Meet Jillie Sue, children's book author, and my mother, mother of warriors.

 

I am co-founder and COO of Udaguru Enterprises, Inc.  Our company has been going strong for the past decade and focuses on service, distribution, mixed media, and educational events. My partner and I are always looking for ways to expand our reach.  I have also published my first children's book and am looking into illustration for my second. When I am not working, my personal interests include: reading,  gardening, movies, baking, photography, Zentangle, and Oula.

 

• So let's jump in Goddess! Tell me about your children's book 

 

• • It's a collection of original poetry, traditional nursery rhymes, and pagan prayers called Sunshine and Moonbeams: A Treasury of Poems and Prayers.  It was inspired by a poem written by my oldest daughter when she was younger (heeheehee, that's me).  My cousin Rebecka Sasich provided the illustrations.  It took about 15 years to complete.

 

• Every journey is different, would you mind going into why it took that amount of time a little bit?

 

• • Well it was a couple of things. Just when I thought I was done writing.  I would be inspired to write another rhyme.    I already know and what mother goose poems I was going to include. The book is a celebration of the seasons, night and day, and the elements so you can see why I was inspired quite a bit lol also I struggled with getting it illustrated. At first I had I sent my family and friends different poems and asked them  to send drawings / illustrations.  Not everybody responded, and I did get a lot of neat drawings and collages.  Then I asked my cousin Rebecka if she could provide some illustrations in her spare time since she was going to art school.  She sent me a wonderful drawings, but they were all on paper plates. I couldn't scan the paper plates properly without a lot of shadowing. Then, I tabled it for several years.  I re-solicited my cousin shortly after she graduated with her master of fine arts. It took her about 3 years to do the drawings for all of the pieces.

  • However good things come to those who wait. The final copy is so beautiful.  She illustrated in the Bauhaus style of art.  The book could be also considered an art book as well as a book of poetry.

 

• Are you intending on writing any more children's books?

 

• • I have written one more. I'm trying to decide what I'd like to do with the illustrations. I'm sort of in like a writer's block phase but it's more like an art block lol. It's tentatively called Mama Josephine's ABC restaurant.  It's been shelved for a few years as well. I've been recently inspired to add recipes to some of the foods mentioned so I need to also work on that.

  • And I do have ideas for other books as well.

 

• Oah a children's cook book! Like that pancake one! I like it. 

• How many recipes do you think it'll have?

 

• • I'm not quite sure. Between 5 and 10.

 

• How long have you been writing?

 

• • I have been writing since I was a child;  consistently since I was eight though when I got my first little diary with the key.  I would also write little poems , short books, and comedic duo sketches that my sister Jennie and I would preform for our parents and grandparents. When I was a child, I also really enjoyed writing fake advertisement copy and recording like radio ads on my little black tape recorder. But to be more concise, I've been writing for just about 40 years consistently.

 

• Heeheehee I love it though! And I never knew any of that o.O 

• Has it just always been in your blood then? And how long has it been your desire to transition from writer to author (congratulations by the way)

 

• • Hey thank you. I had the desire to make that transition when you were young.  I am a pagan omnist and there were very few resources for pagan parents. I wanted a book that honored the Sun, Moon, Seasons, and Elements that I could share with you and other pagan families.  When I didn't make the publication happen early on in your life, I was inspired by YOUR determination to get your stories out into the world.  And finally  I premiered Sunshine and Moonbeams in 2015 on the Vernal Equinox (the first day of Spring).

  • It's dedicated to you.

  • It says, "For my beautiful bright star Emily Owenn who has given me so much love and light and for my soulmate Christopher for love eternal who's encouragement and support made this book possible thank you my loves."

  • God/dess then blessed us with Calliope so that a new generation could enjoy the book too!

 

• I had no idea it was because of your beliefs and wanting to serve that community! That is so cool!

• So for those who don't know, could you describe what it means to you to be a pagan omnist?

• This is a very witchy community.

 

• • An omnist is a person who does not claim any one religion, belief, or practice, but finds truth in them all.  This term is newer to my vernacular, but it has always been how I have been spiritually.  Pagan... because I honor both the masculine and feminine aspects of a Creatrix as well as Seasons.  I also enjoy the word Heathen...one from the heath... because I am a a country girl.

 

• Are all of your children's book ideas centered around this theme?

 

• • No.  My second is food themed.

 

• Lol. Well food themes can still be witchy ;3

• Do you have others planned?

 

• • Haha that is true. And maybe Mama Josephine could be kind of a magickal, witchy figure too.  another idea I have is how it can snow every month of the year in Montana.  And just today I was inspired to write Dr Seuss/ Mother Goose type of rhymes each dedicated to a different Greek god or goddess..  I could even make that a series with Norse gods, Celtic gods, Roman gods, etc  I've always enjoyed mythology.

  • And I've always enjoyed the nonsensical rhymes that Dr Seuss provided us as well as the morality stories that nursery rhymes tell.

  • Nursery rhymes to help children to learn through the rhyme scheme and the short little verses.  But if you study the complete works of mother goose a lot of them have some moral to the story that they're trying to tell in those little verses.

  • Right now my plan is to just gather the recipes I want to use for Mama Josephine and figure out how I want to do the collages.  I really would like to illustrate it myself using mixed collage and photography.  I just need a chunk it down so it doesn't seem so overwhelming to begin the process.

 

• I think that a Snow for All Seasons kid's book would be fantastic!

• And a mythology series would be epic as well!

 

• • Ooh nice tentative title. Snow for All Seasons.  Well doing this interview actually sparked that idea about the mythology .

 

• Heeheehee. I love when spirit just channels through you!

• How many illustrations/images do you need to feel complete for your WIP?

 

• • Depends on the layout. I could do two page spreads where there's one  illustration for those two pages.  Or I could do one illustration per page like Rebecka (aka Bex) did for mine.

  • What I really need to do is work up a storyboard type of layout to see what it looks like before I dive in.

 

• Oah yes. Organization is the key to success. I know for myself I just have to write and take notes as I go, but illustrated books are a completely different ball game! *And* everyone is different.

 

• • I have thought about Bex doing it again.  I just have a very specific image in my mind. Although she is excellent at collage as well, I've been also taking photographs since I was 8 years old. I think I got my first camera for the same Christmas I got my diary with the key.  It may or may not be a collaboration this time.

  • The writing part was actually a lot easier because of the just writing and note-taking like you mentioned. Illustrations are definitely tricky. And being self-published as you know, you still want that look of professionalism with your artwork.  I don't want to sell myself short, but I do want the best look for this book. Do you remember when you were a little girl and reading  my copy of the illustrated Robert Louis Stevenson's Children's Book of Verses? The illustrations in that are collages made from fabrics and yarns and then photographed. That is what inspired this whole idea with the collages and photography for this WIP.

 

• Oh yeas I do vaguely remember that. Check out Elise Thornback's work! All of her photos are professionally taken with her phone, and they still look on the up and up!

 

• • Well the phone cameras are so good anymore! I have seen her work on her Instagram page.  I'm fortunate enough to have a Google Pixel camera phone which is one of the best in the industry.  they also have a really good photo editing program associated with the camera. I'm really happy and blessed to have this kind of technology at my fingertips.

  • Elise is definitely a talented young woman. Good to know that those photographs were just taken with  a cell phone because it encourages me to do the same.

 

• Yas goddess! The world is at your fingertips.

• And this brings me flawlesslessly to a talking point that is SUPER important to goddess nation.

• How do you balance life? Being a momma to a toddla, helping to run a business, AND being so full of ideas is a lot to handle.

• What other sources of encouragement do you have to keep you moving forward?

 

• • Haha I really don't know. Calliope is the most energetic, independent minded 4 year old tiny woman I have ever had the pleasure knowing. Being a mom is always been my top priority as one of the hats I wear. I have set a lot of my creative endeavors aside because she requires so much attention and energy right now. We do a creative things together though.    And I know once I get started she'll definitely be making collages alongside me.

  • My daily journaling is only daily sometimes right now. And then I test my memory out if I skip some days in between to remember what had happened for those days that I missed. I do a wonderful dance fitness program called Oula.  One of the silver linings of covid 19 was that they offered there first online training course to become an instructor. I completed that in May, but have done Oula for the past 6 years.

 

• Maybe a companion book of hers to be published through you eh?

 

• • Lol yes.

  • It's a mind-body fitness program so it really helps keep me focused on that connection in a healthy way.

 

• Oah that is exciting. I know the coaching industry is a multi-billion dollar industry! It's great you have your foot in the door! Do you have plans to expand your existence that way?

 

• • Right now I'm just working on being able to teach a song or two in a team teaching setting. And learning a lot of choreography.  I would love to be able to have a class of my own, and be able to do the junior version with children as well.

  • My mentor Shannon encourages me to take the time I need to feel comfortable teaching.  Because this journey is a very individual one, there is no one right way to go about any of it.

  • So yes, I do plan on expansion.

 

• Have you always been so good with and well connected to children? It is very inspiring.

 

• • Yes I think I have.  Having three younger siblings and lots of younger cousins, I did have to either babysit occasionally or entertain them a lot. And I've always had it in my mind that I was going to be a mom. I never really thought about working with children until I did an internship in a preschool for my psychology degree. Human development has always interested me so the preschool was a good fit. You do use a lot of reverse psychology with little kids haha.  I worked in early education and daycares for about a decade before I felt burnt out.  However, for internships for my second degree I worked with a farm to school program, the children's development center on the Montana State University campus, and the Montana office of public instruction to provide educational materials for nutrition education.

  • So obviously I had missed the working directly with little children.

 

• I love talking to women who grew up with sibs because it is a vastly different experience than growing up as an only child!

• So, especially as someone who appreciates working with children, what piece of advice do you have for any of our readers who may be dealing with heavy emotions or may be struggling with prioritizing everything in life?

 

• • Funny I should be the mother to raise sister's as only children lol You can always move back in if you want to know what it's like to live with a little sister lol

  • Advice I would have for other moms in particular would be heavy emotions they happen. It's how you deal with them that makes the difference. Have an outlet that you can have as your own. That's why I dance. That's why I journal. Iit might not be as often as I want to but I do try to get as often as I need it.  Also children are only young once. Before you know it they're having their own friends and interests and aren't as needy as they are when they're little. Spend that time making mud pies with them. Sing those silly songs. Remember to look through the world to your child's eyes.  And dreams do not have deadlines. Goals do.

  • Don't lose yourself because you're a parent. But don't lose that precious time either because you cannot get that back.  The self-discovery can happen at any age. But like I said your children are only small once.

 

• This made me tear up momma. Thank you.

• How has your world shifted to accommodate the times in which we live?

 

• • Well I'm not working as much. Which is ironic because I run a small cleaning service as you know.  I have more spare time than I know what to do with right now. We do spend a lot of time at home anyways so the lock-downs and suggestion to stay home are right up this introvert's alley.  I've worked from home for the past 15 years so I was already used to having a home office.  In the beginning I was doing all the live stream workouts I could do with my Oula instructors, But now they are open back up with smaller numbers, socially distance spots to work out in, and a class outside every week for those who aren't comfortable coming in. That has been different. And the normal summer travels are out of the question this year.

  • I've been counting a lot of blessings. I've enjoyed not having to work nights and being able to go home after my classes.  I've enjoyed baking probably a little too much lol I've expanded my garden this year.  Really the hardest part has been trying to get Calliope socialized when we have to be socially distancing.  This whole thing has been really hard on children of all ages.

 

• So, since this next book is about cooking, tell me a bit about your kitchen witchery!

• Maybe we'll get lucky and you'll have a recipe to share :3

 

• • Cooking AND eating lol it's about both on man where to begin.  I love cooking and baking.  I collect cookbooks. Old school Betty Crocker cookbooks are my primary focus when I collect, but I have all kinds.  I love the vintage cookbooks for the variety of information from table settings to little kitchen tips sprinkled throughout the pages.  I refer to them often.   

 

• • I grew up in northeastern Montana with access to farm fresh eggs and vegetables, game, and fresh caught fish. Family gatherings were basically showcases of each person's cooking.  I don't think there's a bad cook in the bunch. My mom, dads, my grandma's, my aunties, my pit boss brother and uncles, my sisters, cousins And even my grandpas each had their specialties in the kitchen. I learned what I call the loaves and fishes method of creating course meals out of whatever was at hand. As you recall the loaves and fishes story from the Bible Jesus and his disciples served the masses from what seemed like very little food.

  • I love creating in the kitchen.  I love the healing power that food can have.  And I love having gardens to provide herbs, vegetables, and fruits.

  • Love is always the most important ingredient though.

 

• Golly! What a rich culture of traditions. Being in "the city" must be so different from how you grew up! What has that change been like?

 

• • I liked being in Bozeman .. right in the heart of it when I first came to college bin 1990. It was fun and freedom in the "big" city coming from a town of less than 1000 people.  There were more people in the dorms alone than in my hometown of Culbertson.  I loved living in the same town as the movie theater and fast food places and shopping mall.  I wanted to leave all the country outdoorsy crap behind me. Fast forward 30 years, I now long to be in the country where your nearest neighbor is at least a mile away and. have a hobby farm and market garden.

 

• Ya. Bozeman has gotten a bit big for it's britches

 

• • The size doesn't bother me the pretentiousness does.

 

• Agreed.

• But it makes for some pretty good life experience to draw upon whilst writing.

 

• • Exactly.  Don't get me wrong. I do love Bozeman. But it has changed quite a bit since I've lived here and not just in size.  there's a pretty wide social economic gap between the haves and the have-nots. And it's a lot harder for young couples and families to buy their first homes because they're so overpriced.  I like to joke around that they shouldn't be because of the risk of the super volcano of Yellowstone National Park lol.

  • Or even if an individual wanted to buy a home on a single income that's next to impossible unless you're rolling in the big money here.

  • Okay everything is possible if you believe it and work hard.. I'm just trying to point out that this is a very expensive place to live, and it doesn't really have to be that way.

 

• Supposedly that's a nationwide problem.

• Not in all places, but in a lot of bigger cities.

 

• • Right? Gentrification!

 

• And inflation.

• Times are just hard right now.

 

• • Yes! And wages not matching  inflation. Oh yeah it really is tough times.  But I'm hopeful that a lot of spiritual and personal growth and transformation happens now.  People just have to have more faith than fear.  I'm one to always look for silver linings.

 

• Okay, so to close out I want to ask you a question that I have yet to ask any other Goddesses. Now, normally I hate this question, but I have to ask since you are a mama goose still brimming with potential and ideas: If life has no limitations - where do you see yourself in 5 years?

 

• • I literally let out an audible groan. This is always one of my least favorite interview questions.  A part of my journey and healing from traumas has been to focus on the here and now. Be here now. I always have to really think about it and every answer I've given to this over the years is different.  Mainly I see myself in a place closer to self actualization.  I see myself raising your little sister to learn and grow everyday. I see myself expanding my business, publications and Oula instruction. In what ways I couldn't tell you. I see myself being a better version of myself today. I see myself a little healthier, wealthier, and wiser.

 

• This is a perfect answer because it shows how silly questions like this are. Thank you for sharing and going out of your comfort zone.

 

• • It was a lot of fun! Really the only time I was out of my comfort zone was this last question lol

 

• Oh good! I'm glad this has been fun for you! Do you have any other parting words of wisdom before we sign off?

 

• • There's a song lyric by the country artist Tim McGraw that really speaks to me.  The song Humble and Kind has been around for a few years, but it came back to me recently when I least expected it.

  • "Hold the door say please say thank you

  • Don't steal, don't cheat, and don't lie

  • I know you got mountains to climb but

  • Always stay humble and kind

  • When the dreams you're dreamin' come to you

  • When the work you put in is realized

  • Let yourself feel the pride but

  • Always stay humble and kind"

  • Here's a link for the song.  

• Thank you so much for sharing your heart and soul with us Goddess. It has truly been a delight. How can our readers stay connected with you and support you through your journey?

  • IG @maiden_mt Or my occasional blog at www.jillsmcintyre.com

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    Magical Healing Chicken Soup
    Make your favorite homemade chicken soup either chicken noodle or chicken and rice. In a pinch, you can also dress up a can of chunky chicken noodle soup. For this recipe, I prefer making the chicken noodle add  1 onion  (decongestant), cayenne pepper to taste (anti-histamine), and 2 tea bags of chamomile tea (relaxation and sleep aid) .  I rip open the tea bags and pour the chamomile tea in like herbs.  This is definitely not a vegetarian soup as the chicken is very important. The protein in chicken helps support your immune system and can help you feel better faster.  
    This recipe has helped my family through many many many cold and flu seasons.