The Story Behind Drops of Awesome: An Interview With Author Kathryn Thompson AND a DOA Giveaway!

by Kasey Tross

You have heard us mention Drops of Awesome around here a few times (click here to read what I had to say about it), and I lucked out and got invited to be part of the launch team for the Drops of Awesome BOOK! How lucky am I, right? And really, how lucky are all of us that Kathryn Thompson turned her amazing blog post into a book/journal??

As part of the launch team, I had the opportunity to read the book and do the journaling, and it was such a delightful, confidence-building experience. One of my assignments was to pick some of my favorite quotations from the book, and it was extremely difficult to not just copy and paste the whole book! Here is one of my very favorites:

"If you’ve ever heard that negative voice putting you down…then two things are certain: you are someone who cares and you are someone who’s trying. If you didn’t care about doing right or improving your life, you wouldn’t be bothered at all by your perceived failures.” 

That was just one of my many “aha” moments as I read. Not only was I journaling my drops of awesome- putting them in writing, recording them, being able to see my successes- I was also getting all of these fantastic little boosts along the way, along with journaling exercises that made me really think about the way I think and how it affects me.

 I am planning on purchasing several copies of this wonderful book as Christmas gifts, because it’s so much more than a book- it’s a way to help others realize their own value and a way to help them be kinder to themselves. And to me, that is a priceless gift.

Today I am thrilled to have Kathryn with us to share the story of how Drops of Awesome came to be, from an inspired idea all the way to the amazing book. AND she’s offering a free copy of the book to one lucky winner! (Find out how to enter after the interview.)


Me: Welcome, Kathryn! We’re so excited to have to you here today! Time for the interrogation...

I’ve read that you started your blog as a way to deal with postpartum depression, and that’s something many moms struggle with. How has writing helped you emotionally?

KT: I think we all do better emotionally when we have a strong creative outlet. When I am writing fiction, I escape into a different world and become someone else entirely. I can create problems for my protagonist, solve those problems, and I can give her the power to control her own destiny. Giving power to my characters inspires me to feel more in control and powerful myself. Blogging has also been a great outlet because it keeps me constantly focused on what is funny about my life. When things go wrong, the blog helps me view my struggles through a humorous lens and if I can laugh about what bugs me, then things don’t seem quite so bad.

Me: Laughter is the best medicine. And so are some Drops of Awesome- Your Drops of Awesome post is amazing! Do you feel that it was inspired? How did it come to be?

KT: Drops of Awesome was direct inspiration. It came to me as a loving flick on the forehead from my Heavenly Father in a time when I really needed it. I was beating myself up and I feel like He was not happy with how I was treating myself, one of His much loved kids. At the time, I was teaching a class of young women who needed it as well. It’s one of the rare occasions in my life where I was given inspiration that I knew had to be shared, but I had no idea how far it would travel.

Me: Ha, a “loving flick on the forehead.” Love that. So, how did Drops of Awesome go from a blog post to a book?

KT: When the post started getting passed around all over Facebook, it caught the attention of a small publisher with a mission to strengthen families. They approached me about turning the post into a print journal and the project was born.

Me: Dream come true! So Drops of Awesome is both a book and a journal- how did this unique format come about? What benefits do you feel that this format has over an ordinary book?

KT: I have to give credit here to Christopher Robbins and David Miles at Familius. The journal format was their brain flash and I loved the idea that my readers could co-write the book with me. Drops of Awesome is a deeply personal concept because it deals with exploring what’s going on in each person’s brain and the way they talk to themselves. So the journal works really nicely to encourage that process of self-discovery. Also, it was a great first print publication for me because it was an easily manageable amount of content to generate and organize. Baby steps to publication.

Me: Speaking of baby steps, you have a busy life as a blogger and a mom- how do you balance your writing time with your mommying?

KT: I don’t. This is a really difficult aspect of writing for me. When I am into my blog or a fiction project, I am IN and my creative process sometimes comes at the expense of my kids and my husband. I tend to work until it becomes really obvious that I’m working too much and then I scale way back and repeat the cycle. For me, it’s about checking in every once in a while and honestly asking myself if I’m happy with the big picture of my life. If I’m not, I adjust. As my youngest is starting school next year, my plan is to only write when they're out of the house. I’m interested to see if it’s really possible.

Me: Sounds like a good plan- does that mean there are other books in the works from Kathryn Thompson, either fiction or nonfiction? 

KT: Yes! I’ve been shopping around my first YA fiction manuscript Dark Bird and I’ve had great success getting requests from agents but not so much success once they peruse the entire manuscript. So I’m reworking it and I have a couple of other fiction projects in the works. There is nothing more fun than creating stories. I’m also working on a veggie cookbook.

Me: So exciting! Okay, one final question- What is one thing you hope your readers gain from Drops of Awesome?

KT: I want people to know they can be happy right now and that no matter where they are in their lives, they are their own best asset.


Hear that? You are your own best asset! Many thanks to Kathryn Thompson for doing this interview and for offering a giveaway.

Now for the goodies: if you want to enter to win a copy of this inspiring book, simply leave a comment below. If you want a bonus entry, then share this post on social media- Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter- and come back here and let us know that you shared it in the comments section. Winners will be selected at random at 12:00 noon EST on Thursday.