Meet the Author: An Interview with Celia Whitler & Give Away

When Ms. Whitler's publisher sent me this book/CD combo it wasn't until I read it that I wrote her back and asked if I could interview the author. One Wish for You by Celia Whitler (also a boy mom!) is a novelty book, written not to be read like a story, but browsed over and over as a coffee table or night stand read. The book's subtitle, Celebrating the Women in Our Lives, hints at the intentions within: words of love about a loved and missed friend, a devoted mother, a cherished sister... words that celebrate women.

It contains a mix of beautiful images, lyrics and scripture as well as a five-track CD of original music. Each page has a line from her song One Wish for You and a verse to go with it.

If I Had One Wish - I wish you'd know how loved you are.
You open your hand
satisfying the desire of every living thing. - Psalm 145:16


The music is Ms. Whitler's own - it echoes of worship music meets country, with touching lyrics.

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Q: Which came first - the love of music or the love of writing?

A: The love of music preceded my love of writing. I have always considered myself a singer. I have chosen songs that move me and that I feel express something that reflects life. I love growing musically. I love trying different songs, trying different ways to make songs my own, pulling them apart technically and then the joy of performing is like none other. I have talked with athletes who speak of game day, of all the work that goes into preparing for that moment and then to really be in the moment. Each time I sing the experience is different, the audience is different, the fact that we will never have this time again, there is something really special about that and I know that's what makes me an artist. The art of singing is something I love. It is really about communicating. I just happen to do it most comfortably communicating in song.

Q: Your book is sub-titled, "Celebrating the Women in Our Lives". Who are the women who inspired you to write a book to celebrate women?

A: There are so many... but I am most moved by those closest to me... My dear friend, Kathleen Baskin-Ball each day lived out a life of grace, hope and joy. Through the last two years she battled stage 4 cancer, I was inspired by how she lived her life sharing love with everyone--the waitress, her family, her friends, her church, the check out clerk and others. Still today I am learning lessons she taught me, the small ways she celebrated each life and knew it was a precious gift from God. While I was working on this book Kathleen asked me to sing at her memorial and suggested that I would write a song for the service. The song One Wish for You was written for her but as I wrote it, I realized it is more that a memorial song about one person. It is a song about the way we are to live. The lesson I have learned is that we will have all we gave. Kathleen told me that she wanted to spend her days doing beautiful things with beautiful people in beautiful places. She redefined beautiful in my mind. Beauty is about all of us we are the beautiful people and it has nothing to do with physical beauty. It has to do with being in the moment, with sharing the moments of life with each other, with being willing to talk about the scary parts of life and to remember to say to those who are near and dear to us. We love them and we are with them. I was changed by her love and I am sure that my book was, too. As I saw other women reach out to her and as I watched Kathleen until her last breath, she believed that life is about our whole journey -- dying, crying, boredom, risking, sharing, loving, birthing, listening, longing, reaching and believing.

My friend Cindy is someone who has been with me, through an eating disorder, through the deaths of my parents and my sister, through surgeries -she got on a plane and came and sat with me in the hospital nursing me for a week. Those kinds of friends are not created, they just are.

I thought of my aunt Rosemary. We all have someone like Aunt Rosemary. She is someone along with my other aunts, who I really learned about family from.

I could go on of women who inspire us each day...and so could you.

Q: Are any of the verses you choose particularly meaningful to you?

A: 1 Corinthians 13:13, Jeremiah 29:11, Matthew 6:34,2 Corinthians 12:9, Philippians 1:3, Ephesians 1:16, Numbers 6: 24- 26..and one not in the book that I love Romans 8:38-39 nothing can separate us from the love found in Jesus Christ--nothing. Now that's good news!

Q: As the mom of all boys, what message to you hope to send to your sons about the women (present and future) in their lives.

A: FRIENDSHIP-first I'd want them to know how true a friend girls can be and to never lose sight of that their whole lives. ENJOY - I want them to enjoy women and girls for the special unique gifts that they each bring. RESPECT- it really boils down to that one word. How we respect each other, love each other up, honor each other, and speak to our character and to our care of others. It's not only a goal to teach my boys, but for each of us each day.

Q: Anything else you'd like lwm3b readers to know?

A: When it's all said and done, love is what really matters and is what is gonna be left. How we loved others, how we shared our loved is what matters. I love the verse in Corinthians that says "make love your aim." I hope each women and girl that this book finds, feels surrounded by love, knows how loved, precious, respected, cared for, celebrated they are not because of what they do, or how much they weight, or who they know, or how they sing, or how pretty they are or how much money they have, or what their job is...that each women and girl would know they are loved because of who they are.. so relax...be yourself...embrace yourself flaws and all...soak up the celebration...and share it with others!

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In honor of Mother's Day, enter to win a copy of Celia Whitler's book and CD One Wish for You: Celebrating the Women in Our Lives.

• Leave a comment if you'd like to be entered.


• Give away ends Saturday, May 2nd at noon and will be drawn randomly.


• Winner has until Sunday evening to respond to my email so it'll arrive in time for Mother's Day. If winner is unreachable in that time period, another winner will be drawn. US residents only, please.


• You may enter once a day by commenting and once a day by twitter.


• Include @my3boybarians in your tweets and please link to this post so I can find it and count you.

Yes, if you win... I can even ship it to your mom. We never really outgrow our moms, do we?

If you don't win, I saw the book was available at Barnes & Noble, Borders and Amazon.com.

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