A Creative Life, Crafted with Heart: The Story of Ana-Rita Piirainen
Hello, lovely readers,
I hope you are all well and are enjoying the slightly lighter evenings with the promise of Spring just around the corner. Spring is my favourite time of the year; it speaks of hope, renewal and growth, which makes me energised and excited for the year ahead.
And speaking of growth, this month I wanted to share a story of an author’s personal growth with you. There are some creators who do not simply write books; they build worlds of quiet encouragement, gentle reflection, and thoughtful beauty, and today, I want to introduce you to one of those people, Ana-Rita Piirainen.
Ana-Rita Piirainen is not published by Novus Publishing House, but she is a dear friend, a fellow creative spirit, and someone whose journey I deeply admire. For those of you who are the thinkers, feelers, and finders, the ones who look for meaning between the lines and magic in small details, I think you’ll find something special in her story, because Ana-Rita doesn’t just produce books; she creates beautiful experiences.
And she does so with a kind of humble, steady courage that I find incredibly inspiring
The Story That Started It All
Ana-Rita’s journey as a writer didn’t begin with ambition. It began with healing. In the mid-1990s, during a period of illness, she wrote a story. She didn’t publish it at the time, as like many of us she didn’t know if it was good enough or if there was an audience for her work. She didn’t even know if she would ever publish it, but she held onto a quiet dream: If it helped just one person, it would be worthwhile.
That story eventually became Hope, Lost and Found, a gentle and deeply human story of hope. Today, it is available as a spoken book on YouTube; a full-circle moment for something born out of vulnerability.
There is something profoundly beautiful about that. A story written in struggle, carried forward by belief. Not belief in bestseller lists but belief in impact. Does that resonate with your personal story?
Writing Together: Love, Partnership & Aviation
One of the loveliest chapters in Ana-Rita’s journey is the work she created with her husband.
Together, they wrote four aviation books, combining his aviation expertise and her love of writing, editing, and formatting. It became a shared creative project, proof that publishing doesn’t have to be solitary. It can be collaborative, relational, joyful.
You can explore his aviation work here.
Creativity, in this case, became connection.
And I love that.
Learning Through Doing (and Publishing Anyway)
Like many creatives, Ana-Rita didn’t begin by believing she was “good enough.” Does that sound familiar?
She signed up for a publishing course while originally planning to create a phonetics book for children. That book still sits on her shelf, unpublished. Instead, she immersed herself in learning the craft of writing and publishing.
And then, she published with gusto: dream journals, notebooks, puzzle books and colouring books. These were what she described as her ‘practice projects and experiments’ to test her learning and develop her skills. And my, how she delivered! Ana-Rita has published nineteen titles under Dreamy Publishing alone.
She says something that I think many of us will recognise: “Part of me is proud of actually publishing my work, but I sometimes look at the early work and think ‘oh why did I do it like that.’ I suppose that’s just a learning curve. The more we do the better the work gets.”
Practice makes progress. And progress builds confidence. How are you practicing today?
Take a look at Ana-Rita’s beautiful work via Dreamy Publishing here.
My Sourdough Baking Journal by Dreamy Publishing
Creating with Meaning
Ana-Rita’s creative path has woven through children’s books, colouring books, journals, puzzle collections and faith-based creations.
One of her children’s books, Sandra’s Curly Hair, teaches inclusion and celebrates differences, reminding children that we are all beautifully unique. She has also created Bible colouring books which she describes as healing and uplifting to design, a process that filled her with peace and joy.
What I find striking is her intention. She doesn’t want to produce “typical” books. She wants to add a piece of herself to everything. Her words: “I always just hope to add a touch of my unique energy to every book.”
That’s not marketing language, that’s heart, and trust me, you can feel it in each of her works.
Wordsearch Worship - Beloved Hymns for Rest and Reflection
A Surprise Success: The Sourdough Journal
Creativity often rewards courage in unexpected ways, and Ana-Rita’s book My Sourdough Baking Journal has been a particular success, resonating strongly with its audience and encouraging her to consider translations, including Portuguese (a language close to her heart through her father’s heritage).
It’s a practical book, yes, but like everything she creates, it feels personal, considered, and crafted. And that matters.
A New Release: Wordsearch Worship
One of Ana-Rita’s most recent publications is:
Wordsearch Worship - Beloved Hymns for Rest and Reflection
This full-colour Christian hymn word search book combines puzzles with lyrics and music links, designed especially for adults and seniors.
It’s reflective, calming, warm and nostalgic. It’s the kind of book you might enjoy with a cup of tea on a quiet afternoon.
And yes, there are flipbook videos available on her YouTube channel for those who want a preview. Just take a look here.
Bringing Classics to Life: SpokenShelf
If you are a lover of timeless literature, Ana-Rita’s audio work may be your next discovery.
Through her YouTube channel, SpokenShelf, she has created digitally narrated audiobooks of classic works now in the public domain.
Among them:
Heidi
Frankenstein
The Time Machine
Little Women
The Happy Hypocrite
The Sea Lady
When she recorded Frankenstein, she was surprised by how different it was from the horror portrayal we’ve absorbed through film. Rather than pure fear, she discovered gothic romance, ethical tension, and the consequences of unchecked ambition.
It’s a reminder that sometimes we must go back to the original text to rediscover truth, and her work does this wonderfully.
And for those of us who adore childhood classics, take some time to listen to her audio of Heidi. It’s stunning and really portrays her love of Heidi and the joy it sparked in her as a child (and still does today).
On Creativity, Blocks & Breakthroughs
One thing Ana-Rita says that really resonates: She doesn’t always think of herself as a writer, instead she calls herself a creator and there’s something freeing about that and evident in her work. She works without hard deadlines. She takes breaks when ideas stall, and often, when she relaxes, especially on holiday, inspiration returns in a flurry.
There is wisdom there: creativity cannot always be forced. It must sometimes be invited.
Who Is Her Work For?
Ana-Rita’s ideal reader or listener? Someone who values uniqueness. Someone who wants to move away from mass-produced content. Someone who wants depth and something good for the soul.
In other words…many of you.
The thinkers. The feelers. The finders.
What We Can Learn from Ana-Rita
If I had to summarise what I admire most about her journey, it would be this: she kept going. Even when she doubted herself; even when early projects weren’t perfect and even when one book stayed on the shelf.
Eventually, she believed, slowly and quietly, that her creativity was worth sharing.
And her advice to others?
“We need to believe in our creativity and to share with others. It’s worthwhile putting our heart and energy into our creations. There’s so much negativity in the world, so go for it, you only need to make a difference to one person and your work has had impact.”
I could not agree more.
Where to Find Ana-Rita’s Work
If you’d like to explore her creations:
There is something there for puzzle lovers, hymn singers, sourdough bakers, classic literature enthusiasts, and gentle-soul creatives alike. Take a look, you won’t be disappointed.
A Final Thought
At Novus Publishing House, I believe in celebrating stories, not just those on our own shelves, but those created with sincerity and heart wherever they are found.
Ana-Rita’s journey reminds us that publishing is not about scale. It’s about sincerity and growth. It’s about putting something into the world that carries a piece of you.
And if it helps just one person? That is more than enough.
What are you going to put out into the world this year?
With warmth,
Mandy…..
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