In ancient times, authors attributed inspiration and motivation to write to the muses, mythical goddesses who possessed a mysterious yet enchanting quality. These days, authors tend to rely upon heartbreak, deep and dangerous love, sickness, and the like for meaning and motivation. It is valid to say that some of the best written works are the ones that come from real-life experiences and are genuine in the message they send.
Even still, the people in an author’s life can function as the greatest inspiration. This latter inspiration is exactly what local children’s author Amy Misakonis called on to begin her journey writing heartfelt books for infant and toddler age children. The two books she has out now, The Best Place for Me and My Wish for You, respectively, are sweet tales of love and hope she has for her toddler son, the inspiration for both. This busy single mom who is also a project manager for NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and a fitness coach, wants to share her positive messages with you and your children too. Below, we interview the young author about her books, her life, and the hopes she has for her son and the messages so lovingly put in print for him.
– Children’s books are so carefree on the surface, but are intricately woven with detail, plot lines, and usually, a moral. Knowing this, how do you come up with the plot for your books?
“Well, Logan is the inspiration for my books. For the first one, I was rocking him to sleep one night and I was telling him about the places I have been, but that I thought the best place was the one there with him. The second book is all about the hopes and dreams I have for my son, but really what’s most important is for him to be himself! I think every parent has these feelings for their child and I try to catpure those feelings in the books.”
In her first book, The Best Place for Me, Misakonis really does stick to her inspiration retold above. She takes young and adult readers on a hot-air balloon ride to faraway places like Rome and San Francisco, as the mother character (Misakonis) tells about all these places to her infant son (Logan). Spoiler alert: As hinted above, the mother character confesses, “Right here with you is the best place for me” at the end. Even with the known ending, you can still purchase and enjoy the book available on Amazon for $9. Find the link through her website, www.amymisakonis.com.
The second book, My Wish for You, is also available on Amazon in paper copy or on Kindle, but once again we will spoil the mystery ending for you. This book reveals wish and dreams that parents have for their children–to do great things and be kind. Most important though, each parent wishes for the child to be genuine.
– What do you want Logan to know about the books?
“It’s funny–I always wanted to be a writer but I saw myself as a novelist, not chilren’s author. And what’s most important is that Logan knows I did this for him. He inspired me to do something that I always wanted to do. The books can also be an inspiration for him too.”
In case you are wondering if Misakonis would write through the ages as her son grows up, she does want to.
– We all grew up with children’s books and now, you also write them! What do you think makes a good children’s book?
“I think that depends on the age
– You’ve said that you have written wedding speeches and have a knack for funny rhymes, but composing an entire book is another whole ball game. How long does it take to complete a children’s book?
“Oh, it doesn’t take that long to write the story or the poem, but the whole process of writing, reviewing, editing, getting the illustrations, and publishing takes a couple of months. I publish it myself so it doesn’t take too long, but if I went through a publisher it would take maybe two years.”
Misakonis added that she has family members who write for Kindle and they familiarized her with the process for working with Amazon (the medium through which she sells her books) and how to publish.
– The illustrations in the first book are a different, conventional style whereas the illustrations in the second book are more nursery rhyme style. Did you already have a vision for what these illustrations would be?
“I came up with a drawing plan on my own but I used Twitter to find an illustrator.” She laughed at recalling this was the first time she used Twitter. Misakonis collaborated with both illustrators–Nicholas Milano for the first and Taryn Dufault for the second. 
– You set an example as a single mom who works full time, takes care of Logan, and writes books. How do you hope to inspire other single moms and parents in general?
“I hope another single mom could look at me and say ‘I can do it! I can achieve what I want to do!'”
– We know about Amy the children’s book author, but tell us about Amy the individual.
“I ran a lot of marathons for charity before Logan was born and now, I run with Logan. He lasts about five and half miles before he’s had enough,” she said with a smile. “I was going to do a marathon in Hawaiian for my dad but then I found out I was pregnant. By the time the race would start, I would be eight months pregnant. I would be waddling!” We joked this would barely affect her finish time. “I think I told you I’m also a part-time fitness coach online with Beach Body. I try to help moms lose weight, which seems to be my niche. I also love reading, shopping–What girl doesn’t?–,love being by the water, love the beach, and I have a dog so play with her.” She added that she helped raise nearly $10,000 for Make a Wish Foundation doing marathons.
– Aside from working on children’s books, you work full-time for NASA. What things do you do there?
“I’ve worked on NASA projects [as an aerospace engineer] since college, like the space shuttle program, I worked on a shuttle, on the landing, all over. When the space shuttle program ended, I started working for Goddard as a project manager.” (Haver you come to conclude this woman is impressive yet?) “We build instruments similar to radar that help scientists get data.” Misakonis lives near downtown Annapolis, which makes attending the First Sunday Arts throughout the year easy.
– One final question: What would you tell aspiring authors?
“I would tell them to write and don’t be afraid to write. Don’t be afraid to show people what you’re writing. You have to do the research and give it a try, and also, don’t stop when someone gives you criticism.” Good advice for living life in general, we could say.
Perhaps the best news yet is that although she’s only been in Annapolis about one year, she loves it and wants to stay. “It’s got so many great restaurants!” she exclaims. This also means that we can reap the benefits of her creative, utterly sweet children’s books–the ones out now and the ones to come. You can visit her (and Logan too!) at the First Sunday Arts in October. If you prefer online interaction, see the site linked above for her contact info, news announcements, and even her famous meatloaf recipe via her blog. Tip your hat to this hardworking mom who does everything out of love (of course you could also tip your hat to her by purchasing her books).
Amy, great interview. Both books are awesome and express the love she has for her son. I know that love because Amy and Logan are my family, my daughter and grandson. I couldn’t love anyone more than I love both of them. That little guy makes me smile and laugh more than ever. They’re a must read so please buy the books for your child/children. Parents, they’ll love you for it. Great job Honey. I am so very proud of you.