VBT #8: Newborn Photographer interviews Lani Axman

I was honored to be interviewed for today’s Virtual Book Tour post by the phenomenal newborn photographer, Amber Fife, of Fife Photography in Oklahoma. Amber also happens to be one of my dearest friends. We met as roommates during our first year of college at BYU in 1999, and I’ve adored her ever since.

Here’s an excerpt of today’s post:

How have you seen these stories changes the lives of women who read them?

There’s really nothing more rewarding as an author than receiving emails, comments, and hugs from the people whose lives you have influenced. We have, both individually and as a group, received so much positive feedback that it’s really been totally overwhelming (in a good way). I think we knew we had participated in creating something pretty marvelous, but the positive feedback has far exceeded my expectations. Women have found peace and healing after miscarriages and traumatic births, women have found strength and courage to change to more respectful care providers, women have discovered a new awe for their miraculous life-giving abilities, women have come to a better understanding of the importance of the procreative process, and women have had spiritual experiences and found answers to prayers within the pages of The Gift of Giving Life. It makes me so giddy to see these things unfold.

What was your favorite experience in working in the whole process of this book?

My favorite part was feeling like an instrument in the hands of the Creator. As we worked on writing the book, we really felt like our words were divinely inspired. I received a lot of my inspiration while showering, actually. It was, as I sometimes joked, my “meditation closet,” since it was one of the only times during the day that I was alone and relaxed and quiet. That process of going from a sudden flash of insight to spilling the words into my keyboard and sitting back afterward knowing I had just participated in something sacred and powerful… that was really cool.