On the Beat With Marla McKenna

Author Marla McKenna's first book, Mom's Big Catch, was inspired by a real life incident at a Milwaukee Brewers game. She didn't know it at the time, but one game, one moment even, totally changed her life.

Mom's Big Catch is the story of the pursuit of catching a ball at a Brewers game. The title might be a clue as to what happens, but I am not giving out any of the story. You have to buy the book to find out.

Written for children, Mom's Big Catch can also be enjoyed by adults as a quick, fun read. It's also customizable for any team. With a special editions featuring the Brewers, the Chicago Cubs and other teams, Mom's Big Catch is also interesting to team collectors.

One added bonus is partial proceeds from Marla’s books benefit the Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation and legendary musician Rick Springfield matches the donations. The story on how this came to be is fascinating, as you will hear in the interview below.

Marla was just getting started though. Next came Sadie's Big Steal, I'm A Secret Superhero and A Soccer Summer Dream with The Milwaukee Torrent.  I like how Marla weaves in some important issues, like bullying, without being preachy. Marla presents life lessons in entertaining ways within the stories.

Not leaving children's books behind, Marla turned her attention to more serious topics. Our Last Day in Heaven (co-written with Alex Hoffman and Michael Nicloy) and Manifesting Your Dreams were her next two books.

Having interviewed Marla several years ago and following her career since, it was time for an update interview with her. Marla talked about her books, her love of sports, meeting her sports heroes, being a woman writer and much more.

It was such a pleasure talking to Marla. She has a real passion for writing and giving. She has a genuine appreciation for the teams (like the Brewers, Cubs, Torrent and more) and players (like Fergie Jenkins, Rollie Fingers, Geoff Jenkins, Paul Molitor and many more) who have been involved in her career.

I tried to get a scoop on Marla's next project. She assured me she has ideas, but did not reveal them yet. Whatever she does, I am sure will be highly enjoyable.

It might be a case of art imitating life for Marla. She is a great example of manifesting your dreams. In a feature on Oprah Daily last year, Marla stated, “The easiest way to manifest anything is to be clear about what you want. Don’t give the universe mixed signals... and take action. Working toward your goals is imperative.” Marla did all that and more and the results are six great books with more to come.

The interview is at On the Beat With Marla McKenna. After you watch our interview, you can learn more about Marla at MarlaMcKenna.com. She cautions it is a bit under construction, but it still has a lot of great info. Soon, it will be even better. Also, follow Marla on all social media platforms.

On of the real joys of what I do is meeting people like Marla and spreading the news. She's a positive person with interesting stories to tell. I am going to continue following her career developments and I encourage all to do so, too.

Thank you to Marla for her time and consideration. Thanks, also, for providing great fun for all sports fans, young and old..

Marla McKenna at Days of the Dead Chicago 2017

Days of the Dead Indianapolis starts Friday, June 20 and runs through Sunday, June 22. With that in mind, I am featuring some of my many great memories from past DotD events.

Last year at DotD Chicago, I ran into new friend Marla McKenna. I had only recently met Marla, when I interviewed her in Milwaukee, which can be found at On the Beat With Marla McKenna.

Marla is the author of Mom’s Big Catch, Sadie’s Big Steal and I’m a Secret Superhero and I know she has other books coming. Her books are cute and funny, but also contain life lessons woven into the stories. Soft and not preachy, the books deliver important messages for the youth. Her daughters Julia and Ashley, as well as dog Sadie, make appearances in the books, too.

Entertaining and educational, her books also do good work, as partial proceeds from Mom’s Big Catch and Sadie’s Big Steal go to the Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation. It must also be noted that music legend Rick Springfield and his family match all of Marla's donations.

This is a total feelgood story and Marla is truly a special person. It is always delightful seeing her anywhere, even at a horror con. That's another part of the uniqueness of Days of the Dead. Where else can you see a children's book author and a horror queen (and all around acting great) share a table and it somehow made perfect sense? The secret really is that both women care about the world and are trying to make it a better place, while entertaining us.

Go to MomsBigCatch.net to get all of the info on Marla and her books and projects. Also, follow Mom's Big Catch on Facebook to get timely updates. I know Marla has a lot of exciting things happening and I will get an update interview from her!

Also, check DaysoftheDead.com for the info and schedules for all of the DotD events. Then, come out to a DotD, because you never know what and who you might see!

Marla McKenna and me in Schaumburg, IL-November 2017.

On the Beat With Marla McKenna at PopCon Milwaukee 2017

When I signed on to cover PopCon Milwaukee, I wanted to meet and interview author Marla McKenna.  Then I found out she would be sharing convention space with Fergie Jenkins.  I love how this all ties in.

Marla authored the children's book Mom's Big Catch.  It's about a special day at the ballpark and her daughters and their dog are characters in the book.
In our interview, Marla talked about Mom's Big Catch and her other books.  Marla also revealed that partial proceeds from Mom’s Big Catch, Sadie’s Big Steal and I’m a Secret Superhero go to the Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation, a wonderful organization near to my heart.  The LBWF is committed to fighting animal cruelty through education, rescuing animals and placing them in good homes.  Also, legendary rocker Rick Springfield is matching Marla’s donations from her books!
If all of that wasn't cool enough, Mom's Big Catch has become fully customizable.  The custom editions feature plenty of specific references to the team.  (This isn't just a token cover sticker deal).  At PopCon Milwaukee, she had special Chicago Cubs editions with Fergie Jenkins.  Several other editions are in the working stages.
All of Marla's books convey positive messages, which she has happily discussed in schools across the area.  These messages are universal and as the book editions grow, Marla should be appearing all over.

It was a real pleasure meeting and talking to Marla.  Her passion was evident as we talked and also as every fan approached her.  I also witnessed her family arriving and the love that is there.
I'll be keeping up with the progress of Marla's books and reporting back here.  Until then, check out MomsBigCatch.net for more info and updates on Marla and this great book project.  You can also follow the Mom's Big Catch Facebook page and Marla McKenna on twitter.