Mary Pope Osborne: I discovered writing children's books was a way to...

I love teaching. It's a job that lasts forever. Whatever you teach children today travels with them far into the future.

Mary Pope Osborne

education jobs children

Writing is a miracle. You can travel anywhere in the world, to any time and any place — and still be home in time to have dinner.

Mary Pope Osborne

home time travel

Reading is the basic springboard for learning. And books provide the liftoff. They are the great equalizer, opening up new worlds to everyone.

Mary Pope Osborne

opening-up reading book

I have to keep facing the darkness. If I stand tall and face the thing I fear, I have a chance to conquer it. If I just keep dodging and hiding it will conquer me.

Mary Pope Osborne

chance darkness faces

When we believe we have all the answers, we are not open to mystery. To begin a mystical journey, you have to start with a sense of wonder, of not knowing where you are going or how you will travel. The initial phase of alchemy is called the nigredo-it's the phase of darkness, when it's "blacker than black." You feel this when you start something new-go off to college, start a new job, travel to a foreign land, or end a relationship that is not working.

Mary Pope Osborne

journey jobs believe

You have to be willing to endure the discomfort, the doubts and unknowing, you somehow find the courage to walk through your doubts and the difficult times because you are living the life you are meant to live.

Mary Pope Osborne

difficult-times live-life doubt

I think today's young women are an especially powerful breed. They will be taking on even greater challenges, which is why achieving personal empowerment is so important for them. These women are going to be holding positions of significant authority, owning more businesses, and shaping public policy.

Mary Pope Osborne

powerful challenges thinking

Then everything was still. Absolutely still.

Mary Pope Osborne

stills

I’m one of those very lucky people who absolutely love what they do for a living. There is no career better suited to my eccentricities, strengths, and passions than that of a children’s book author.

Mary Pope Osborne

passion book children

After my husband died more than a decade ago, my mother prayed that I would remarry so that I could have a "normal" life again. Many people assumed that it would be too difficult for me to carry on as a single mother and raise a child without a man at my side. As the years went by, I found that it was indeed possible and that, in fact, I had no desire to remarry.

Mary Pope Osborne

husband mother children

The historical novel gives us perspective on our modern lives and helps us connect with the story, which we are continuing ourselves.

Mary Pope Osborne

historical-novels perspective giving

When I was contemplating medical school after graduating from Knox, several people suggested that nursing was a more suitable profession for women. My own mother discouraged me from becoming a doctor. But this is not why I became a nurse instead!

Mary Pope Osborne

nursing mother school

There is no water and still less soap. We have no city, but lots of hope.

Mary Pope Osborne

soap cities water

I believe we're entering a new era, where dynamic female leaders will have an opportunity to bring greater harmony and peace to the planet.

Mary Pope Osborne

leader opportunity believe

Icons are also beautiful, with their luminous colors and gold leaf. On first glance, the subjects can seem flat, their poses artificial. But the wonder of the icons has to do with the relationship which develops between the panel and the viewer. Looking at an icon brings me a feeling of serenity; it's like a form of prayer. So I suppose in this sense, the icon is unsurpassed.

Mary Pope Osborne

color prayer beautiful

Artists have to believe in the merit of their own work and persevere whether they receive public recognition or not, but it's ever so nice when someone says, "Job well done"!

Mary Pope Osborne

nice jobs believe

set sail on a voyage of your own titanic facts

Mary Pope Osborne

sail voyages facts

remember a feeling of excitement, of sudden inspiration, when I was visiting Giovanni Boccaccio's home in the walled village of Certaldo, outside of Florence. (Boccaccio was the medieval author of The Decameron.) It was as though I had met my muse! After this trip, I read The Decameron and began writing the Alchemy Series in earnest.

Mary Pope Osborne

inspiration home writing

Renaissance man, woman, either way it's a worthy pursuit! Like the painters of Emilia's day, I was raised in an environment that encouraged creative expression. Both my parents were artists, who didn't think much of TV and refused to upgrade our old black and white set. To entertain myself, I made art and wrote puppet shows.

Mary Pope Osborne

black-and-white men art

It's difficult to choose between these art forms. Iconography is entirely different from the style of the 15th century masters, who were experts in foreshortening and perspective. The technical skill and visual effects of painters like Uccello have to be admired. They achieved a level of artistry that has never been surpassed, in my opinion.

Mary Pope Osborne

perspective skills art

I discovered writing children's books was a way to keep living in my imagination like a child. So I wrote a number of books before I started 'Magic Tree House.' Then, once I got that, I never looked back because I could be somewhere different in every single book.