This space has been a flourishing opportunity to meet with people from all walks of life and I find inspiration from each person whom I’ve interacted with.

They help me to grow in the mind and to push my self-progress envelope. My guest for today is Asst. Professor Kathy Garland.

Thank you, Kathy, for sharing bits about you with us. On the side, I smiled when I saw your book cover for ‘The Unhappy Wife’ which shows similar taste to mine ‘Out of the silent breath’ 🙂

Let’s get to know a bit about you.

Hi, everyone! My name is Katherin Garland, but I write under the name K E Garland. I’ve taught high school English for ten years and post-secondary courses for fifteen years.

My most recent positions are at places like Georgia College and Florida State University. I’m currently an assistant professor teaching education courses at a community college in Florida while focusing on a writing career.

There are two concepts I live by:

1. Anything that you can think of can be actualized, and

2. What’s for you is for you and will always be revealed if you’re aligned with your passion and purpose.

Why blog? 

I began my blog when I wrote my first book, Kwoted. Like many authors, my editor suggested a platform was necessary. At first, my blog was just a place for me to house my quotes and hopefully sell a few books.

After a month, I realized that having a blog is about more than just creating a promotional space; it’s a community.

I was in awe of how many bloggers are here, writing about any and everything. Then, discouragement set in. I thought, Man, if there are so many people already here, then my voice might get lost.

It’s only after I participated in a few Blogging U classes, right here on WordPress that I began to get the gist of the blogosphere. Blogging really is about writing and sharing whatever your little heart desires while maintaining whatever you see as your niche.

After Blogging 101 and 201, I fine-tuned my purpose towards a more inspirational blog that includes authenticity through real stories and personal photography.

My blog is a place where people can come have a conversation about what they read and see.

I write about myself a lot, but the posts are not really about me, but rather some overarching theme. For example, Why I Refuse to Judge Any Mother is the first post I shared publicly. It includes feelings I’d harboured about my own mother, but it’s more focused on releasing judgment for those we call mom.

What’s your typical day like?

I’m not sure that I have a “typical” day and my Gemini self, likes it that way. However, my days are always structured. On any given day, you can find me doing the following:

Exercising: Five times a week, I either join a yoga class, run/walk a couple of miles or take a walk with my husband, Dwight.

Meditating: Everyday I meditate on my balcony. If I’m pressed for time, then I take 5-10 minutes to get centred and focus on my breath. If I have more time, then meditations last at least 20 minutes. Sometimes, I do a guided meditation with Deepak and Oprah; they offer a 21-day free one every now and then.

Writing: My daily writing schedule consists of blog drafts, new projects (e.g., self-published books), contests, or publications. It depends on what I’ve decided for the day, but I make sure I write something, even if no one else will see it.

One month I decided to write each day and ended up writing an entire memoir. It’s saved somewhere safe until I feel the urge to publish it.

Teaching: Every semester, I teach five classes. Three of them are online, so that makes structuring the day a little easier for me.

The other two require a one and two-hour drive. On those days, I hop in my Honda Fit, turn on my Kanye West playlist and make my way towards educating future teachers.

Wifing/Mothering: As of September 21st, I will have been married 20 years. My husband and I know one another very well. Sometimes we spend massive amounts of time together, and other times, he’s watching Netflix, while I’m writing.

The same goes for my teenage daughters. Sometimes we hang out at the beach or the movies, and other times they’re closed up in their rooms on Snapchat, while I’m writing. However, every Sunday we eat together at 7:00 P.M. My youngest daughter came up with the idea ten years ago and we’ve kept it up ever since.

For the past decade, my dog Rascal hung out with me during each of these activities. Unfortunately, I had to euthanize him in March. My post, simply titled, Rascal describes how difficult it was for me to release my beloved.

As I continued to read advice from people like, Janice Wald, some posts were centred on offering advice and admiration for the blogging community. According to the stats, Three Reasons the Blogging Community is Better than Social Media is the one the WordPress community appreciated the most.

So, what plans do you have in the offing?

Right now, I’m doing a lot of marketing for my recently published book, The Unhappy Wife. It’s interesting because now that I have a platform, I don’t want to ruin my blogging relationships because I’m talking about my book all the time. You know? I don’t want to be that blogger.

There’s definitely a balance that I’m still in the process of figuring out. Other than my book, I’m maintaining inspirational posts based on photography and narratives. One of my goals is to connect with readers through my own raw and shared emotions. I always want readers to leave inspired to do something a little different or what I like to call #RethinkYourRhetoric. That’s what you can count on when you visit my blog, whether I’m marketing a book, or not.