Today, Feathered Quill reviewer Diane Lunsford is talking with Kathleen Welton, author of The Little Book of Quotes by Women: Inspiring Words To Live By.

FQ: Thank you for your time today. I enjoyed reading the many inspirational quotes in your book. Before I get into the compilations, I’d like to ask a few questions about you. I enjoyed reading you have been a collector of both stamps and quotes. I won’t hold you to citing your favorite quote because I would imagine there are many to choose from.

However, I will ask of the stamps you’ve collected over the years, what is the most unique and ornate design? Why this one?

WELTON: The Ruth Bader Ginsburg stamp was issued in October 2023. It is extremely life like and I am proud to own a sheet of these stamps. It was at this time that I thought about updating this book to include her quotes.

FQ: You have a wide range of expertise ‘…40 years of experience in content areas including business and finance, legal, lifestyle, reference and self-help…’ of the vast array of categories, what stands out as your most challenging topic to cover and why this one?

WELTON: I am grateful to have had a book publishing career and am appreciative of the many colleagues and authors that I have worked with and learned from over the years. I have always had excellent teams to navigate publishing projects. Letting go of the process and not being in charge was the hardest thing for me to do once I semi-retired and went on my own. Having a built-in team is easier than finding the other people to work with. Over the years, I have taken the time to build relationships with writers, designers, proofreaders, website creators, and more. Just like building a relationship with an author, I am learning that building a relationship with readers is equally important.

FQ: I was enamored with the information of you being an avid advocate of beaches, birds, and wildlife. Can you elaborate further?

WELTON: I grew up near the beaches of Southern California and have lived near parks and beaches in Chicago for 42 years. The beauty of a sunrise always starts my day off on the right track. I support organizations from the Chicago Bird Alliance and the Chicago Parks Foundation to SEE Turtles and the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Giving back is a key component of everything that I do. I hope that my books and my contributions make a difference.

FQ: I’m a huge equestrian and had no idea one of the books in your ‘The Little Quote Books Series’ is The Little Book of Horse Quotes. I would enjoy hearing more about what fueled your inspiration (aside from the magnificent animal itself) to develop this subject matter.

WELTON: I support rescue horses and one organization that I work with wanted to create a project that raised funds for their efforts. So it was fun to work with them on the creation of The Little Book of Horse Quotes. 100% of the revenue supports their horse rescue initiatives.

FQ: I enjoyed every section in this book, but I was drawn to Lessons. In many respects, life is a journey of lessons. If you were asked to select the tantamount quote that encompasses the overarching inspiration of ‘lessons learned’ what would your choice be and why this one?

WELTON: “There are years that ask questions and years that answer.”
―Zora Neale Hurston

Asking the right questions is important. Listening to the answers—What is my purpose? How can I help others? What is the best way to move forward? takes time but as a friend of mine likes to say, “the answer will come.”

FQ: Did you run into any roadblocks when developing this book, i.e., how did you arrive at what stays, and what goes?

WELTON: This is the second edition of The Little Book of Quotes by Women which was first published in 2014. For this new edition, I wanted to include biographical information on all the 200 or so women who have appeared on U.S. postage stamps over the past 130+ years. In so doing, I included quotes from more women than the first edition and as such deleted some quotes to be more inclusive and represent more women. I decided to expand and change about 30% of the first edition and am pleased with how the book turned out.

FQ: In line with my previous question, your credentials portray you are an editor (among many talents). Was the editorial process a collaborative endeavor (i.e., did you have an editor for your final ‘checks and balances’)?

WELTON: I work with an amazing design team at Zaccarine Design on the publication of all my books. Besides the interior and cover designs, Cathy Zaccarine researched and located photos to include in the book. Bob Yates proofread everything and helped with general editing of the text and quotes. They always do great work.

FQ: While I understand this book is about famous quotes by famous women, who are some men you would shine a light on for their profound quote(s)?

WELTON: My book The Little Book of Gratitude Quotes includes famous quotes from men as well as women. This is one of my many favorites:

“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” ― Marcel Proust

FQ: It was a pleasure to talk with you today. I have to ask if you are working on the next treasure to add to your chest of ‘The Little Book of…’ Are you able to share? If not now, when?

WELTON: Going forward, I am working to focus my efforts on being a writer and supporting literacy projects. In addition to writing picture books, I am also launching an imprint Green Lights Books for my eco-fiction novels and a mystery trilogy. My first book The Star Thrower is in process for publication in 2025. As a publisher, I am excited to be launching a series of Puzzle Books for Fun for kids in spring 2025 which will feature crisscross puzzles and word fun puzzles---all from a well-known syndicated puzzler. Stay tuned.

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Kathleen Welton is an award-winning publisher and writer. As publisher for aka Associates, she collaborates with authors and organizations on award-winning and best-selling series including Doodle Art Alley Books, Little Quote Books, and Puzzle Books for Fun. She shares inspiration and fun adventures where dreams take flight in her picture book series including Little Owl, Myrtle the Turtle, and Peg the Pig. She creates compelling stories that explore the intersection of personal growth and collective change in an eco-fiction novel and an ocean mystery trilogy, forthcoming from Green Lights.

Kathleen champions the beauty of beaches, birds, and wildlife while promoting a sustainable future through her work. She supports organizations from the Chicago Bird Alliance and the Chicago Parks Foundation to Lincoln Park Zoo and the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Fueled by a lifelong love of learning, Kathleen holds a BA in English and Italian Literature from Stanford University. She earned a Certificate in Feature Film Writing from UCLA Extension. When she is not writing, Kathleen enjoys getting lost in a good book and exploring the shores of Lake Michigan.

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