Linda Bairstow is an educator, a retired preschool teacher, and an author whose writing is a hybrid of verse and poetic essays. Her 2025 release from Sunstone Press, Catch a Twinkle: A Foreverness of Life in Verse, offers readers “a year of literary engagement, day-by-day, that comes together in the end as if you have read an entire fresh, distinctive, narrative book. Odds are it will leave you ‘twinkling.'” Look for Catch a Twinkle on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Books-a-Million.
Why did you write Catch a Twinkle, and who did you write it for?
It started as a challenge I posed for myself. I noticed an abundance of books in stores with daily meditative stories, but they all had religious themes. I wanted there to be a book with daily engaging, thought-provoking, deep entries that were secular—but didn’t know if I could come up with 365 of them. That’s a lot! I started off writing it for myself, as a fun pastime, but then it evolved into something more serious.
What themes do you explore in the collection?
Themes include: nature, fundamental humanity, animals, philosophy, evolution, child development, the metaphysical, psychology, religion, the cosmos, personal relationships, self-help, aging, sports, holidays, beauty, art, new dances, music. Love. Then the themes tie together by December 31st.
What challenges did this work pose for you?
The biggest skill challenge was working with a computer. The toughest, most soul-searching decision was how personal to let it become, and how honest to be. I decided on total honesty.
Tell us about the journey from inspiration to completed book.
The spark was the self-challenge to write 365 distinctive, interesting verses. It took about eight years total, editing them along as I went. Sunstone Press published Catch a Twinkle in November 2025.
When did you know you had taken the manuscript as far as it could go, that it was finished and ready for publication?
Once I had a verse for over 400 days I felt totally drained and thought I had enough to edit out the less interesting ones, then organized the remainder into a “master poem” of the book itself, which has the theme of “personal memoir.” Having a master poem is what enabled all the other themes to tie together.
What was the most rewarding aspect of putting this project together?
Throughout my life, because I’m a “quiet” person, people have tended to be at a loss to know who I am—whereas talkative folks are easier to get to know. With this book I feel I have a voice, so those who want to know me won’t have to work so hard at it. It evens us out! That’s the second most rewarding aspect of this project. What is most rewarding is indulging in the thought that maybe—a possibility—my book might heighten public understanding to the point where it’s a better world because I wrote and decided to publish it.
Do you remember what inspired you to write your first poem?
Yes, I remember! I was about 3-1/2 years old, in our back yard at the water faucet, when the most awesome, out-of-this-world-confounding thought occurred to me, and, fixed to the spot, I composed a jingly little poem. It was about the infinitesimally small probability that I existed—that any living creature existed. It can be said that Catch a Twinkle is the adult version—now a lifetime later—of that very poem.
KL Wagoner loves creating worlds of fantasy and science fiction. Her current work in progress is The Last Bonekeeper fantasy trilogy and short stories in the same universe. A member of SouthWest Writers since 2006, Kat has worked as the organization’s secretary, newsletter editor, website manager, and author interview coordinator. Kat is also a veteran, a martial art student, and a grandmother. Visit her at klwagoner.com.
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