About the author***
Iona Rossely is a British international speed Skier, Irish endurance horse racer, Formula 1 representative, television personality, author and public speaker.
Iona is an Anglican Church of Australia lay minister. Prior to publishing her book, Iona worked as the Coordinator of the Global Sustainability Network (GSN), an interfaith organisation dedicated to anti-slavery and the UN Sustainable Development Goal 8. She has organised high-profile events at the Vatican, Westminster Abbey, and, most recently, the United Nations in New York. Iona formerly worked in public relations and communications before transitioning into photojournalism for Dubai’s Central Military Command and other international organizations/publications.
Iona represented the United Kingdom in Speed Skiing and has the titles of Ladies British Overseas Champion and New Zealand Ladies Champion, both sponsored by Smirnoff and Alfa Romeo vehicles. Her top speed was 160 kilometres per hour. Iona came into horse racing after a life-threatening speed skiing accident in the World Championship qualifying (endurance). She represented Ireland for several years, competing in World Championships, World Equestrian Games, and European Championships. Iona also worked as a freelance television sports presenter and produced and delivered the film “Learn to Ski the Fast Way” for Virgin Videos.
BREW Question: Did you love reading books when you were little? Why or why not?
Author’s Response: Yes, I loved to read – I have many childhood memories sitting around the kitchen table with my three younger sisters reading – I enjoyed living in the imaginary world of a story and escaping from what was sometimes not a great family environment.
BREW Question: At what age did you start reading books? What were your best memories of that time?
Author’s Response: I would say from the age of five I read books like Alice in Wonderland, Black Beauty and Huckleberry Finn. My father was always buying us books, so we were blessed to have access to great stories. I did try and stay away from animal books as most of them had sad endings. – couldn’t quiet handle that!! After reading a book called Old Yeller, which was about an amazing dog who went on many family adventures – he got shot at the end. From that moment I stayed clear of animal books and movies as nearly all of them broke my heart.
BREW Question: What was the first book you loved reading? Why?
Author’s Response: My favourite first book was ‘Pookie” by Ivy Wallace. Pookie was a little white rabbit who had wings. The illustrations in this book are amazing – if I ever see copies of these books I buy them – they bring back the best of my childhood memories. All Pookie stories end up with a happy ending Ha!
BREW Question: When did you first think about writing your first book? Why?
Author’s Response: In 2017 I started planning but I was sceptical about writing a book even though I had a journalistic background – the push came when so many people were inspired by my testimonies urged me to write my story.
BREW Question: What was the greatest obstacle you’ve encountered when you were writing your book? What made you overcome it?
Author’s Response: The greatest obstacle was starting the book – how do you even contemplate this I had no idea- my life had been so complicated – where do you begin? I worked out that by visual stimulation using a mind mapping technique I could draw and plan each chapter – I was then able to see how the book would evolve. This was the hardest part – once I had the timeline in place and each chapter sorted, I disciplined myself to 30 mins a day writing which after a couple of months went into hours. I started slow but the momentum and the passion increased as the book took on a life of its own.
BREW Question: What pieces of advice can you give aspiring authors? What worked for you?
Author’s Response: Write what you want to read. And be yourself – let your one-of-a-kind personality shine through in the words you write.
BREW Question: Who are the authors or what are the books that had the greatest influence on your own writing? Why?
Author’s Response: I would say CS Lewis and Tolkien – love their writing styles and how they relay a message within a fictional story. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – seriously awesome and then The Lord of the Rings. Both authors build a bridge between the story and their readers – they take them on a journey that ends with a very clear moral lesson that shows us the good overcomes evil.
BREW Question: What are your current or future writing plans? What can readers further expect from you?
Author’s Response: I am planning to write a book based on my two years of lockdown in Australia – it was tough but what an adventure – many of my experiences are in the new devotional but there is so much more – have a feeling it will be funny and quirky.
More details
Visit our author’s website: http://www.ionarossely.com/.
Connect with her via Twitter: https://twitter.com/ionarossely.
***The author or publisher provided the above write-up.
Oh, how I loved “Black Beauty” when I was a kid. I should read that one again. And it amazes me how strategic authors have to be about their writing. I wish we could talk about all this hard work more instead of continuing the muse-inspired author myth. So kudos to the author for her honesty.