BookWorthy Chats with Kirthana Fanning

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Valerie - Welcome to Book Worthy. Today we're talking with author Kirthana J. Fanning, an award-winning children's author with a deep passion for empowering young readers through Christian faith-based storytelling. With two decades of experience in television and a writer in Southeast Asia, she has harnessed the expertise to craft stories to help young minds navigate life's challenges with faith and grace. Her book, The Good, my goodness, here we go. Her book,

The Girl with Her Noble Steed, is a heartwarming Christian fairy tale where you meet a spirited young girl named Ophie, whose dreams are as big as her heart. Join her on her extraordinary journey as she summons all of her courage and relies on her unwavering faith to protect what she holds dear. Welcome to Bookworthy Kirthana.

Kirthana - Hey everyone, thank you for having me here. I'm super excited to be on your show. And I've been following your podcast and the wonderful interviews you've been doing and I'm very excited to be here. Thank you for having me.

Valerie -It is a pleasure to have you here. But if you know our podcast, then we have to do our random question of the week. And I know books are typically our conversation around here, but since you have a history in television, I'd love to know your favorite movie.

Kirthana -My favorite movie, I'm gonna go with The Ten Commandments, the classic.

Valerie -Okay, the classic one with Charlton Heston?

Kirthana -Yes. And I’m going with this because the first time I watched it was in seventh or eighth grade at my school in India. And I studied in a Christian convent that they were very strict. So the first time they took us out for a movie, you know, a day out was the Ten Commandments. And it was just everything about the movie kind of struck my heart at that point because I was raised in a Hindu family and I had, even though I knew Jesus, I didn't have a relationship with him. But at that time while watching the movie, I just was in awe of how a God could do something so amazing and all the things. And I just feel like that's something. That's the movie I would recommend, is my favorite movie and I would recommend it, yeah.

Valerie -I remember watching that as a young kid too and it was just amazing just to take those stories that we've heard you know over and over again whether at a Christian school or in church and just to kind of see how awe-inspiring it is because in words you could kind of gloss over it really fast but to really kind of see just how big and strong and mighty God is it really was an amazing movie. Tell us a little bit about your book, The Girl and Her Noble Steed.

Kirthana-So, The Girl in the Noble Steed is a dream project. I am, what do you say? I love underdog stories. Everything underdog is, because I feel like all of us are underdogs in our own ways, and you know, especially in this world, and my love for underdogs, my love for underdog stories, fairy tales, and the need to have Christian elements in children's stories. So the Girl in the Noble Steed started with, you know, just a small thought about, okay, I want to create a story where a girl, an orphan girl, wins a race. And how does she do this? And I remember praying about it. And the first animal that I had in mind was not Zo, the miniature of Donkey, was something else. But I didn't feel, but well, after praying about it, the Lord placed on my heart the donkey. And I had a feeling, okay, I knew then this is what I had to go with because there's something special about this animal. And so I wanted to include the miniature donkey

in there, you know, and then just write the story for kids to, you know, to tell them, give them a great fairy tale that's filled with adventure, but also filled with Christian elements and the word of God in it. And that's how it, you know, It just all came together in a mumbo jumbo and you know just put everything in there.

Valerie - Way fun. I mean, what is it? Those underdog stories, they always hit our hearts because we, you know, oftentimes we do feel like the underdog in our own story, which is weird. Like we're supposed to be the main character of our story, but we often, you know, feel like the underdog. So I think a lot of kids can relate to that. And this is a book for kind of that eight to 10 range and early chapter book, correct?

Kirthana -Yes.

 Valerie - Awesome, and you got to work with a pretty unique illustrator with this book too. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

Kirthana -Yes, Travis Hill is an award-winning illustrator who worked with Pixar and a few other popular animation studios. He is just so amazing. In the book, I remember when I was first introduced to him and I had this idea and I just gave him what I wanted and what I was looking for. The amazing part about it is he was able to bring it out on paper just the way I had it in my mind. So we truly with him, I never went through any corrections, like barely anything, maybe like a color change or something really small. And every character, cause even with Zo the donkey, I wanted a specific donkey, but I didn't want it to look like the other cartoon characters that are out there. And he created its own, you know, his own unique little

Zo and Ophi and all the characters in the book. Yeah, he's super talented and it was just amazing working with him, and I want to continue working with him on the Girl with the Nobel Steed series. I plan to bring out seven or eight of these books. So, yep, I'm super excited.

Valerie -Very neat. I love the idea of continuing with Opie's story and just the perseverance that she has and the faith that she has through all the little hardships she goes through in these great characters that you've created. What do you hope to communicate with kiddos through these books?

Kirthana -I hope that they will read a book that will not just tell them a story but will teach them a way of life. In The Girl in the Noble Steed, Ophi goes through different challenges, and along the way as she goes through them, she does it with faith and prayer. So I show children through the story that you can take to God the simplest of things, but start everything with a prayer because he is a God who answers. And so the Girl in the Noble Steed is all about answered prayers and also about using the Word of God. Because I felt like a lot of books lack that. And I wanted to bring out a book that has the Word of God in it. And so even in this, will,

in one of the incidences where she feels she's about to lose, she will speak his word saying, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. And then she feels the energy and a boost coming for her to go forth. So I wanna teach kids, show kids that prayers, God's listening to your prayers. So pray them and use his words in your circumstances. And at the same time, have a great, big, amazing time in life. And that's what the story is about. There's just so much fun stuff in the book. So kids will enjoy it.

Valerie - Very neat. I love that idea of, you know, what is it, memorizing scripture and knowing the stories of the Bible and these very intangible ideas of knowing God's word, speaking God's word, and praying. It's really hard for kids to get a grasp on, and so for them to have a character like Ophi using them in a real way, in an applicable way, in the way like, wait a minute, Ophi did this during her race, maybe I could do this before my test and say the same thing and just making it like, okay, this isn't just a random thing we do on Sunday, this is something I could do every day in my life and it's applicable in all situations, not just in the religious ones, which, a lot of times we can kids can get stuck in the cat compartmentalizing faith rather than making it a part of their whole world. And I love that Ophi does that in this story. Now, when did your writing journey begin?

Kirthana - Yeah, maybe since I was a toddler. I was always a storyteller. So even in school, I would tell these wild stories and tales. Would scare my friends. I'm always, you know because I

come from a media family. I come from a background that was born and raised in film and television. Most of my family are actors or producers in the television industry in South India. So that was always there in my blood to create and write stories. And so I always told them, I always did that. And then I went on to create content for television and short films and things like that for TV. And it stayed with me. And just, guess, when the Lord called me to do this, he just took what I had, the talent that he had given me, and put it into the right purpose. He put it into the right lane. So yeah.

Valerie -I love how he does that. He just kind of takes where we are and what we can do, the gifts that he's given us, and he just, if we're willing, which part of my story is there was a time I was not so willing to follow God's call. Just to...

Kirthana -I agree, I'm with you there. I fought so hard so many times, but... Nope.

Valerie -So many times. Like, no, no, no, this doesn't make sense, Lord. This requires too much faith. And it was like, but what requires us to rely on him more is usually what he calls us to. And I love that about your, story as well as Ophi's and my own as well. And now as you know, being someone who's a storyteller raised in television and productions, did you always want to be an author?

Kirthana- No. I don't remember ever thinking, I always wrote stuff. I wrote, you know, little books, a little, I would say stories, but I never wrote them with the intention of one day I'm going to be a children's author. I just wrote them because I liked writing. Yeah, it was just

maybe in my 20s, I remember praying and that's when I first felt in my heart that I wanted to be an author and I wanted to be a children's author. But even then my genre was general. I just wanted to write general books. I had all these different stories and ideas I had written down. Being a Christian, author, a children's author with a focus on Christian content came into being last year. Because I had, I worked on a book, sitting on it for like three or four years. And for some reason, there was just something that wasn't fitting right. It wasn't moving forward. And I remember praying about it and then the law directed me and said, this is not what you're going to do. This is not my will for you, but this. And it took me a while to come to terms with it, but I'm like, you know, by then I've already understood. You have to do him, you just go back when he says it or you're going to be delayed in so many ways. I'm like, okay. Yep. That's how it, that's how it came into being.

Valerie -I love that. Was wondering kind of how you went from TV production to children's books because that is a pretty big shift. What, how did God lead you to that desire?

Kirthana - Something like in TV production because I moved after I got married and moved to Massachusetts. I was doing freelance work with Indian companies and still traveling every year. And the pandemic kind of shifted the whole thing. It was like the catalyst for everything to do a 180 and turn around. And it started becoming hard to travel and to do work. Then so I decided, okay, maybe I want to start my own business and, you know, do something over here. And at that time, I remember applying to so many different jobs and it was just strange, like being a citizen, I wasn't hearing back and I felt like the doors were being shut on purpose. It was very hard to digest because I had so many years of experience and not just experience in one country because I worked globally and with different countries and across platforms, but something was happening there. Like I wasn't even being called for an interview and I'm like, what is going on? Like I was, I was truly humbled in that moment. And I remember praying about it. I fasted and I prayed for three days. And on the second day, the Lord answered me

and he gave me a word and he told me what he needed me to do. And then I realized, but there was a bubbling joy and a new purpose that, you know, was that birth in me at that time and I knew, okay, now I understand why those doors were shut and what I needed to do. And since then, Valerie, it's truly been a journey more than I can imagine. And I know I'm still growing. I'm only a year, maybe like two years old, a year and a half old because I published my first book last year in March for Easter. But just the way the Lord has brought me all along and so far. I know it's only his doing.

Valerie - It's really special when we step into the lane that God has for us and he just fast tracks it and you're like, okay, did we get here? Why weren't we doing this all the time? And it's just our desire to control our situations. And I love that God has pulled you into a new lane and a new place to just honor him and equip kids to love God's word as well as fun and engaging ways. Know like, what is it? The pandemic seems to have like shifted a lot of things. It's been funny and a lot of conversations to be like, everything is centered around this one year. Yes, before and after. I was like, what was life like before? I don't remember. But it is interesting how just kind of some sort of global event had just really kind of re-centered us or made us rethink our goals and our families, our trajectories. Am I living this life?

Kirthana -What happened before the pandemic and what happened after? Right.

Valerie -with the goal and purpose of loving God to its fullest. And I love how God uses the craziness of our world to remind us of that. Now, what is your favorite book?

Kirthana -Yes. I have a few of them, but I'm going to say I love The Pilgrim's Progress. I love

Narnia. My dream is to write something like The Narnia and you know, After the Girl in the Noble Steed. And also to write something like The Pilgrim's Progress. I would say two of these are my top favorite books.

Valerie - Those are very powerful books for sure. And what is it? The Lion and the Witch and the Wardrobe of the Narnia series is really special to me and my family too. My husband and I read through the series each time we were pregnant with one of our kids. And so, and then I think once they were, everyone was over five, I think we read through them again. And it was just kind of fun. It's just this book we keep coming back to

because it's so sweet and so relatable to young kids as well as my own heart to remind me of God's truth. Well, what can we expect next from you?

Kirthana -still actually I want to bring out something special for Christmas. So I want to do a little not a not the not the second book of The Girl in the Noble Steed but I want to do a little side story with something about Christmas and it's I just have enough thought in my mind and I haven't laid it out yet but hopefully God willing I will be able to get that together and have something out just in time maybe like by early late November or early December.

Valerie -Okay, now some of the other books that you have are, like you said, an Easter book and a couple of activity books. Can you tell us a little bit about those?

Kirthana -So, Alive an Easter Story was the first book that I published last year, end of March, and it's about three bunnies that go on the hoppiest hunt and learn about the true meaning of

Easter. Because Easter is so, what do you say, turned into such a festival about bunnies and Easter egg hunts, and then the real essence about it is lost all along, so. This book talks about how they learn about the true meaning of Easter and then they still get to have a great big time. I do have a couple of coloring and activity books which as I'm a Child of God which is filled with the Word of God and some fun puzzles and coloring and it just helps kids as they work, as they color and do these activities to also build a

relationship with Jesus. And it has things like give your worries to

Jesus. Okay, what are the five things that worried you today? And then they write it down and then it says, okay, now you've handed it over to God, so don't worry about it anymore, and stuff like that. I recently did come out with, what's it this month now? Last month, this month, yeah, I released, no. I released a Feather of the Brightest Color, which is also a children's picture book. It's about a little boy whose town has lost all its color because people have just become so selfish and have forgotten about kindness and how his prayer brings hope and color back into their lives.

Valerie - That is a sweet story. I like that idea of just, you know, we do kind of take away from our world when we are selfish or not being kind and that we give a lot of beauty to the world around us when we are kind and mindful of others. I love that idea. And where is that book available?

Kirthana -Right now it's available on Amazon, but all my books can be found on my website and also on Amazon. They're also there on Ingram's Park for wholesale. And I know The Girl in the Noble Steed is available on Barnes and Noble as well.

Valerie -Very cool. Kind of all the places someone would look, you'd find you. Wonderful. Well, I'm so thankful that you got to join us today, Krithana. And I look forward to hearing more about what you're working on.

Kirthana - Thank you! Thank you for having me!

Valerie - And thank you for joining Kirthana and me in this episode of the Bookworthy Podcast. Check the show notes for any books or links that we discussed, and let us know in the comments what is your favorite movie. Be sure to like and subscribe so we can discover more great books together.

Happy reading!