Author Interview by Atmosphere Press
An Interview with Maria Leonard Olsen
Maria Leonard Olsen practices law as a commercial litigator in Bethesda, MD, and Washington, D.C. She is an author (50 After 50: Reframing the Next Chapter of Your Life), podcaster (“Becoming Your Best Version”), journalist, TEDx speaker (“Turning Life’s Challenges into a Force for Good”), book marketing coach for female authors, and mentor to women in recovery.
Maria served as a political appointee in the Clinton Justice Department and on numerous boards. She writes for several women in midlife publications (including AARP’s The Ethel, The Midst, KuelLife, and CrunchyTales) and is a frequent public speaker on wellness issues. Her next books will be DNA Test Surprises: What To Do Before and After You Open the Pandora’s Box of Consumer DNA Testing and 60 After 60: Finding Serenity in Your 60s. Learn more at MariaLeonardOlsen.com and follow her on social media @FiftyAfter50.
Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?
From an early age, I was a voracious reader. I grew up in a dysfunctional family situation and books were my escape. I also started journaling at a young age. I found that writing helped me process things I was trying to understand. I honed my writing skills as a journalist in college and as an attorney with a litigation practice. I have had six books published and all have something to do with an issue with which I was grappling.
What inspired you to start writing this book?
At age fifty-three, I was gifted a consumer DNA test. It revealed that the father who raised me was not my biological father. After my shock, I started to collect stories of others who have experienced DNA test surprises and to research the legal and other ramifications of submitting to DNA tests. Millions of people have taken DNA tests, which are marketed as fun gifts. Few realize the large percentage of family secrets that are uncovered from these tests. The average consumer also does not realize the potential impact that putting one’s DNA into a database may have, such as privacy, law enforcement, and insurance implications. I hope to share my experience and research with others and provide readers with important resources for people who choose to open the Pandora’s box of DNA testing.
Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?
I want my book to be easy to find for those reeling from DNA test discoveries. I could not find a book or many resources to help me with my DNA discovery and my book is the first comprehensive treatment of the issues. My agent was helpful in helping me edit my title to achieve my objective.
Describe your dream book cover.
My dream book cover would be eye-catching and alert those who may be considering doing or gifting a DNA test to take notice. It would be boldly colored with an arresting image.
What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?
I am a practicing civil litigation attorney in the Washington, D.C., area. I am likely the only person who is a Filipina Jew that you are likely to meet, given that the Philippines (from which my mother immigrated to the U.S.) is the most Catholic country on the planet. I also mentor women in recovery, am a public speaker, have a TEDx Talk called “Turning Life’s Challenges into a Force for Good, and have a podcast called “Becoming Your Best Version.”
What books did you read (for research or comfort) throughout your writing process?
Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird is an excellent book on writing that helps me remain encouraged when I am writing.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?
I hope that readers of my book about DNA test surprises become informed prior to taking a DNA test, gain comfort and perspective if they have already taken a DNA test, avail themselves of resources in my book’s appendix, and realize that they are not alone if their worlds are upended by a DNA test result. I hope that they will check out my work at MariaLeonardOlsen.com and stay in touch. Thank you!
https://atmospherepress.com/interview-with-maria-leonard-olsen/