Idea to book contract in a year? Even I’m amazed this actually happened.  There are of course all the logistical nuts and bolts  - goal setting and planning, utilizing my network amongst friends, family, and colleagues; persistence; staying open to ideas; saying “yes” to opportunities; employing a writing coach (shout out to Amy Maranville at Kraken Communications for all her kid lit expertise).  More than all of this, the one thing that helped my dream become reality was staying connected and true to my inner intention. 

My clear intention at the start of 2018 was to soften and rest into the flow of creativity within and around me.  I stayed open to allowing creativity to express itself in any form.   Interestingly, my first media contribution of 2018 was for an article about the use of meditation to bolster creativity for the magazine Spirituality & Health.

• “When we intentionally pay attention to present moment experience with kind curiosity and patience, we create the space to connect with our innate strengths, including creativity,” Bismark says. “When we can bring a loving mindful presence to whatever it is we are doing, we naturally create the conditions necessary for creativity to flow through us.” 

And my direct experience this year could not hold more true.  Every time I sat for meditation, or even sat at my laptop for that matter, I always took a moment to connect with my heart space and revisited this intention for myself. It helped me stay motivated through the inevitable ups and downs of literary submissions and nurtured my patience while waiting for replies.             

​A dream held in the heart with awareness forms an intention.  What are your deepest intentions for yourself? 

I have been sitting on this news for months now, and I’m just bubbling over with excitement to share.  Many of you know that last year, I embarked on a journey to pursue creating a series of children’s books about meditation, mindfulness, and mantras.  These stories were inspired by my own experiences as a kid with my father.  They are also shaped by my experiences as a mother, teaching our multicultural, interfaith children about the many ways of connecting to our selves and the world around us through wise, loving awareness. 

Well…. MY FIRST BOOK HAS BEEN ACCEPTED FOR PUBLISHING IN 2020!!!!!

Here is the official announcement in Publisher’s Weekly:

I am so incredibly joyous. Finding OM and the books that will follow intend to mindfully introduce universal mantras from South Asian traditions to young readers, families, educators, and yoga enthusiasts alike.
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Thank you so much to the indie publishing house, Bharat Babies, for taking on this endeavor with me.  They are a fantastic minority, female-owned company creating “diverse kids’ lit for a diverse world.” Some of their recent publications include Always Anjali, by actress Sheetal Sheth, Super Satya by Dow Jones editor Raakhee Mirchandani, and Shubh Raatri Dost/Good Night Friend by artist Nidhi Chanani. 

Many, many thanks to illustrator Morgan Huff for deciding to collaborate with me! I’m so thrilled to watch her work her magic, bringing my words and illustration ideas to life.  Go check her out on Instagram. She’s amazing at capturing the wonder and awe of childhood.

Speaking of Instagram, now that I'm making my debut entry into the literary world, I can use all the social media support I can get to help this #ownvoices #yogaforkids #mindfulliving #kidsmeditate #diversekidlit story become a success.  Please connect with me via Instagram and Twitter @rashmibismark.
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Thank you to all of my teachers.

I will be writing more in this space about my journey creating these books.  Hope you’ll read along, and catch Finding OM pre-sales later this year!