Today’s Author Spotlight is with Christina Dankert. It may only be a portion of our conversation, because I had so much fun talking with her and definitely created some tangents along the way. Please enjoy the interview and don’t forget to check out Christina and her book, The Kindness Machine!
What inspired the kindness machine for you? Where did the idea for that book come from?
15-16 years ago I knew I wanted to write a book for kids. As someone going through early childhood education I visited that kid’s floor in the library all the time. But it took me years in the classroom and having my own kids to realize that kindness was the thing that I wanted to write about.
I think as teachers and parents when we peel everything back of all the things that we hope and dream and want for our kids, we really want them to be kind.
Awesome! Was that the first manuscript that you completed or were there other ones that you started before that one?
No, that was the very first one. I had others that I was working on kind of simultaneously but that was the one I really wanted to see out before anything else. So, that’s the only one I really pushed forward. I was going back and working on other ones and 12×12 working on other manuscripts but, no, that was the first big one.
You mentioned you wanted to write a kids book 15 or 16 years ago when you got started in early childhood education. Did you want to write in general before that or is that kind of something that grew alongside your educational career?
I took some journalism classes in high school and then moving to college I wrote for the yearbook and the newspaper, took journalism classes. I kind of went into school undecided, I thought, ‘I really like journalism and I really like writing and I really love the teaching.’ I got a little further in after my first year there and I thought, ‘well, I can really teach writing to kids and then hopefully work on that own writing and craft myself.’ So, that’s when I chose education. I do both worlds.
Are you working on any other books at the moment?
Yeah, I have this goal of different character strengths and things that we want our kids to positively have. So, I have a manuscript about empathy. I have a manuscript I’m working on about gratitude, about family bonding.
You know, different things that I think of standing on this platform of kindness and being kind not only to others but kind to ourselves. It’s really helped me figure out what I want to put out and those core concepts just keep coming back.
So, as a mom and teacher, when do you write?
Yeah, oh my gosh! That’s the question. Right now, it’s my evenings. Kids go to bed. Make a cup of tea and try to really pull that creative energy. But again, the bonus of being a teacher is I will write on breaks more heavily. We have our summer break quickly approaching.
I’m definitely a fresh writer in the morning, but again, it’s time. So, you kind of have to say, ‘well I might not be as fresh,’ but still get something down. Then on a weekend, I meet with some of the writing groups can have fresh clean eyes. Then look at it again. But, I think that’s what hindered the process for so long–was lack of time. There’s never enough hours in the day and just finding those moments that work and then going and tweaking it when you can.
What keeps you going when you hit an obstacle? Why do you keep pushing? Because some people have that half finished manuscript or they say, I’ll write a book someday.’ But you did it You wrote the book. You put it out. What keeps you going in the face of whatever comes up?
I think before anything was published the thing that would keep me going was keeping in mind how I would feel as a parent and teacher. How I feel when I read these awesome books to my kids. You know, just keep going that love of actually reading. But then I think once it came out–oh my gosh! Or what the conversation was with their child or student.
I’ve been able to do a few author visits over the past year and just sharing the story and listening to their questions and hearing what they think of it is like–any time I’m like, ‘oh gosh! This is so hard.’ You hit that writer’s block and you hit that speed bump. I’m like, ‘okay, just keep thinking about that next author visit. It is such a ripple and you don’t see that. You hope for it before it comes out, but you don’t see it until after. The complete strangers are my favorite messages to get.
What do you like to read when it’s just you and you’re not reading for anyone else?
I’m a big romance and mystery reader. It’s a lot of fiction. I set goals for myself to work through nonfiction whether it’s for a class or something for teaching. But that’s not pleasure that is work and that’s okay. I have to do that during the day. Definitely just romance or mystery like figuring out what happened, those are my two go-to.
Where can people find you and your book?
My website is christinadankert.com. The book is on Amazon, bookshop.org, Barnes and Noble. It lives in all the places.
Don’t forget to tune in next week for my interview with Maria Bostian, author of the Fraidy Brady series and other titles!
If you liked this post, make sure to check out the other Author Spotlights with Kira Bigwood, Alyssa Londoño, and Kelly D Roberts!
