1)     Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?

I always enjoyed creative writing throughout school. I took a class in high school that helped nurture that little spark. My mother was an unofficial editor—as a medical librarian, she would edit doctors’ papers for medical journals. She would sometimes edit my school papers too, and they were always so much better when she touched them. That’s how I learned how powerful editing can be.

Later in life, I became an editor at daily newspapers in the Midwest, and in that role, I started writing a weekly column. That continued for many years.

2)     What inspired you to write your book?

I wrote a Christmas column one year, in 2012, which became this book, “Merry Christmas, Cosmos.” I remember waking up over and over one night as another line of text came to me. It sort of wrote itself that night. I was inspired by the idea of evolution and some of the books that were coming out around that time—“Evolutionaries” by Carter Phipps was one.

3)     What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?

I would love for people to recognize that we’re all one big family on this planet, evolved from tiny creatures swimming about in primordial pools. And that Earth is our common home. I would love for the divisiveness in the world to decrease and the understanding of our shared heritage to grow.

4)     What drew you into this particular genre?

It grew out of the inspiration from the Christmas column I wrote. From that place, I just wanted to illustrate it. One of my favorite books is “Your Illustrated Guide to Becoming One With the Universe,” by Yumi Sakugawa. It came out a year after my book. I love short books with a powerful message.

5)     What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?

Social media? I haven’t even posted my book yet on Facebook. But I will. I don’t do much social media-ing.

6)     What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?

Read your writing out loud; that helps a lot with hearing the rhythm in your writing. And go with your heart, and edit, edit, edit until it feels just right.

7)     What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?

Since I published this book, I wrote a song to go with it: “Merry Christmas, Cosmos (the song).” I’ve gone into the studio and recorded my parts and have spent many hours tweaking it for release. It should be uploaded to streaming services any day now.

And I do have a book on the horizon, tentatively named “Your Big Self.” I hope to bring clarity to what people mean when they talk about a true self, higher self, unique self, local self, etc. It will probably be in the same kind of picture-book style.

About the Author

Roshana Ariel is a writer, editor, and musician who weaves wonder into everyday life. She’s the author of “Merry Christmas, Cosmos,” a holiday book for families that blends science, sacred storytelling, and a sense of belonging in the cosmos.

Her life’s path has taken her from playing in bands and as a solo performer across the United States, to working as a radio announcer, and eventually to journalism, where she worked her way up to managing editor at a daily newspaper.

Now living in North Carolina, she performs regularly at her local Unity fellowship and creates memes, meditations, and music that celebrate conscious living and our shared origins in a vast, unfolding universe—all in service to Goodness, Truth, and Beauty.

https://roshanawrites.medium.com/

https://amzn.to/4r88pSR