --> 00:44:23.440
of a sudden I got this strange
little scent that I was something seems odd,

603
00:44:23.880 --> 00:44:27.079
And all of a sudden, my
grandmother from across the room says,

604
00:44:27.639 --> 00:44:30.039
are the cookies ready? And I
at that moment, went, oh,

605
00:44:30.440 --> 00:44:34.960
my gosh, the cookies are in
the oven still, and that horrible feeling

606
00:44:35.119 --> 00:44:37.519
went over me, like, oh
my god, I burned the cookies.

607
00:44:37.559 --> 00:44:39.039
And so I opened the oven door
and a kid, you not, Brandy,

608
00:44:39.760 --> 00:44:45.079
I mean this waft of smoke comes
a billowing out of the oven and

609
00:44:45.239 --> 00:44:49.719
I and my heart sank to the
bottom of my gut. And my grandmother,

610
00:44:49.760 --> 00:44:52.440
in her sweet little voice, call
from across the room, bring me

611
00:44:52.559 --> 00:44:54.519
one, dear, let me try
one. So I'm, you know,

612
00:44:54.880 --> 00:45:02.440
just an all dread. I take
this literally smoking pan across the room.

613
00:45:02.480 --> 00:45:07.559
It's literally smoking as I'm walking along, and my sweet little dear grandmother takes

614
00:45:07.639 --> 00:45:10.960
her delicate little hands and she takes
one of these, you know, smoke

615
00:45:12.519 --> 00:45:15.920
laced cookies and puts it to her
lips and says, that's the best cookie

616
00:45:16.000 --> 00:45:21.800
I've ever had. And at that
point, at that point, I was

617
00:45:21.920 --> 00:45:23.760
like, you know, victorious,
like I am a good cookie maker.

618
00:45:23.840 --> 00:45:28.519
I knew I was. I am, And I have told that story so

619
00:45:28.599 --> 00:45:30.519
many years, so many times over
the years. And the idea is is

620
00:45:30.599 --> 00:45:34.280
that you know how important it is
to have that encouragement and what it does

621
00:45:34.320 --> 00:45:38.079
it mean to be in the kitchen
with your loved ones, and so you

622
00:45:38.159 --> 00:45:42.199
know, when you talk about cooking
and kids, that's what comes to my

623
00:45:42.280 --> 00:45:44.800
mind. So it was really important
to me, and here I am.

624
00:45:44.840 --> 00:45:47.119
It still makes me cry when it
when I hear that myself, tell that

625
00:45:47.199 --> 00:45:50.599
story and tell to somebody else,
it still gives me a tear. So

626
00:45:51.280 --> 00:45:55.039
it matters. Yeah, absolutely,
Yeah. I loved being a part of

627
00:45:55.079 --> 00:46:00.559
a series that was about families coming
together to cookie. Every every book in

628
00:46:00.639 --> 00:46:04.360
the series has the family cooking together, and then when they go to a

629
00:46:04.440 --> 00:46:07.599
city, they're cooking with a new
family. And I think that's probably my

630
00:46:07.719 --> 00:46:13.599
favorite Christmas tradition, is just bringing
family together and making a big meal and

631
00:46:13.719 --> 00:46:19.519
sitting down with everyone. It's so
important, it really is. And my

632
00:46:19.840 --> 00:46:22.320
mother in law is also a chef, so she's also a cookie with my

633
00:46:22.440 --> 00:46:24.800
daughter all the time and making memories
and stuff and things are always festive,

634
00:46:24.880 --> 00:46:28.079
So I think there's something to that
is probably part of the reason that she

635
00:46:28.159 --> 00:46:30.039
wants to be a chef too,
so hopefully she'll keep it up. We'll

636
00:46:30.079 --> 00:46:36.360
see. Yeah, that's great.
Well beyond kids, and I'm intrigued to

637
00:46:36.400 --> 00:46:38.880
hear a little bit more about those
those three middle grade novels that you mentioned.

638
00:46:39.760 --> 00:46:44.360
So obviously you don't write just for
children. You're also writing for younger

639
00:46:44.519 --> 00:46:46.480
adults, if you will. So
what's one first, what's the age range

640
00:46:46.519 --> 00:46:50.360
that those are intended for? And
can you tell us a little bit about

641
00:46:50.360 --> 00:46:58.239
those books. Yeah, so those
books are generally for kids around ten to

642
00:46:58.440 --> 00:47:02.519
thirteen years old, so a little
bit above the chapter book age. And

643
00:47:02.599 --> 00:47:08.400
I've written a couple of friendship novels
and then a novel that has a bit

644
00:47:08.480 --> 00:47:15.719
of a spooky magic element to it
called Misfortune, And those are those all

645
00:47:15.760 --> 00:47:20.880
feature and strong girl characters, you
know, navigating friendships and a little bit

646
00:47:20.960 --> 00:47:29.079
of boys and and family stuff.
So I've I've always really enjoyed writing at

647
00:47:29.119 --> 00:47:31.960
that age level. Two I think, ultimately, I think my inner voice

648
00:47:32.079 --> 00:47:37.639
is probably close to a ten year
old girl. I remember that time so

649
00:47:37.880 --> 00:47:44.079
vividly, and that's just such a
transitional age where you know, there's just

650
00:47:44.480 --> 00:47:47.679
you're getting a lot of independence,
and there's a lot more happening in school,

651
00:47:47.960 --> 00:47:52.559
and so I think that that writing
for that age has always been a

652
00:47:52.719 --> 00:47:58.760
really a sweet spot for me.
And so you mentioned this a whole different

653
00:47:58.800 --> 00:48:00.679
process, right, So these or
these are a full chapter books that you

654
00:48:00.760 --> 00:48:04.480
have to plan out and plan your
characters and everything else. It sounds like

655
00:48:04.599 --> 00:48:07.239
it's, wait, it must be
much more intense than the picture books.

656
00:48:07.280 --> 00:48:12.079
Is that true or maybe it's not
true. I find it to be.

657
00:48:12.360 --> 00:48:15.760
I think, I mean, writing
picture books is also can be intense because

658
00:48:15.920 --> 00:48:20.039
you need to tell a story with
so few words, and that can be

659
00:48:20.199 --> 00:48:23.639
equally as hard. But I think, you know, building out a world

660
00:48:23.880 --> 00:48:30.280
with such well defined characters, you
have to, you know, kind of

661
00:48:30.159 --> 00:48:36.480
think of them as real people with
real defined personalities and kind of envision them

662
00:48:36.960 --> 00:48:42.199
walking around in the world having experiences, so that you make sure that your

663
00:48:42.320 --> 00:48:49.079
characters aren't one dimensional and do have
that kind of fully developed appeal to them.

664
00:48:49.280 --> 00:48:52.280
So there's a lot. I think
there's a lot that goes into that

665
00:48:52.480 --> 00:48:55.000
for sure, because you're right,
you know, when you think about the

666
00:48:55.000 --> 00:48:58.199
picture books, mean so much of
the book. I mean, it is

667
00:48:58.360 --> 00:49:00.480
definitely the words and the story for
sure, but the picture does certainly add

668
00:49:01.039 --> 00:49:04.280
and you know, I have to
ask it along those lines. I didn't

669
00:49:04.280 --> 00:49:07.679
ask you this before, but it
looks like you've at least illustrated with a

670
00:49:07.719 --> 00:49:12.039
couple of your books with Kirsten Richards. How did you find her and how

671
00:49:12.320 --> 00:49:17.199
how did you collaborate together? So
that was really through the through my editor

672
00:49:17.320 --> 00:49:22.960
at the publishing house. I you
know, was really lucky to work very

673
00:49:23.039 --> 00:49:28.440
closely with my editor, but ultimately
the illustrator choices up to them. So

674
00:49:29.400 --> 00:49:34.400
I mean, I think her art
is absolutely perfect and super sweet. So

675
00:49:35.159 --> 00:49:39.760
I wasn't all disappointed not being able
to choose that person because she's exactly who

676
00:49:39.800 --> 00:49:45.920
I would have chosen. So so
yeah, it's you know, I got

677
00:49:45.000 --> 00:49:50.559
to see some early sketches through my
editor and and that was really fun to

678
00:49:50.760 --> 00:49:55.760
kind of see the characters and the
colors and everything evolved as the art was

679
00:49:55.880 --> 00:50:00.920
finished. Yeah, I think the
illustrations are just the sweetest thing ever.

680
00:50:00.559 --> 00:50:04.360
They are wonderful, And you know
that does make me think, though,

681
00:50:05.400 --> 00:50:07.480
how does it work? I mean, do you write this story and then

682
00:50:07.519 --> 00:50:09.639
the pictures come after, or is
it a collaboration throughout or how does it

683
00:50:09.719 --> 00:50:15.000
work. Yeah, it's interesting because
you know, and again this is something

684
00:50:15.079 --> 00:50:20.440
that's different for all authors and illustrators. Some of them do work really closely

685
00:50:20.519 --> 00:50:25.559
together. A lot of times they
are chosen separately. So I didn't have

686
00:50:25.719 --> 00:50:31.000
a very collaborative process. It was
I wrote the story and then and then

687
00:50:31.079 --> 00:50:37.679
the illustrator would take the finished story
and do the art after. But I

688
00:50:37.800 --> 00:50:44.039
think, you know, just finding
the right person to connect and someone who

689
00:50:44.639 --> 00:50:49.119
really connects with the story and finds
it appealing, then their art is going

690
00:50:49.199 --> 00:50:52.559
to carry that through and you're going
to feel that connection. Even if there

691
00:50:52.679 --> 00:50:58.559
wasn't a lot of collaboration involved in
the process, it seems like such an

692
00:50:58.639 --> 00:51:02.800
important synergistic partnership. And I will
confess that I've certainly hoped that at some

693
00:51:02.880 --> 00:51:06.079
point my daughter and I could do
something like that. For the longest time,

694
00:51:06.159 --> 00:51:09.000
she was very interested in art,
not as much as she's not so

695
00:51:09.119 --> 00:51:10.920
much now as she used to,
So I don't know if this was ever

696
00:51:12.000 --> 00:51:15.760
going to go on, but certainly
have talked about the prospect of writing a

697
00:51:15.840 --> 00:51:20.519
book together and that she would certainly
do the illustrations. Are we crazy or

698
00:51:20.559 --> 00:51:24.400
does that actually happen with parents and
children? I think it can. I

699
00:51:24.480 --> 00:51:30.760
mean absolutely anything. It's possible,
And I know that there are plenty of

700
00:51:30.880 --> 00:51:36.000
people who who come to a publisher
with that collaboration already, you know,

701
00:51:37.000 --> 00:51:39.400
kind of as a package deal.
And I think there's something really special about

702
00:51:39.400 --> 00:51:45.079
that too, because people can see
how well thought out it was as a

703
00:51:45.159 --> 00:51:47.719
whole project. So yeah, I
think there's something really nice about that.

704
00:51:50.440 --> 00:51:52.559
Well, we'll see if it happens. I don't know. We'll let me

705
00:51:52.679 --> 00:51:58.280
be posted, okay, one of
those things that's always been on my list,

706
00:51:58.360 --> 00:52:00.920
So we'll see. Well, we're
coming to the close of the program

707
00:52:00.960 --> 00:52:04.119
already. We've only got a few
minutes left here. So I have two

708
00:52:04.159 --> 00:52:07.079
more questions for you if I can, Brandy, So this program is really

709
00:52:07.119 --> 00:52:09.599
about the world of work. I'll
be able can more meaningfullly connect with it.

710
00:52:09.760 --> 00:52:13.840
And so I would love to hear
your thoughts about you know, what

711
00:52:13.920 --> 00:52:16.039
would you like to share with listeners
regarding work today. So the show is

712
00:52:16.039 --> 00:52:19.800
called Working on Purpose. The idea
is to get people to more meaningfully connect

713
00:52:19.800 --> 00:52:22.880
to their purpose or do their work
in a work purposeful way however it suits

714
00:52:22.920 --> 00:52:25.679
them. So how would you comment
to our listeners about work and how you

715
00:52:25.760 --> 00:52:30.599
connect to it well. I think
being able to find a job that you

716
00:52:30.679 --> 00:52:36.320
love and that brings you more than
just a paycheck is a really wonderful thing,

717
00:52:37.039 --> 00:52:42.559
and I definitely feel very lucky to
have found that. It's certainly very

718
00:52:42.639 --> 00:52:46.320
difficult sometimes to make a living doing
what you love, and you know,

719
00:52:46.400 --> 00:52:51.719
I'm also lucky because my husband's work
supports us in a way that allows me

720
00:52:51.800 --> 00:52:55.639
to focus on writing. If I
were supporting myself entirely on my own,

721
00:52:55.760 --> 00:53:01.920
then I would have to have another
job. But I really loved working in

722
00:53:01.960 --> 00:53:06.960
the publishing world, so I think
that I would absolutely return to that because

723
00:53:07.800 --> 00:53:14.000
it keeps me close to books and
writing and and doing what I love.

724
00:53:14.199 --> 00:53:19.440
So I think even if you can't
necessarily make a living, even at least

725
00:53:19.519 --> 00:53:23.480
right away, doing what you're passionate
about, it's important to try to get

726
00:53:23.679 --> 00:53:30.639
as close to that as you can. In many ways, I think find

727
00:53:30.880 --> 00:53:34.840
finding work that fits with your passion
or that allows you the free time to

728
00:53:35.000 --> 00:53:40.199
do what you love is really important. So even if it's finding a boss

729
00:53:40.400 --> 00:53:45.280
or a work environment that encourages you
to pursue what you're interested in, or

730
00:53:45.519 --> 00:53:50.920
you know, to take classes,
or whatever it may be, I think

731
00:53:51.000 --> 00:53:58.000
that's that's really significant. And you
know, I have such a supportive community

732
00:53:58.079 --> 00:54:02.039
of people. It's Scholastic who really
encouraged me to write. And I don't

733
00:54:02.119 --> 00:54:06.119
think if I hadn't had that,
I don't think I would have had the

734
00:54:06.159 --> 00:54:10.599
courage to become a full time writer. So I think that's the other piece

735
00:54:10.679 --> 00:54:15.599
that's really important, is to surround
yourself with supportive people that believe in what

736
00:54:15.679 --> 00:54:22.519
you're doing. Great advice, completely
agree, of course. And finally,

737
00:54:22.679 --> 00:54:25.360
and maybe say thirty seconds or so, or maybe a minute, what Christmas

738
00:54:25.400 --> 00:54:28.800
wish would you like to leave our
listeners with? Today? We're two days

739
00:54:28.840 --> 00:54:31.920
away from Christmas. What would you
like to send them off with? I

740
00:54:32.079 --> 00:54:36.440
really, I think, you know, there's a lot of there's a lot

741
00:54:36.480 --> 00:54:38.719
of awful things going on in the
world these days, and a lot of

742
00:54:39.079 --> 00:54:44.519
fear, and a lot of people
in this place, you know, displaced

743
00:54:44.559 --> 00:54:50.039
from their homes, and so I
think my Christmas wish is really that everyone

744
00:54:50.639 --> 00:54:58.039
gives and receives as much compassion and
tolerance as they possibly can. And I

745
00:54:58.159 --> 00:55:00.559
think that is a wonderful Christmas wish. Brand thank you, And let me

746
00:55:00.639 --> 00:55:05.119
also say I've certainly enjoyed very much
celebrated Christmas with you. It's been wonderful

747
00:55:05.159 --> 00:55:07.360
to have you on the show.
Brandy, thank you for taking time away

748
00:55:07.480 --> 00:55:09.360
and for reading and celebrating with us. It's been great to have you.

749
00:55:10.239 --> 00:55:14.480
Thank you for having me. I've
had a really wonderful time. I'm so

750
00:55:14.599 --> 00:55:17.000
glad I found you and that you
said yes. So if you want to

751
00:55:17.079 --> 00:55:20.760
learn more about Brandy Doherty, and
I hope that you will, please do

752
00:55:21.000 --> 00:55:24.920
check out her website at www dot
Brandydoherty dot com. Let me spell that

753
00:55:25.480 --> 00:55:32.000
b r A N d I d
O U g h E r t y

754
00:55:32.239 --> 00:55:37.199
dot com Brandydoherty dot com. You
can find her works on Amazon as well.

755
00:55:37.639 --> 00:55:39.239
I hope that you will consider picking
about book or two. This has

756
00:55:39.239 --> 00:55:43.320
been wonderful to be able to hear
her work, so I hope look.

757
00:55:43.400 --> 00:55:45.960
I look forward to seeing you next
week. And don't forget we've been talking

758
00:55:45.000 --> 00:55:47.679
about work and the holidays, but
workers at least one third of our lives,

759
00:55:47.760 --> 00:55:58.440
So let's work on purpose and happy
holidays. We hope you've enjoyed this

760
00:55:58.519 --> 00:56:02.039
week's program. Be sure to tune
into Working on Purpose featuring your host Alice

761
00:56:02.119 --> 00:56:07.159
Cortes, every Wednesday at six pm
Eastern time threepm Pacific time on the Voice

762
00:56:07.199 --> 00:56:22.639
America Empowerment Channel. This week,
find your life's purpose at work. Thanks

763
00:56:22.679 --> 00:56:28.199
again for listening to the preceding program
brought to you on the Voice America Empowerment

764
00:56:28.320 --> 00:56:31.280
Channel. For more information about our
network and to check out additional show hosts

765
00:56:31.320 --> 00:56:37.239
and topics of interest, please visit
Voice America Empowerments dot com. The Voice

766
00:56:37.239 --> 00:56:42.119
America Talk Radio Network is the worldwide
leader in live Internet talk radio. Visit

767
00:56:42.239 --> 00:56:45.880
Voice America dot com. The views
and ideas expressed on the preceding programmers strictly

768
00:56:45.960 --> 00:56:50.480
those of the host or guests and
do not necessarily reflect the views and ideas

769
00:56:50.559 --> 00:56:53.119
held by the Voice America Talk Radio
Network It's staff and management.