I’m thrilled to present author Stephanie Feldstein. Stephanie is the Population and Sustainability Director of the Center for Biodiversity. She is an animal lover, a writer, and (I’m so lucky to say) one of my critique partners. Stephanie has been published on Huffington Post and other online news outlets. Her debut book, The Animal Lover’s Guide to Changing the World (St. Martin’s Press) will be released June 5, 2018, and she stopped by to tell us about it.
Hello, Stephanie. Welcome and thank you for joining us! First off, congratulations on the upcoming release of your debut book, The Animal Lover’s Guide to Changing the World.
Thank you very much.
What inspired you to write this book?
It only takes a few minutes on social media to see that we live in a world of animal lovers. Throughout the years that I’ve been working to protect animals and the environment, I’ve found that a lot of people want to help make the world a kinder place for animals, but don’t know where to start. I wanted to create a resource to connect people to all the ways that our lives impact animals and provide actions that anyone can take to start leading a more compassionate, sustainable life.
But, of course, even before that, I was inspired by my own lifelong love of animals. I wrote the book I wish I’d had when I first became involved in animal activism.
I agree that many, many of us are animal lovers and want to eliminate suffering from their lives. What is the biggest takeaway you hope readers will get from your book?
Everything we do affects animals. We all make dozens of decisions every single day that influence the world around us. I hope readers will recognize that this means there are endless opportunities to take action for animals. And rather than worry about perfection, I hope they’ll embrace doing what they can at this moment, because every time we make an animal-friendly choice, it’s another step toward creating a better world for all of us.
Stephanie, it’s amazing to consider that everything we do affects animals. Most of us want to protect the innocent and those who cannot stand up for themselves. I appreciate the idea that there are endless opportunities to act on animals’ behalf. And your new book shows us myriad ways to do just that. Thank you for the information and the inspiration.
Can you tell us about your next project?
I’m working on my next non-fiction project, which I can’t say much about yet, except it’ll take a deeper dive into some of the themes in The Animal Lover’s Guide to Changing the World. I’m also in the middle of writing a Young Adult horror novel.
Wow, you’re versatile! Multi-tasking to the max.
Thank you so much for sharing with us. I wish you great success with The Animal Lover’s Guide to Changing the World!
Thank you!
You can find Stephanie’s book, The Animal Lover’s Guide to Changing the World at Powell’s Books in Portland and Beaverton. You can also order it at your local independent bookseller or wherever books are sold. Read a great book and learn how to make real differences in the lives of our furry (and feathered and scaled) friends!
You can find Stephanie on Facebook and on Twitter: @sfeldstein .
#animalloversguidetochangingtheworld #animalsareus #newrelease #amwriting
Nice interview, concise and to the point. This sounds like a worthwhile book, especially for people who respect animals but maybe are not already actively involved in their care. It is important for humans to realize we are just part of a much larger circle of life on Earth.
Thank you, Aelia! I’ve already dipped into the book, and I love how Stephanie gives the reader small “baby steps” we can all do to make a difference. Thanks for commenting!