Author Kirsten Marie Peterson is on a mission to fulfill her late brother’s unaccomplished dream—publishing a poetry book. Yes, with the help of her sister-in-law and loved ones, Kirsten has successfully compiled the untold poems of her late brother in both Paperback and Kindle formats.

Soon, One Man’s Poetic Soul By Russel B. Peterson will be available on Amazon. Kirsten is extremely excited about that.

We recently invited her for this exclusive interview. Despite her busy schedule, she agreed to it. We discussed a lot of things. Starting from her professional life to her brother’s untimely demise, she candidly answered all our questions.

You can contact Author Kirsten directly at:

[email protected]

Here Are The Interview Excerpts

Hello Kirsten. Welcome to TheCheckerNews.Com. Please introduce yourself to our readers.

Ans: Hi, my name is Kirsten Marie Peterson and I am a single mom to five children. I spent 25 years enjoying a career as a special education teacher before deciding working from home would be in the best interest of my children.

Since early retirement from teaching three years ago, I have become an entrepreneur with several income streams, but educating and empowering people through my writing and speaking  is my true passion! I have participated in four book collaborations, and have several more books in process. 

How would you define your life journey so far? Any regrets?

Ans: I do not look back at any regrets, but instead consider any errors in judgement along the way as life lessons. Everything I have been through and every decision made has brought me to the place I am now, and for that I am ever grateful. As with everyone, there have been moments in my life that were the best of the best, and of course to balance things out, the worst of the worst. 

I believe all circumstances in life can be viewed multiple ways; perspective and mindset are the difference in having a wonderful life or a life of woe. For example, I lost my mom when I was just 24. I was blessed to have her into my adulthood, yet she didn’t have the opportunity to meet my children. I can view this loss as an absolute tragedy and be absorbed with grief, or I can recognize the blessing that she had the opportunity to raise me to adulthood, see me graduate from college and know I was well established in my career. 

What were some of the most difficult moments that you successfully overcame in your life?

Ans: As stated previously, my mom dying when I was a young adult definitely changed things in my life, but with the love and support (and shared grief)  from my dad and brother I adjusted to her absence in my life. I have had some parenting challenges but again, choosing the mindset that it will all be fine in the end has helped me immensely as I navigate the path of childhood mental illness.

The most recent difficult moment in my life came about six years ago when I lost my dad and brother just eight months apart. I relied on them greatly, especially for laughter. However, by choosing to honor both their memories by continuing to find the lighthearted and amusing moments in life I have pushed ahead into a new life. 

Briefly explain your literary journey to our audience. How many books have you written so far?

Ans: I decided to truly pursue my career as a writer late in 2019. Around that same time I met my publisher through social media, and her collaborative books have helped launch my writing career. 

I have been a contributor to four books, where I submitted just one chapter and multiple other writers submitted chapters as well. These books have been tremendous learning experiences for me and have built my confidence as a writer. These have all been non-fiction books. I have a self-published book of my brother’s poetry available now in e-book and paperback format. 

Please let us know more about “One Man’s Poetic Soul.” Also, drop the direct Amazon link from where our readers can download the book to their devices. 

Ans: “One Man’s Poetic Soul” is a true work from my heart. My brother, and only sibling, was a poet from his teen years on into his mid-40’s when he died unexpectedly. Russell had often talked about publishing his poems, but after his death they simply sat in stacks of journals, notebooks and papers in his wife’s home and my home.

With the support of my sister-in-law and my brother’s three children, I was able to type up 150 of his poems into a book that I self-published in both e-format and paperback. My brother’s wife wrote a forward for the book which brings me great joy. The book is dedicated to my niece and two nephews, as I know they were my brother’s greatest joy and most proud accomplishment. 

Direct Amazon Buy Link for One Man’s Poetic Soul By Russel B. Peterson

Please share some fond memories that you shared with your late brother.

Ans: Oh goodness! There are a lifetime of wonderful memories with my brother! We were blessed to be friends from the moment I arrived in this world until his death. My brother was my biggest cheerleader and constantly nudged me to step into my greatness. I was terribly shy as a child, and my brother’s chat with me the night before starting my first job at 16 was the catalyst to my personality transformation.

I think the best memories were the silly, spontaneous fits of laughter, the long phone calls about everything and nothing at all, the time spent watching football games while we both worked on grading papers and lesson plans, and raising our children in close proximity to one another so they would grow to have true friendships with their cousins.  

What are your current goals in life?

Ans:  I would like to advance my writing career to the point where it is a source of income for  my family, and also plan to open a non-profit foundation in my brother’s memory. 

What piece of advice would you like to offer to aspiring writers? 

Ans:  I would encourage aspiring writers to make use of all the knowledge around them! I have followed writers on social media and have been inspired and learned a lot just from that. I also have watched hours of YouTube videos from writers, both established and unknown to help gain confidence.

I think joining writing groups on social media can be helpful, but you must find the ones that resonate with you and this can take some time and patience. Lastly, as a writer you are an entrepreneur and must master such things as mindset, networking and marketing. I think joining a  mentorship group or mindset group is critical to longevity in this field. 

Finally, please explain how a person can stay stress-free and relaxed when things don’t go as per their plans.

Ans: Again, mindset and perspective are crucial! I believe being grateful for all the little things that DO go right all day long is helpful. I also know for me personally, remembering to get up and move my body is important. Writing is a sedentary job, but by exercising regularly we release endorphins which of course are key to maintaining a content state of mind. 

[Thank you so much, Kirsten, for this wonderful interview. We wish you all the best for your future endeavors.]