Welcome to my Little Corner of the World
Step right in and make yourself at home! I’m Anne Marie Bennett and I’m really happy that you’ve joined me here.
Since the time I could hold a pencil, my other greatest passion has been Writing (note the capital W). My childhood found me scribbling pages and pages of stories and novels on lined notebook paper that I kept piling into bulky three-ring binders. In sixth grade, our English teacher asked us to write a short story, and I produced a 40-page handwritten, illustrated novel about a beautiful fantasy world where cats could talk.
He was so impressed that he sent it off to a publisher, and even though we never heard any more from that publisher, I tucked that whole experience away in my heart like a tender secret- I had written a book, a whole book, and my teacher had thought it worthy of publishing!
Over the years, other things took precedence over my passion for Writing with a Capital W (school work, college, my first teaching job, boyfriends…etc), but I always kept journals, and now and then I returned to fiction as an outlet for expression, completing one middle grade novel (My Other Dad) and almost-completing one young adult novel (Come As You Are), along with many beginnings of stories.
In 2011 I was diagnosed for a second time with cancer, and after undergoing more surgeries and several more rounds of chemo, I accepted this second journey as the Wake-Up Call that I believe Spirit meant it to be. At the age of 55, I found myself face to face once again with my mortality, and this time I took it more seriously.
I made a list in my heart of several things I had always wanted to do but hadn’t quite made time for yet, and one of those things was to give my heart and soul to writing fiction again.
After each of those cancer journeys, I wrote a book about it that hopefully will be meaningful for others on similar journeys:
Bright Side of the Road: A Spiritual Journey Through Cancer
Sunflower Spirit Workbook: 26 Simple Ways to Follow the Light of Self, Others & Spirit While Journeying with Cancer
I began a Writing Practice then where I would sit at my laptop and “make stuff up.” I don’t know a better way of saying it, except “Telling Stories” comes pretty close. This was an off and on practice and it gave me much joy and pleasure every time I gave myself over to writing fiction.
In 2014, one of the Stories I was Telling in my Writing Practice, just took on a life of its own. The characters of Ben and Savannah became very real to me and I just kept telling their story until it felt complete. Of course, with my full time online business, KaleidoSoul, and the in-person SoulCollage® workshops, retreats, and Facilitator Trainings I was leading, plus family commitments and taking care of one senior dog and two adolescent cats, it took me sixyears to complete Ben and Savannah’s story, which was first called A Splendid Life, and then finally, Dragonflies at Night.
Also in the last year, I decided it was time to revive the young adult novel I had written in my early 30’s, Come As You Are. It took some updating and a lot of editing but that book also has finally been brought into the world with just as much love and grace.
I am a SoulCollage® Facilitator and Queen of Creativity over at my website KaleidoSoul. This work that I do in the world comes to life in the workshops and retreats that I offer, both in person and online.
Also, I have written three books about the process of SoulCollage®. If you’re not familiar with the process, I hope that you will take a look and see if it resonates with you. These books are:
Through the Eyes of SoulCollage®
Into the Heart of SoulCollage®
Magical Inner Journeys: Guided Imagery Scripts
Nowadays my life is filled with an abundance of family and friends, both online and offline. My husband Jeff’s three children have graced us with the absolute best (I’m not kidding!) 9 grandchildren on the face of the earth. I have 4 loving nieces and nephews plus 2 grand-nieces. I spend lots of time writing, both fiction and nonfiction, and I love wearing bright colors, trying out many varieties of dark chocolate, creating mixed media collages, working with the SoulCollage® process and EFT Tapping, and traveling to new places with Jeff, as well as spending quality feline time with Louis and Seymour who grace my life with much love and joy.
I hope that you will reach out to me via the Contact button on the menu bar above, with any questions or insights you have about my books, or the characters in my books, or your own writing, or SoulCollage®, or your cancer journey. I look forward to hearing from you!
Peace, joy, and the light of dragonflies,
Contact Anne Marie for Zoom interviews, virtual book signings, workshops, and more here: AnneMarie@AnneMarieBennett.com
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