Hello Friends and thanks for being here today. I have a special guest that I chatted with, she super woman and mom. She runs a book publishing and podcast show and is the true heart of our CHD community. Let's give a warm welcom to my friend.. Anna
WOG: Hello and welcome. How are you today?
Anna: I’m doing great and so happy to be here with you today.
WOG: let’s start by letting the readers know why you have started Baby Heart Press?
Anna: I started Baby Hearts Press in 1996 because I had written a book, Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome: A Handbook for Parents, and all the medical publishers I queried kindly declined to publish the book. I appreciated many handwritten notes I received from publishers recommending other publishers, but in the end, there was no one willing to publish this book. I visited my local Waldenbooks one day and found Dan Poynter’s book, The Self-Publishing Manual. I picked it up and read the back cover. It seemed like the answer to prayer. I showed it to my husband, and we both felt we finally had a solution to our problem. At the check-out counter, the clerk said, “Oh, good! I was hoping somebody would buy this book.” When I looked at the clerk, she continued, “Somebody special ordered this book but never came to pick it up.” It was their one-and-only copy, and I found it just when I needed it. Frank and I created Baby Hearts Press (BHP). After publishing our first book, BHP followed up with a children’s book (My Brother Needs an Operation) and then it began publishing anthologies to share stories of hope for the CHD community from people around the world. In 2023, BHP transformed into a hybrid publishing company to help other authors publish their books. I never would have thought a teacher of the deaf and hard-of-hearing could do that, but I think God knew I would have the patience and desire to help others, and it was His ultimate plan for me.
WOG: Has God play a role in your life before you became an author?
Anna: Yes. I feel God was preparing me to be an author and publisher all my life. I remember wanting to be an author ever since I could read. My father would read books to me before I went to sleep at night and I continued the stories in my mind. As a child, I wished to be a teacher, a writer, a librarian, and a mother. I think God knew I could attain my wishes, but I needed some trials by fire first. Instead of becoming an educator for the masses, God led me to want to help children with special needs. I prayed for clarity about what group of children I should work with and received signs it was to be with the deaf and hard-of-hearing. But when I went to Texas School for the Deaf for a school project, the principal said, “Teachers of the deaf are a dime a dozen. If you want to be a teacher of the deaf, you need to study Speech Pathology, Physical Therapy or Occupational Therapy first. Then get your teaching degree.. I never wanted to be a speech pathologist, but I did as the principal recommended. Besides receiving a bachelor’s degree, I completed all the coursework for a master’s degree in speech pathology while taking the classes needed for my special education degree. I believe that was part of God’s plan for me because my HLHS baby had complications after the second open-heart surgery that required all the skills I gained from my studies in speech pathology. Without that knowledge, I never would have been able to help my baby learn to speak again.
WOG: Can you please tell us a bit more about The Heart Community Collection?
Anna: I believe this is further evidence that God is part of my life. I had prayed for years for God to help me bring authors together to help with book promotion. Joining the Writers League of Texas and the Independent Book Publishers Association was a good start. A more tight-knit community with a shared mission would make a world of difference for my books and other authors in the CHD community.
Since I knew most CHD books were indie published, I knew there was little-to-no money left for promotion. Most people wrote their books to help others, not for riches or accolades. I knew there was power in numbers and our collective could cross promote. The question was how to get started. One day, I was interviewing two authors for my podcast, Heart to Heart with Anna, and I revealed my desire after the recordings. In the morning, I confided in Jenny Muscatell and she was excited about the idea. Later that evening, I interviewed Amy M. Le . Still bursting with excitement about collaborating with Jenny, Amy was enthused, too. “Let’s do it!” she said. With Jenny and Amy, I knew I could make my dream come true. That’s how The Heart Community Collection was born. Three women, three hearts, one mission: for authors to promote other authors in the CHD space. We have grown since we first began and now we’re also helping authors in the bereavement space. It’s been beautiful to behold and I believe God put these women in my life at just the right time to make this happen. You were part of that journey, too, Lisa. If not for you, I never would have met Amy. You came on my podcast and we talked about the need for a podcast about CHD in Vietnamese. Because of you, I found Amy M. Le. You also validated our belief that we all needed The Heart Community Collection. You were the first author to join us after we created a website, a mission, and a vision.
WOG: Now, let’s move on to the last question:
Q: If you could talk to anyone from the past and tell them about CHD, who would you pick and why?
Anna: If I could have a conversation with anyone from the past about congenital heart defects, I would choose Dr. Helen Brooke Taussig. Dr. Taussig was a renowned pediatric cardiologist who played a vital role in pioneering the field of pediatric cardiology. She was instrumental in the development of the first successful surgical procedure for children with tetralogy of Fallot. Dr. Taussig’s groundbreaking work in the mid-20th century revolutionized the understanding and treatment of heart defects in children. She was a compassionate and innovative physician. She fought against the prevailing medical beliefs of the time to advocate for the well-being of children born with heart conditions. I would love to speak with Dr. Taussig and share with her the medical advancements made in the care of individuals with CHD since her time. I would share the progress in surgical techniques, medical interventions, and long-term care that have improved the quality of life for countless children and adults living with CHD, including my own child.
Giving her a copy of my books so she could read mothers’ and fathers’ experiences raising children with CHDs would be amazing. I can just imagine her face when I hand her a copy of The Heart of a Heart Warrior. I envision her eyes widening in surprise at a book of essays written by adults with CHDs. When she saw some contributors had conditions that had no surgical treatment in her time, I think she’d be overcome with emotion. Having a conversation with Dr. Helen Brooke Taussig would be an incredible opportunity to honor her pioneering work, share the advancements in CHD care, and pick her brain on how to continue to move forward.
WOG: Thank you, Anna, for sharing your thoughts on this important topic. It has been a pleasure having you here, and we appreciate your valuable insights.
Anna: Thank you for this opportunity. I enjoyed our chat.
And that is it friends and here are some links...
and through all these website I have linked you will find more information about books and gifts and what The heart Community Collection is about and how God works his mission through people.
Hugs and Blessed... Wonder of Grace