Meet the Author

Originally from Kansas, Genia is married, has a son and daughter, and attributes her success to God and her family. Having earned a Bachelor of Science in Marketing, and a Master of Applied Science in Information and Communications Technology with a focus in Web Development and Design, she combines her experience and skills in technology, graphic design and business to fulfill her writing projects. The passion that kindles Genia's writings and designs stems from a creative background as a young artist. During her earlier years she won numerous art awards including the Hallmark Cards, Inc. Grand Prize in a national art competition. Her artwork earned for her two scholarships, recognition in several editions of the local newspaper, a radio interview, and the opportunity to be published in Arts & Activities, the nation's leading art education magazine.

From paint and canvas to pen and paper, Genia continues to demonstrate her innate ability to create a work of art. Her most recent inspiration led to the debut of Blessings In Blogs: Living Effectively in 2012. Over the years Genia wrote Christian content for websites, newsletters, and other faith-based works. Currently, she is working on projects for children's books and novels that take you on a journey to build vibrant, positive and lasting relationships. Regardless of the genre -- Christian content, novels or children's books, her purpose in writing is to inspire others to keep dreaming and believing that God has a good plan for their lives, regardless of any unexpected twists and turns. This journey as a writer has been a challenging, creative experience to enjoy for a lifetime.

Genia is currently working on a children's book series called "Raphael's Playground," a story inspired by her grandson, Raphael, who was around 3 years old at the time when Genia and her husband, Roy, designed and built a wooden, indoor playground during the COVID-19 pandemic so he will stay active and have fun. Raphael enjoyed playing with dinosaurs and building blocks, so this project allowed him to be creative with a real building project. It also gave Genia and Roy the opportunity to spend time with Raphael while he participated in the construction process. After seeing how much Raphael enjoyed playing in the playground, Genia decided to write an adventure story. Occasionally it includes the endearing names of Roy and Genia as grandparents. Roy is referred to as Papi (pronounced Poppy) and Genia as G.G. Usually spelled Gigi, Genia prefers G.G., which stands for Grandma Genia. Looking forward to writing all of the possible adventures this playground could offer, Genia enjoys sharing her story ideas with Raphael who actually builds the structures in each story with his building blocks. Stay tuned for upcoming stories in the series.

INTERVIEW

What is your philosophy of writing?

I believe that writing is not only a form of expression but an act of releasing the energy of inspiration -- energy that builds up inside until you find the time and the tools such as pen, paper, or computer, to make your thougths visible.

It seems like my greatest ideas come to mind when I am unable to write them down. For instance, an interesting thought may suddenly enter my mind when my hands are covered in soap suds while washing dishes after an evening meal. Immediately, I have to stop, dry my hands, find a piece of paper and pen or open the notes app on my cell phone to jot down the thoughts before they are forgotten. Sometimes, if it is nearby, I will speak my thoughts into the recording app on my cell phone and then write them down later. I found that an inspiration will never see the light of day if I don't take the time to write it down when I receive it.

Has your upbringing influenced your writing?

Definitely. Growing up with five sisters, we were brought up with a strong Christian foundation, a spirit of compassion, and a drive for success. I would say that some of my first published works were articles that I wrote for the newsletter that I developed for my family. I called this publication The FAM, which stands for Family Articles Monthly. I printed the articles my family submited each month and then mailed the newsletters to each family across the states. My youngest sister agreed to write a serial she composed especially for The FAM. It was a story with a cliffhanger, something we could look forward to in the next month's issue. She also started writing a book. Inspired by my sister's writing ability and by the way our mother taught us to always keep God first, I developed a passion for writing to inspire others.

Is there a certain type of character you like to write about?

Yes, characters that are dealing with what people generally face daily so there's always something useful to learn from the experiences.

What do you find most difficult to write about?

Topics that I am least familiar with. However, if I am writing about them, it's still a plus, because I love research.

What do you hope to see come from writing "Raphael's Playground?"

Parents will see the creativity in their children and take time to find ways to bring out the best in them. In addition, the vision is to keep writing stories in the series, possibly develop a cartoon series, cartoon movie, further develop the character merchandise to offer products that people can identify with the characters, and maybe build a version of Raphael's Playground as an indoor activity space for children, and offer multiple locations.

What advice would you give other individuals who are interested in writing and publishing a book?

Two things. 1) If you do not already have a background in marketing, do a little research on how to market your book before it is published. Prepare your marketing plan prior to or while you are writing. Otherwise, once the book goes live, it ends up sitting around waiting for you to introduce it to the world. 2) Most of all, write about what you enjoy!