Make Note of Christie Leigh Babirad

Greetings, dear noters!

This has been a month full of excitement, and April is not even over yet! My author pal, J.C. Kenney, and I officially launched “The Bookish Hour,” a YouTube author series on April 7th. Our first episode featured Agatha Award Nominee Judy L. Murray, and we got to chat about all things real estate & murder. The hour flew by! J.C. and I are already looking forward to our second episode, kicking off on May 12th with author Lida Sideris.

April also marked my debut on the Writers Who Kill blog; I recently was invited to join this amazing blogging team and am so honored to be a part of this group. Look for my posts on the third Sunday of every month.

With several manuscripts in the works, the writing days are flying by. I am in “revision mode” for three manuscripts, and my goal is to have all three done before I turn my focus to writing the next Court of Mystery novel. It’s a tall order, but I feel good about the progress being made.

My featured author today knows a thing or two about the revision process. I am delighted to welcome her to Noteworthy and excited for you to learn more about her work.

Without further ado…

A Bit About the Author: Christie Leigh Babirad is a published fiction author of four books and a companion journal, and a poetess of two full-length collections, Sapphire Stars and Scarlet Secrets. Her work has been featured in Tiny Buddha, The Mindful Word, and Dan’s Papers. Christie Leigh believes we all have many unique purposes in this life, the greatest one being “to love” and to follow that which stirs the heart. She adores her family, which includes a spunky Jack Russell Terrier, Alistair, who likes to don sweaters and fancy collars in the chillier months. She credits her family, friends, and fans of her work for inspiring her craft, and that is one of the many reasons why she will always say that there is no such thing as being “self-made.” She strongly feels that we are a collection of the people who have come in and out of our lives and placed love and belief in our hearts.

Christie Leigh, thank you so much for being on Noteworthy today. We connected over social media, so it’s wonderful to learn more about you and your writing, especially since you write outside the mystery genre that I live and breathe. What novel made you fall in love with books in the first place?

I don’t know what book specifically, but I’ve always loved reading as a child. I really loved Letters from Felix: A Little Rabbit on a World Tour by Annette Langen. I thought that was the most fun book because you would open up actual letters and postcards in the book- so cute! I also really enjoyed the Junie B. Jones series by Barbara Park and the Full House Michelle books. I was totally a Full House and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen fan! Boy, this question really lit up my heart. I need to look at all those books again. Such wonderful memories created through living within the magical and bright land of reading. Any book that had me aspiring and dreaming of being the main character, or friends with the main character, got my attention pretty quickly.

With so many amazing children’s series out there, it can be hard to narrow it down. So, how did you go from loving reading to loving writing? How did your writing journey begin? When did you first feel like an author?

I’ve always been interested in writing and creating stories. When I was younger, I would come up with mysteries because I wanted to once again be like Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen with their Olsen and Olsen Mystery Agency. I also started writing poetry when I was in elementary school. For many years though, I struggled with having the confidence to express my voice and to “measure up”. Growing up, I felt like what I was writing wasn’t profound enough because of the way literature is taught in school. What always helped me though, and encouraged me to never give up trying, was my family. They are all incredibly creative. My mom always had music, writing, crafts, art of every kind active in our house. Yet, I didn’t fully embrace writing out my full and complete heart until I started my writing classes in college. That’s when I felt my heart beating more and feeling the validity and worth of what I was being pulled to write about. I would say that I first felt like an author when I began putting together my first poetry collection in college. It was unbelievably freeing to see that I was discovering my voice and I liked what I had to say. It’s a powerful, liberating, and enlivening feeling, that you have something to create that comes directly from your individuality, your unique soul and experience.

That’s wonderful that you had such a supportive, creative environment around you. That can make a world of difference. Tell us more about your novel, As the Winds Change. When you began writing this story, what did you want to accomplish?

In writing As the Winds Change, I set out to accomplish expressing genuine vulnerability and feeling. This was my debut novel, and while all of my books are special, this one is closest to my heart because it was my first, and though it is fiction, there is a lot of my heart and a specific time in my life (late teens and twenties) and its emotions painted throughout the story. The message I wanted to convey in As the Winds Change is that love can only be found and grown if you forgive. It’s never too late to forgive, and the forgiveness applies to forgiving yourself, as well as others. There is also an overriding theme in As the Winds Change of love being the greatest purpose of this life. It is through love that you find your passion, purpose, and people. There’s also the strong belief in this story, and most of my writing, that our loved ones who have passed on are still with us, guiding us through signs, and that we will all be together again in Heaven one day. What you do in this life does matter, and once again, it all comes down to giving and receiving love, forgiving- for ourselves, if for no other reason, and moving past the pain and heartache so that we can truly live out the life we are meant to.

Just by the words you use, I can tell how much of your time and heart went into this piece. Let’s talk about your main character, April. What are April’s personal strengths and struggles in As the Winds Change?

My main character’s biggest strength is empathy. Her biggest flaw is a struggling to accept different mindsets than her own and move beyond the pain she feels from having such a vulnerable and passionate heart.

She sounds like a beautiful soul to write about. What does a writing session look like for you? What do you need on your writing desk?

I quite honestly tend to write in so many different places, but when I am at my desk, three things that remain on my desk are 1. This girl gnome that my mom bought me. She wears this fairy-like pink outfit and looking at her reminds me to always stay genuine, write from the heart, and to not ever let my belief in magic and hope lapse for very long because this belief is part of who I am. 2. A favorite mug with pens, of course. I will sometimes change which mug I have on my desk, depending on the season we are in. 3. Crystals my brother has bought me - they’re pretty and looking at them encourages me to keep creating.

I keep a collection of Funko characters near my desk for the same reason; I always wanted to be reminded of joy while writing. Do you have a can’t-live-without writing tool?

I’m pretty simple and not a very high-tech lady. I simply need a notebook that speaks to me for the project, lots of pens, a good laptop with Word installed, and I absolutely need music. I listen to specific artists when I am working on particular scenes. I do write in my notebook first, so usually when I’m doing that part, I just like to be comfortable and end up writing those parts in a cozy room, curled up on the couch, or outside in my backyard when the weather is not too hot and not too cold.

I love working outside! I’m waiting for the weather to warm up a bit more before launching my summer writing season, though. Let’s hope those days are right around the corner. Christie Leigh, it has been lovely getting to know more about you and your work. For our final question, tell us: You want to take a vacation. What book character (your own or another literary hero) do you enlist to plan the trip and be your travel companion? Why?

Oh, I’ve got a great one for this! Who else but the “In-Transit Passenger”? My brother wrote a book called In-Transit Passenger: Making the Journey Matter. Not only is he my most favorite person to travel with, but he is a teacher who actually knows how to bring out the most interesting and soul-filling aspects of a place, and he does so in such a grounded and passionate way. You definitely want to check out his inspirational travel memoir- In-Transit: Passenger: Making the Journey Matter by Robert Babirad. It’s truly moving and inspiring!

Wow, writing does run in your family! How wonderful! Christie Leigh, thank you again for taking the time to share a bit about yourself and your work with us here at Noteworthy. Check out As the Winds Change, available now!

AS THE WINDS CHANGE: An honest and fearless approach to addressing subjects that touch on the vulnerable. If you were given one more chance to talk with someone who passed away, what would you do? What would you say? When April Miller’s estranged childhood best friend, Johnny, is killed in a car accident, April is confronted with his spirit as she’s heading to work one day, making the phrase, “It’s never too late,” all the more poignant.

Readers, Christie Leigh also writes poetry. What are some of your favorite poems?

Let us know in the comments!

Authors, are you interested in appearing on Noteworthy? Send me an email at connect@saraheburr.com!