Meet Catherine Ann Russell | Children’s Book Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Catherine Ann Russell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Catherine Ann, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?

Basketful Relief Project: Beautiful Children’s Books to Feed Young Tummies and Minds

Founded in 2019, the mission of the Basketful Relief Project (BRP) is to author award-winning children’s books with percent proceeds from book sales supporting reputable organizations established to distribute food and medicine to infants and children in need who are experiencing war, food scarcity, or catastrophe displacement. Coming soon, these donations will be steered through its BRP Books Foundation (private 501c3).

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?

As a late calling in life, I am a children’s book author. Since 2019, I have published three children’s picture books: Get to Bed!, The Little Book of Why, and award-winning Picco and Wren Three, with an upcoming fourth book, Boo Bear’s Light: An A B C Adventure, due out this December. I have also written fantasy-adventure books for tweens and middle grade called, The Pearls of Wisdom Series: Stories Inspired by a Biblical Proverb. Books 1-4 of this series are published: multiple award-winning The Pond of Reflection, The Hyrax Song, The Zoe-Chai Seed, and The Last Storyteller.

We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others.

In 2019, two years after my older sister and only surviving immediate family member met a sudden death, which was then followed by a strange two-year period of significant difficulty, I woke up from a dream hearing a voice that said, “write this down.” So, I did. It was the beginning of The Pond of Reflection, the first book in The Pearls of Wisdom Series.

While writing this story, news coverage of the suffering of infants and children caught in civil war in Yemen was prevalent. I was moved to spearhead the Basketful Relief Project: Beautiful Children’s Books to Feed Young Tummies and Minds. I decided then that I would write children’s books to help support infants and children in need. The Basketful Relief Project (BRP) serves as a platform to feature all my children’s books as well as share my vision for supporting infants and children. At least 10% of proceeds from the sale of each book directly supports reputable organizations established to distribute food and medicine to children experiencing war, food scarcity, or catastrophe displacement. This year, 2024, I am working to establish the BRP Books Foundation, a private 501c3 that will manage proceeds from book sales to assist children in crisis for years to come. The hope is, as book sales increase, a greater percentage of proceeds will go to this support, up to 100% as a legacy foundation.

When I was inspired to write The Pond of Reflection, I believed the book to be God’s inspired work. He has a plan for this book, as well as for all the Basketful Relief Project books: to help support food and medicine relief efforts for infants and children in critical need.

What are you most proud of or excited about.

The Pond of Reflection, book one in The Pearls of Wisdom Series, is a Book Excellence Award Winner recipient in the Pre-Teen category in 2024, a Readers’ Favorite gold medal recipient in Children’s Audiobook in 2023, and a Readers’ Favorite gold medal recipient in the Children’s Adventure category in 2022.

Picco and Wren Three, a children’s picture book, is a 2023 Readers’ Favorite silver medal recipient in the Children’s Fable category.

All books can be found in various formats on Amazon.

I’m also super excited about my latest children’s picture book, Boo Bear’s Light: An A B C Adventure, due out this December. In a course at Self-Publishing, we were challenged to market research which books were popular in our genre, and why. Then decide how we would write something similar but with our own twist to make us stand out from the rest. My focus at this time was children’s picture book. My market study revealed that picture books with 1) animals, particularly bears, 2) A B C books, 3) rhyme books, and 4) a loving, inspirational story were all very popular. What would be my twist to stand out from all these options? Combine all four popular elements in one story, of course! I couldn’t find a single children’s picture book that attempted this, and for good reason. It is very difficult to do! Working diligently with the superb guidance from editor Tracy Gold, who specializes in cadence and rhyme, plus brilliant poetry-proofing by Fern Beattie, Boo Bear’s Light was born! It is now coming to life with beautiful illustrations by Jessica Harkey. I am thrilled about this picture book and hope all parents and children will be too!

How did you get to where you are today professionally.

For sixteen years, 1986-2002, I was a research scientist at the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). During those years, I was often referred to as, “the balloon lady.” From 2002 until 2019, I owned my own digital video company, Spike Productions. During this time, my husband and I also started a small hobby farm with Nubian goats. It was a daily routine to walk our goats up the valley. I was often referred to in those days as, “the goat lady.” I never considered myself to be an author, much less a children’s book author, until waking up from the dream in 2019 inspired to write a story. Even then, I didn’t think I would ever publish a book until I was determined to help infants and children in need with the proceeds from book sales. The trajectory of my life has changed dramatically from that time forward. I have started the Basketful Relief Project: Beautiful Children’s Books to Feed Young Tummies and Minds as a platform for my children’s books and to share my vision of supporting infants and children. Five years and eight books later, I am working to establish the BRP Books private Foundation to manage the transfer of these proceeds to reputable relief organizations. I sincerely hope that one day, people will refer to me as, “the book lady.”

Was it easy?

Once inspired, the decision to launch my book-authoring career was easy. Everything since then has been hard! I knew nothing about writing, publishing, or marketing children’s books when I started. Five years later, it remains an endless learning curve. Not to mention the pathways to becoming a successful self-published author are continually evolving alongside my own book journey. This choice will be a lifelong marathon, not a sprint. It is also a labor of love that fills me every day with dreams of what could be if I keep after it today.

If not, how did you overcome the challenges?

I’m still overcoming challenges. There are successes along the way, but there has been no “arriving”. Does anyone ever really, “arrive”? For me, the best way to meet challenges is to stay focused, pray, work diligently, pray, freely incorporate others who make me better, pray, stay hopeful, and pray. Oh, did I mention prayer? :). I also remind myself how this all began. It’s not every day I wake up from a dream hearing a voice speak to my heart saying, “write this down.” Eight books have followed this prompting. The Basketful Relief Project was founded, and the BRP Books Foundation is in the works. I hope these milestones are the beginning of something bigger than myself, that will last longer than I do, and go farther than anything I can dream or imagine.

What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way.

Planting and growing something from nothing take unwavering dedication, resources, vision, faith, and a great sense of humor.

You don’t have to begin the journey having the skill, knowledge, and courage that it will take to succeed one day. If this were true, nothing would begin. These strengths grow over time. As the saying goes, “God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called.” I am finding that this is true.

If you are consistently passionate about your dream over the long haul, others will catch the spark.

Stay after it, and you will be refreshed along the way. It’s a promise.

“Success” is not absolute but relative, a matter of perspective, and continually changing.

An inspired calling is available to everyone, and it’s rarely about us personally. It’s about a bigger picture of how we can make the world a better place for others. Opportunities are endless! Our gifts and talents are not to be squandered but shared for the betterment of every living thing. We are here for a reason and beautifully made to take up our own personal baton and run with it to light up the world.

We are not meant to carry on alone. There are many talented people waiting to help us succeed. Others propel us to become better at what we do and perhaps who we are. Wonderfully, we are a global community, so our best helper can be found right next door, a continent over and a few countries to the south. As a book author, I never expected to make sincere friends from different states and countries and have them become a part of my family.

A vision will most certainly grow and change you. If you sincerely believe it is God-inspired, you will spend the rest of the journey learning how to stay fully committed while simultaneously getting out of the way to let God drive. It takes both grit and faith.

What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?

I am writing and publishing children’s books for kids, tweens and the young at heart. These fantasy adventures are meant to uplift, inspire, and enjoy. The stories are infused with moral pearls of wisdom gleaned from the Book of Proverbs to uncover and think about. They prove that the Book of Proverbs, and all the Bible, is not an old, dusty book, but is alive and well and applicable to our lives today. They are my love stories from me to all of you, inspired by a Heavenly Father who is infinitely creative and who considers all of us to be the apple of His eye.

My children’s books are also written for the specific purpose of supporting infants and children in need. The mission of the Basketful Relief Project is to author award-winning children’s books with percent proceeds from book sales supporting reputable organizations, established to distribute food and medicine to infants and children who are experiencing war, food scarcity, or catastrophe displacement, through its BRP Books Foundation (private 501c3).

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Oh dear, I’m hardly the best person to ask! The best place on earth to eat, drink, and hang out for me is here at home, relaxing on our deck or backyard patio. We live on 55 acres up Steamboat Valley near Lyons, CO. We have a small hobby farm, much smaller now than in the past, with a few chickens and two burros, named Nikki and Norman. Often, if we are relaxing on our back patio, Nikki and Norman will stop by for a visit, and hang with us too. It’s a lovely way to spend time with family and friends. Not to mention in summer, and for some items, all year round, we feast off our home-grown vegetable garden, greenhouse garden, and fresh eggs. Also, the main attractions I love to share with others are in wild, natural places more so than city hot spots. I couldn’t be hosting a friend for a few days, without heading up to Rocky Mountain National Park for some hiking and a tour. Other accessible hiking locations are Haul Ranch located at the start of HWY 7, Flagstaff Mountain in Boulder, and Devil’s Backbone Open Space in Loveland. And if one were adventurous, an easier fourteener, such as Mount Bierstadt, would be wonderful if the visit were in the summer, and people were up for it.

However, here are a few places I would take a friend who was visiting here in Colorado:

Restaurants:

Breakfast:

Tangerine’s, Boulder, CO

Lunch:

The Chautauqua House, Boulder, CO
Southern Sun Pub & Brewery, Boulder, CO

Dinner:

French: Marigold’s, Lyons, CO
Italian Dinner: Briaggi’s, Loveland, CO
Vietnamese: Chez Thuy, Boulder, CO
Thai: Julie’s Thai Kitchen, Lyons, CO
Mexican: Mojo Taqueria, Lyons, CO

Denver:

The Colorado State Capitol building
The Denver Botanic Gardens
Denver Center Performing Arts
Denver Museum of Nature and Science
The Denver Art Museum
The Downtown Aquarium

Boulder:

Celestial Seasonings Tour

Loveland:

Benson Sculpture Garden

Morrison, CO:

Red Rocks Amphitheater

Keenesburg, CO:

The Wild Animal Sanctuary

Sunday morning:

City Church of Boulder

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My husband, Ed. Special thanks to Danielle Elkins of Danielle Rene Photography for the fun and professional photographs taken for this interview. The Self-Publishing online School (selfpublishing.com). Many contributors who have helped take my books to the next level. Editors Katie Chambers (beaconpointservices.org), Tracy Gold (tracygold.com), and developmental editor, Bonnie Solomon (bonniesolomon.net). Illustrators Brooke Connor (brookeconnordesign.com), Janell Robisch (speculationsediting.com), Morgan Q. Sooy, and Jessica Harkey (jessicaharkey.com). Proofreaders Fern Beattie (freelancer on Reedsy.com), Abby Kendall (aceditorial.com) and Leona Skene (intuitiveediting.co.uk). And book formatting and cover designer Alejandro Martin (bloom-designagency.com). I would also be remis to not mention the Lord, who inspired the Basketful Relief Project, its books, mission, and foundation, from the beginning.

Website: https://www.basketfulreliefproject.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-ann-russell-59607922/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BasketfulReliefProject/

Image Credits
Professional photographer, Danielle Elkins of Danielle Rene Photography.