Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I began writing poetry as a child. I remember typing verses on my grandfather’s desktop computer while my siblings and cousins were playing outside. My grandmother then framed my award-winning poems and hung them amidst the family photos.
Each time life got challenging for me, I turned to writing. My words connected me to myself in a way nothing else did. Writing gave voice to everything I held so deeply inside.
Few know I began in business school. Taking a required business-writing class, I had a rebel of a professor who went beyond teaching office memos and into the depths of composition.
Feeling a connection with my words, this professor greatly encouraged me, eventually poaching me from the business school into the arts. That’s when I started to realize her gift of writing, but it took me many years and occupations to come full circle.
Extraordinary Inner Light is my first book. Although I have been previously published in academic writing, and in a Chicken Soup Series.
I graduated cum laude from Villanova University as an English major with a focus in Writing & Rhetoric. I tried to funnel her business courses into a minor, but I was one lower-level mathematics course short.
I also attended the University of Galway in Ireland as a Connelly-Delouvrier Scholar. Many of my poems are about my experience in Ireland and my Irish grandmother.
I went on to graduate summa cum laude with my master’s degree from Holy Family University, along with my masters plus from Pennsylvania State University and Gratz College.
I am grateful to all of my teachers, earth angels, and the poetry- my creative outlet that has beautifully weaved itself through my life- my lifeline, my voice, the way I make sense of my place in this world.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is titled “Extraordinary Inner Light.” It’s also my Instagram handle. Through all of my hardships, I found this beautiful light inside of myself. It always existed, though the world had dimmed it down. The more I worked through my journey, the more brightly this light shined.
Each of us has a bright light within ourselves. We all have an Extraordinary Inner Light.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes, I use my writing as a means of feeling. It’s always been really hard for me to feel emotion and to let myself cry. When I go through something difficult or start to work through trauma that I’ve held, I write. This writing allows me to release, in the same way others cry.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
My favorite poets are Mary Oliver, W.B. Yeats, and Chelsie Diane. They have each touched my heart with their words and brought me closer to myself.
What are you working on now?
More poetry, of course! And maybe a memoir. We shall see!
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m new to all of this, so I’m not sure!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
The more you align with yourself, your heart, and your authenticity, the more others will connect with your work.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Always stay true to yourself. When you are authentically aligned and in your power, you are a force to be reckoned with.
What are you reading now?
Poetry by my sweet friends Maria Teresa Pratico-Swanson and M. Rose.
What’s next for you as a writer?
We shall see! Hopefully more books and more poetry gatherings.
What is your favorite book of all time?
Steven D. Farmer, Animal Spirit Guides
Anne of Green Gables (the whole set)
Louise Hay, Heal Your Body
And of course, mine! Eileen Anne, Extraordinary Inner Light
Author Websites and Profiles
Eileen Anne Website
Eileen Anne Amazon Profile
Eileen Anne’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile