Today, Feathered Quill reviewer Ellen Feld is talking with Karina Pacific, author of Choosing Magic.

FQ: Tell our readers a little about yourself. Your background, your interests, and how this led to writing a book?

PACIFIC: Hi! Choosing Magic is about "a fatherless girl, with a broken heart who changed her story." It is about a girl that, against painful odds, stayed curious, aware, and always believed in the good, bigger, and magical possibilities in everyone. It is about changing your life and breaking childhood cycles. It is about turning pain, sorrow, and loneliness into lessons and possibilities.

FQ: What was the impetus for writing your book?

PACIFIC: I changed my story and broke the cycle by reading and listening about other people's lives and being guided by the wisdom angels and heroes offered me here on earth. Life can be challenging from time to time, so I wanted to chronicle my journey to root for myself and remember how I overcame adversity, such as being parentless, sexually abused, and unsupported as a child. I wanted to list the little things, the tools I used to help me, and hopefully help others in the future.

FQ: Please give our readers a little insight into your writing process. Do you set aside a certain time each day to write, only write when the desire to write surfaces, or ?

PACIFIC: I had a fantastic writing mentor. Stella Sue Lee, PhD. She was an angel throughout the process. This is also the first book I have finished, and a year after I finished it, I realized I had written the entire book in bed. Writing a memoir is a very vulnerable act, and I think my bed allowed me to surrender myself to the story comfortably.

FQ: What was the hardest part of writing your book? That first chapter, the last paragraph, or ?

PACIFIC: Just starting. Just doing it. I was complicating the idea thinking about all the pages. A good, very blunt friend saw me nagging about the idea and said, "Karina, STOP, grab a page and write 1-10 stages in your life, the chapters of your life. And write into each chapter as you remember. After you get enough material, change the title of the chapters, shuffle them, but just start." That was the best advice because it broke down the process and it became more tangible.

FQ: Do you have any plans to try writing a book in a different genre? If so, which genre and why?

PACIFIC: Yes, I want to write a children's book—three of them, as an extension of Choosing Magic. Capturing the energy, heart, and magic of a children's book is something I've always envisioned. Choosing Magic is filled with magical curiosity, a glass half full spirit and always choosing greater through three life stages in my life. In the children’s book, I can already see her moving through hardships with obnoxious positivity and gratitude, with angels and heroes on earth on each page.

FQ: Is there a genre you have not yet delved into that you would like to attempt in the future?

PACIFIC: Fiction, it seems so hard. But we can do hard things.

FQ: What is your all-time favorite book? Why? And did this book/author have any influence over your decision to become an author?

PACIFIC: Anne Frank and The Miracle Worker influenced my life immensely. If they could rise and write within their own limitations, we can do anything. A Woman's Worth by Marianne Williamson. Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom by Dr Northrup inspired me to look at my health and wellness in a more holistic inside-and-out approach I practice to this day. A Man Called Ove — I cried, what a beautiful story. All Brene Brown! A yearly read — The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. So many more!

FQ: What makes your book unique? Why should readers pick up your book over others?

PACIFIC: I'd love readers to read everything, lol, but who has all that time! Choosing Magic is a simple story about how a girl rose above pain, loneliness, abuse. It's about the journey that gave her hope in herself and others. It is about curiosity, action, sarcasm, wisdom, and obnoxious positivity. It's about how we are connected and can help each other rise with our stories! About choosing to change the past and not be defined by it.

To learn more about Choosing Magic, please visit the book's website at: choosingmagic.com