We’re looking forward to introducing you to Alison Woods. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Alison, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What is a normal day like for you right now?
Right now at this moment I’m recuperating from two surgeries on my right foot and still showing up to selling opportunities! A typical day starts with exercises for my foot and then 20 minutes of ice. I go thru my to-do list while I’m icing and then get ready for my day. I spend the morning working on book ‘stuff’: planning IG content, analyzing what’s working for me on IG, talking to the illustrator for my next book and squeezing in some learning. I’m giving myself some grace right now and take time to enjoy dinner with my husband and maybe a visit to see my grandkids. I’m retired so my life is less hectic and I’m loving it!
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a children’s book author and storyteller! Let’s talk about the books first.
I retired from Corporate America in 2017 and decided I wanted to publish a book I had written several years earlier. I wrote ‘My Name Is Kayla” for my 3 year old granddaughter because I saw the need for a series featuring a little black girl in ‘everyday’ situations. It was released right before the pandemic in December of 2019. This first book tells the story of how Kayla learns her name. There are two more books in the KaylaKay series: On Sundays We Go To Church (2021) and Me And Santa (20223). We Are Happy (2021) is the first book in the Two Too Terrific Series and features twins – Hunter and Liam. My Name is Kash (2022) is the boy version of the Kayla book. It’s the first book in the KashEEE series. The second book Kash Climbs will be out next year/All five books feature my youngest grands.
As much as I love writing – story telling is my calling. I use a technique I call ‘Spontaneous Fiction (TM). I ask my listener or listeners to give me two words and then I tell them a story using those words – right there on the spot! It’s fun and engaging for everyone. Sometimes I’ll deliberately leave out a word to see if they are paying attention. Sometimes I’ll ask them to do a sentence or two. It’s all about imagination and story. The stories don’t have to make sense. They just have to live and breathe for a few moments.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I always wanted to be a high school English teacher! I grew up on the Southside of Chicago and attend John Marshall Harlan High School. My English teachers were my heroes and I wanted to be just like them. When I shared that with them and my guidance counselors, they did an intervention. They told me I was so smart and capable that other professions would be open to me. They were teachers because that’s what they were ‘allowed’ to be. They wanted me to be ‘more.’
Some may say that I did ‘more’ – but in my heart I am forever a high school English teacher.
When you were sad or scared as a child, what helped?
Whenever I was scared or upset as a child, I knew that I could always talk to my grandmother. Her name was Viola and we all (including my mother and Aunt Frankie) called her Ola. I was in my late teens before I realized that Ola was a nickname and not a term of endearment for a grandparent.
Ola was never judgmental. She listened and I always walked away feeling better. When I became pregnant with my first child in college, I left school in the middle of the night and went to Minneapolis to find a job. My mother had told me ‘don’t bring any babies home for me.’ I took that literally. I stayed with a friend, got a job at Honeywell and after a few months called my cousin in California to let him and his wife know that I was ok. My grandmother called me and said, ‘Oh, Alison, this has been happening to women since the Bible. Did you think my love was so lazy that I wouldn’t still love you?” See what I mean.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What’s a cultural value you protect at all costs?
The undeniable fact that I am a black woman. Proud. Strong. Resilient. Powerful.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
Absolutely! As a self-published author that’s my life everyday. There was so much I didn’t understand about the publishing industry when I started. I’m a lot smarter now. I understand sizes and formats and bleeds and anapestic tetrameter and how to vet illustrators and how to print in China.
Praise is nice – but even if I don’t get it from others I’m going to walk around and praise myself.
I did this!
I wrote these books and that’s tangible evidence of my joy. Praiseworthy for sure!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://alisonwoodswrites.com
- Instagram: @alisonwoodswrites
- Linkedin: alisonwoodswrites
- Facebook: alisonwoodswrites
- Youtube: @alisonwoodswrites
- Other: mirrorimagebooks.com is my publishing company’s website. I am the only published author so I always send people to my page: alisonwoodswrites.com
Image Credits
Author photo: Willie & Kim Photography
