Eden Robins believes in second chances. She’s been lucky enough to have a few in her life and knows there’s a magic in seizing the moment to try again. As a mentor and founder of A Wholehearted ME, her heart’s purpose is to guide people into living as their full, innate, creative potential. As a writer, her heart leads her to inspire joy and hope in her readers through her tales. Creating stories about people courageously living, loving, and experiencing life true to themselves, no matter how messy it gets, are the ones Eden wants to write and will keep writing for you…and for her. Connect with Eden at https://linktr.ee/edenrobins and check out her blog https://awholeheartedme.com/blog 

Thank you for interviewing me on The Book Connection! I’m excited to share more about my Writing and myself.

Where did you grow up?

I was born and lived in the Boston area when I was very young. I also spent some time in Guam when my dad was stationed there while in the Navy, before heading back to the Boston area again, and then on to a short stint in Colorado before settling in Arizona. My family moved to Phoenix when I was eight, and I spent the remainder of my childhood and teenage years there. I went to college in South Africa for a couple of years, then returned to Arizona and completed my college education there. 

When did you begin writing?

I’ve written informally since I was in grade school. Diaries and journals, then some articles for my high school newspaper. It was only after writing my first novel that I realized I wanted to make writing a career. 

Do you Write during the day, at night or whenever you can sneak a few moments?

Yes. All of the above. I write whenever I can, for as long as I can. I’m committed to writing Monday through Friday of each week, but if I can get more in, I do.

What is this book about?

Gold: Heart of A Warrior is a story of second chances, and the first book in a series about a modern day shero’s journey into Greek mythology.  

Dora Alexander learns on her twenty-fifth birthday she’s Pandora reborn, reincarnated from the woman responsible for opening the Jug of Woes and releasing misery into the world. This time around, The Fates want her to team up with a cranky, know-it-all ancient warrior to fight demons, or be sent back to Tartarus, forever, her memory wiped from the mind of any who knew her. Her goal as an empathic healer is to help people, not hurt them. Creating The Healing Garden wellness center was her plan to do just that. But as they say, when woman plans, the Gods laugh. Boy, were they laughing. 

What inspired you to write it?

Retelling the myth of Pandora in Gold: Heart of a Warrior arose from a process I call “relatable remembering” because this young woman’s story is truly a universal tale. Who doesn’t make mistakes? Who doesn’t live according to the consequences of those mistakes, including sometimes being defined by them in a way that’s neither fair nor accurate?

Pandora was destined to open the Jug of Woes. Zeus wanted to punish mankind and used a woman without much power as his pawn to do just that. And yet, when he got what wanted; the King of Gods still penalized the one who helped him get it. So not fair!

I began thinking about the way this myth related to life, and how its truths spilled into not only the stories of people I knew, but also my own. How many of us have made mistakes in our lives and had to endure living bound by the constraints of that mistake because others put us in a box of their making, and we allowed it to become our reality?

Pandora’s story made me angry. I felt compelled to tear open the box she’d been forced into and give her a second chance. That led to me writing Gold: Heart of a Warrior. Instead of forever being known as the evil, disgraced woman who ruined the world, I decided to write a story where Pandora was offered redemption, and the chance to create a new life for herself, on her own terms.

Was the road to publication smooth sailing or a bumpy ride?

My writing journey has been a learning experience, both in terms of developing my craft as a writer, and my own personal evolution. It’s also been a trek of getting lost for a while and then, eventually, finding my way back.

My first book, a sci-fi futuristic romance entitled, Never Until Tomorrow, was published in 2000. Writing “The End” on the last page of that story was the act that made me decide to take writing seriously. While growing up, creativity had been my close and consistent companion, but up until finishing that first book, I had only considered writing a hobby to indulge in when I wasn’t working at my “real job”. I thought getting a business degree, opening a bakery with my husband, and raising three children was the real life I was supposed to be living, while writing was just for fun. 

Never Until Tomorrow came about when I lost my paternal grandfather. After he died, I kept wishing I could go back to a time before he passed away and spend more time getting to know him. That thought stayed with me for months and the urge to write about it grew inside me until one night I sat down at my computer and started typing. Being able to translate what was in my heart to paper in this way was not just cathartic, it was also an epiphany. I realized not only how much I loved the writing process, but also that I wanted to do it for the rest of my life. 

Once that decision was made, I found publishers interested in my work and had the privilege of sharing my stories with others. Nine novels later, my husband and I separated, then divorced and I simply stopped writing. I just couldn’t seem to put the words together, except for sporadic, distracted scribblings that didn’t amount to much. It was like my creativity had suddenly dried up and disappeared. It was incredibly frightening to think that the one thing which had been my constant companion and guide since I was little had suddenly deserted me. A decade later and lots of lessons learned, my creative spark returned, and I began to write in earnest again. I realize now that my creativity had never left me, it had just shifted to a different part of my life that needed my attention. But that’s another story for another time. 

If you knew then, what you know now, is there anything you would have done differently?

Yes. I would have trusted myself and my creativity more, letting both be my lifeline and guide in whatever form they needed to take. 

Where can readers purchase a copy of your book?

You can find Gold: Heart of a Warrior at: Champagne Book Group, Amazon, BarnesandNoble, Kobo or my website. 

What is one piece of advice you would like to share with aspiring authors everywhere?

Write. Keep writing. In my opinion, when one is just starting out, it’s so important to focus on putting the words on the page rather than trying to create a perfect masterpiece. There’s a magic that comes from simply getting the story out of your head and on paper. And the more you write, the stronger the magic. Know what that magic produces? Better writing. Know what else it does? Creates more ideas. Simply put, writing begets writing, which begets better writing, which begets more creative writing, which begets better, more creative writing, which leads to the masterpiece one wanted to write in the first place. It’s definitely important to begin with the end in mind, but only to the extent that one doesn’t back themselves into a corner. Knowing what one wants without worrying about how one will get it is key. Focus on one step at a time and trust that the magic of writing will get you there.   

What is up next for you?

Thank you for asking! Since the release of Gold: Heart of a Warrior last April, I've completed book two in the Gold series, entitled, A Warrior’s Peace, and recently started the formal editing process. I’m excited to share Dora’s continuing shero’s journey with all of you! And watch for the paperback version of Gold: Heart of A Warrior heading your way in March 2024!

Because I love the holidays so much, I’ve created a modern-day fairytale anthology entitled Happily Ever After Holidays that’s now available on Amazon. Need a little myth to remind you of the magic of the season? These three retellings will definitely put you in the mood!

Is there anything you would like to add?

As the founder of A Wholehearted ME, a movement dedicated to deepening self-awareness and creative, authentic living, I developed a blog called Living the Path. It's about my exploration of wholehearted living and the many twists and turns I find along the way. My more than twenty-year journey of creative exploration, self-development and growing awareness led me to start an effort dedicated to coming home to the creative self and the powerful possibilities in discovering who and how one can choose to be in the world.

Through A Wholehearted ME, I now get to not only write stories about characters courageously living, loving, and experiencing life true to themselves, no matter how messy it gets, I’m also lucky enough to have the opportunity to help guide women on their own real life shero’s journey back to their authentic destiny. You can learn more at A Wholehearted ME .