Meet Ashley Flynn! Ashley is a new author releasing her first children’s book My Favorite Job Is You— a book that celebrates working mothers everywhere. We asked her a few questions about her book, her writing career, and how she manages to balance work and motherhood.
Wise Ink: Who are some of your favorite writers and writers that have influenced you?
Ashley Flynn: My favorite children’s book to read with my mother growing up was I’ll Love You Forever by Roger Munsch. What a simple, but incredibly touching story. When we would reach the last two pages, I remember just staring at my mom to see if she was going to start crying. She always did! I couldn’t believe a book could make an adult cry. Children’s books can have a profound impact on both adults and kids, and I think that’s so powerful and so cool. That concept inspired me in my children’s book. I could write something meaningful to both the mother and child. Not that I want to make the reader cry, but I do want her to be impacted. However, I do think it’s a good sign when the reader does tear up, and I’d be lying if I said still don’t try to sneak a peek. Ha!
WI: Tell us a little bit about your story and what inspired you to write, My Favorite Job Is You.
AF: When my daughter, Nina Rose, was born, I’d come up with these little rhyming blurbs while I rocked her to sleep. Sometimes they would be silly and just nonsense, and other times I’d pick a topic that was on my heart and turn it into a rhyme. In the summer of 2016, I was going through some serious “mom-guilt” about working full-time and sending Nina to daycare as a baby. Going through the transition and adjusting to our new normal, this idea of writing a story about our lives came to me. Our hectic mornings, getting through a stressful day at work, coming home to more chaos, all while dealing with this emotional roller-coaster of feelings… I just knew other working moms could relate.
WI:What are you hoping people gain from reading your book?
AF: At times, being a working mother can feel pretty isolating. I think that’s a product of mixed feelings of anxiety and guilt. You don’t want to talk out loud about feeling guilty, because does that make it a reality that you’re a bad mom? Does it make you a bad employee? I hated talking about my mom-guilt; it was too much to say out loud to others. I think that working mothers also tend to want to make it look like they have it “all together.” At least I’m that way! There’s a little bit of an added fear of failure, because there’s so many balls up in the air all of the time, there’s a greater risk of one falling. I want this book to support working moms, to let them know that they aren’t alone. They are not isolated. Their feelings are justified, and they are doing such an incredible job at life.
WI: What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?
AF: I’m actually not writing right now and am focusing on the release of the book, but when I was writing, it would have to be at night while I was rocking Nina to sleep. She totally inspired every piece I wrote.
WI: How can we purchase your book?
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