Hello, hello!
As many of my neurodiverse friends know, April is AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH.
Being neurodiverse myself, and being a librarian, of course, I couldn’t let the opportunity pass me by… I just had to come up with a list of wonderful books for the occasion. In honor of Autism Awareness Month, I decided to branch out on all spectrums of neurodiversity.
So, without further ado, here are over 100 book recommendations, ranging from children's picture books and middle-grade stories, teen and young adult fiction and adult reads!
Anne-Geri’ (“Angie”) and her extremely cool husband David love laughing with friends so hard that beverage comes out of their noses. Her mission experience extends from her birthplace of New Zealand to all over the world, but her primary work is in Honduras, where she has co-directed youth camps and led short-term mission teams for over 20 years. She is a little bit of a hippie who enjoys her large organic garden and a good cup of hot tea after a hearty hike in the mountains. Her favorite animal is the donkey because when it brays, it reminds her that even on her best day as a human being, she sounds pretty ridiculous compared to her great God. Angie is a blogger and a High School Spanish teacher and often teaches Religion courses at the university level. She is fluent in Spanish and dangerous in German, but her Klingon is hopeless.
A little background on my relationship with Angie:
Angie and I have the pleasure of working together in the library, and we both share a passion for writing. It’s always wonderful connecting with other writers, and working with them in person is even cooler!
Fun fact about Angie: not only can she rocks hats like no one I’ve ever seen, but she’s a really awesome and knowledgeable lady, so working with her is an extra treat. So, let’s dive right into the interview.
Angie, what is your favorite genre to read? And does this inspire your own writing?
I love a good mystery; I haven’t written a mystery … yet. It’s in the works! However …
Mysteries have always been one of my favorite genres, both to read and write. I love the suspense and excitement that comes with trying to solve a good mystery. It’s also fun to try and come up with new and interesting puzzles for my readers to solve. Writing mysteries is a great way to exercise your imagination and creativity. Mystery was the inspiration for The Scripture Scout Christian Resources ... where one takes up a magnifying glass and, like Sherlock Holmes, discovers the footprints of Jesus in every part of the word of God ... even in Genesis. Our “mascot” is a magnifying glass and a Bible. But more on that later …
At what point in your life did you realize you wanted to be a writer? Was it something you always enjoyed doing, or did you find your passion later in life?
When I was younger, writing seemed to come naturally, and it made me happy. It didn’t matter if anyone else liked my work or not - all that mattered is getting those words on paper!
Can you tell us briefly about the books you have published and what inspired them?
My first book was published by Thomas Nelson publishing in 2006. I wrote it with an old college friend and later colleague, Greg Taylor. From his missionary experience in Africa and mine as a regular short-term trip leader to Honduras, we pulled our sources together to write a self-help nonfiction work, This resource was inspired by both of us having gone on mission trips (and brought teams) where things didn’t go according to plan because of poor preparation. This largely happens when teams are not properly ready to work cross-culturally in another culture’s land...but now there is hope! “How to Get Ready for Short-Term Missions” was the very first book of its kind.
How long did it take you to write your books? And what made you decide to go the indie publishing route vs. traditional publication?
I remember giving each other deadlines, and it came together through editing back and forth over a few months, I believe. That was when you had to pitch to a publisher who decided they liked you. And so, as I had prepared other works and found that the indie route was more successful. The process has since become simpler (and oftentimes financially rewarding) for those who wish to take on their own projects with minimal help from a big company!
Can you tell us the pros and cons you’ve faced on your self-publishing journey?
PROS: I would say creative control and less waiting around for your book to be “seen.”CONS: The only way to get visibility is to “know” people or actually KNOW HOW to DIY on the world wide web and online marketplace.
If you could give one piece of advice to other indie authors, what would it be?
Start with a blog/website and build a fan base, give freebies, then start sharing your products when you know they trust you and your resources.
We already know that when you aren’t writing, you’re working in the library, but what other work do you do and hobbies do you have? Do you have any other creative passions we don’t know about?
Writing pretty much IS my hobby AND job! The latest book, SCENT OF PINE, is the outcome of a hobby. The job is building products for THE SCRIPTURE SCOUT CHRISTIAN RESOURCES.www.thescripturescout.com – the hub and base for the three sites you will find there, which include:
“Devotional Discoveries”
“Godspeed Missions”
“The Supercharged Sunday School”
You can subscribe and get loads of freebie at you’re your preferred place and get literally loads of awesome freebies!
Can you tell us something about you that not many people know?
Hmmm… probably these two things:
1. That I have done a LOT of theatre with many different theatre companies in the Nashville area.
2.That most people call me by my given name, Anne-Geri’ – but saying it out loud confuses people when it’s on name tags, so if I have to wear one, it says “Angie.”
Now for some fun questions….
Sweet or salty?
Salty until recently (blood pressure) – now I guess my “secret snack” is ice cream instead of chips! Lol *weeps openly*
Favorite color?
Purple
Warm weather or cold weather?
BOTH! I love seasonal changes.
Coffee or tea? Iced or hot?
Give me a good hot cuppa any day. If you know what a “cuppa” is, you’ll know the answer!
Favorite color?
Oh no, now I’m confused – green? (lol, jk, it’s purple --- I think …)
That was a test... you passed!
Favorite animal?
Cat
Favorite tv show?
Oh, poot, I guess it depends on the genre! I’ll do comedies: Frasier, Only Murders in the Building. and The Vicar of Dibley.
Top five favorite authors/books?
(Yes, I READ every one of these before their works became tv shows or movies)
*doing alphabetical here*
Diana Gabaldon
Martha Grimes
John Irving
J.K. Rowling
Dorothy L. Sayers
If you could teleport anywhere in the world, where would you go first?
Hmm. I’d say either the backyard swing behind my first home in Auckland, New Zealand – because I hear it’s still there (and if possible, under a rainbow) OR the big rock in the river in behind the village of Silin outside of Trujillo, Honduras.
Tell us about your latest writing projects! What are you working on now?
We just released a product for The Scripture Scout Christian Resources under Supercharged Sunday School. It is a year’s worth of Sunday School curriculum that can be used over and over again without repeating itself. For example, a church kids ministry can use the same lesson across the board with all ages. Each teacher uses a different age-appropriate resource from that lesson, and every child in the kids’ ministry, 3rd through 8th grade, gets taught the same thing! It can be found HERE.
Thank you so much, Angie, for sharing with us!
To find out more about Angie, you can visit her website and social media below:
The Scripture Scout Christian Resources can be found on all of your favorite social networks, but these are preferred by our company:
MIGHTY NETWORKS*
PINTEREST*
Are you an author, illustrator, or any other member of the writing community looking to share some of what you do with others? Contact me below for details on upcoming FEATURE INTERVIEWS.
