We were lucky to catch up with Kathleen Kastner recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Kathleen , appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
My resilience comes from my relationship with God. When I feel God has placed a dream in my heart, I keep putting energy into a project until it comes to fruition. I was a yoga studio owner for 16 years and know that anything worth doing well takes day to day hard work, dedication, and perseverance to be successful.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am the creator of the Karma Cats franchise and children’s book series, featuring Karma Cats to the Rescue and my new book, Karma Cats to the Farm.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Embark on a thrilling adventure with Penny the Pig as she dares to break free from the clutches of a gloomy factory farm in search of her freedom, voice and a forever farm family. The Karma Cats, a fearless feline brother duo, heroically navigate Penny on a daring journey and discover a world beyond her wildest dreams! In this tale of courage, compassion, and the magical power of friendship, young readers will be inspired to shower kindness upon all animals.
This book mirrors my lifelong commitment to helping animals and my work as an animal shelter volunteer and vegan. I hope it will inspire people to see farm animals as friends and not food, and to see that all animals feel love and compassion, and deserve to be treated with kindness and respect. All animals want to live.
I was introduced to yoga and the “Law of Karma,” the law of cause and effect, while working for Dr. Deepak Chopra as his personal trainer in 1993. The Karma Cats books teach kids that when they are kind, kindness will be returned to them.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1. Writing for TV and Screenplays: Taking online classes with Save the Cat and reading their books have been very helpful: www.savethecat.com
- Persistence: There’s a saying that, “Your third books sells your first book.” I keep writing new Karma Cats books in hopes that the series will take off and be successful. The opionion of children is what matters to me most. If they like the book, then I know I’m on th right track.
- Seek out Experts in Your Field: I took an online course called, “The Next Best Seller,” with Jennifer Wilkov and it has been life changing learning how to pitch my book to proucers and publishers. www.thenextbestseller.com. If you’d like to write a children’s book there are lots of free resources at www.miriamlaundry.com.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
I feel overwhelmed often, especially when I am launching a new book. I make sure to get outside and walk in nature, which is like a wonder drug for my my mind, body and soul. I take sun baths and eat my lunch outside or go to the beach. I also meditate and pray morning and night and practice yoga. Playing with my three rescue cats, brings me the greatest joy. I encourage people to adopt rescue pets, which can be calming and life changing!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kathleenkastner.com
- Instagram: @kathleenkastnerauthor
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kathleen.kastnermortenson/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@kathleenkastner
Image Credits
Wade Mortenson Photography, my husband.
