Newspaper Article:
A story of spiritual awakening and life enrichment
The story behind the book, Tree Spirited Woman, is as mystical and motivational as the tale it inspired.
Years ago, author Colleen Baldrica, met a Lakota Medicine Man whose words were salve for the soul. "You will be known as 'Tree Spirited Woman,'" he told her. And from that moment on, Baldrica knew the moniker would someday be the title of a book, a book that she would write.
But life got in the way, and the story was started and stopped many times. "Prior to writing Tree Spirited Woman, I never considered myself as an author," Baldrica said, "but writing this book was something
I believe I was meant to do." The story, written as a narrative, takes the reader through one woman's intimate transformation from the death of her maternal grandmother to the establishment of a new and guiding friendship with a wise and mystical woman. Along the way, she learns to "let go and trust" in love, personal relationships, and, utimately, death.
Baldrica says the inspiration for the various chapters, which correspond to life's stages, came from her personal life as well as from the teachings of her Native American grandmother. "I thought a lot about
subjects that were important to me," she says. "I knew these would have resonance with other women. Women are reaching out, and this book is touching many lives.
As the former lead school counselor for the St. Paul Public School District and a Past President of the Minnesota School Counselors Association, Baldrica is no stranger to helping people listen to their inner voice. "I believe it's important to listen to the voice within," she says, "let go and trust and not to be afraid to reach out or take risks."
In fact, Baldrica, herself, learned to listen to her inner voice while writing her book; it was the muse behind her book's title character. "When I would write, the voice would come, I would talk aloud," she says. "I would speak as myself, and respond in the voice of Tree Spirited Woman. I would also wake up in the night with ideas that I knew I needed to include."
Tree Spirited Woman (Beaver's Pond Press) was written to encourage dialogue. Baldrica says because the chapters are short and topic specific, they provide great subjects for book clubs and women's circles.
"The books message is more potent than I ever could have imagined," Baldrica says. "I believe the words were meant to be shared. I've been elated by the award recognitions and the positive feedback I've received. It's exciting, women read this book and then come back and buy more as gifts for their friends."
Tree Spirited Woman was a 2008 Book Award Finalist in the "National Indie Excellence" Spirituality Category, 2007 Bronze Medal Winner in the "Annual Independent Publisher Books Award's (IPPY) New Age: Mind, Body Spirit Category, and the 2006 Book Awards Finalist in "Best Books 2006" Mind, Body, Spirit Category.
For more information you can go to: www.colleenbaldrica.com.
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