INTERVIEW WITH MONA ILLINGWORTH & DANIEL ANDREWS

INTERVIEW WITH MONA ILLINGWORTH & DANIEL ANDREWS

Both Mona Illingworth and Daniel Andrews underwent a medical doctor training. Nonetheless, they have managed to retain a strong and fulfilling relationship with the nature, connection which began in the country during early childhood. In order to hand over their knowledge, as well as the humankind thousands-years old in-formation about the nature, they created the Bees' Products Series. "Honey - The Nature's Gold Recipes for Health" represents the first volume. The second volume is already in the making. They hope this series will make a difference in people's life.

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Welcome to Scarlet Leaf Review!

Q: Tell us a little about yourself and your background.

Mona: Hi! Thank you so much for having Daniel and me for an interview. We do appreciate it. Now, there are so many things to be said about myself. Let me see! First of all, I’m a young woman, full of energy and ideas. I love reading, cooking, travelling, but above all, I love nature in all its wonderful expressions. Together with Daniel, I enjoy taking long walks on fields, through forests, or beaches. These are long walks, for we often stop to admire a tiny insect, the fresh blossom of a flower or to follow the majestic flight of a bird. My professional field is a bit less poetic, for as a medical doctor, I deal daily with various ailments of the people. However, the relief we manage to bring to people many times represent a satisfaction in itself.   
Daniel: My background is pretty similar to Mona’s: we both spent lots of time at the countryside during our childhood, and we chose the same profession. As Mona has pointed out, we indulge in lengthy strolls, and we like to acknowledge everything around us. We share the same passion for reading, travelling and cooking, and I also enjoy a good old-fashioned fight on my computer.     

Q: So, would you mind telling us what you have written so far?

Mona: We have started with a pretty interesting and fully packed with information book about honey. The name says it all: Honey The Nature’s Gold  Recipes for Health. Anyway, putting together so many recipes for such a high number of ailments required a good deal of time and energy. It was sometimes a challenge to synthesize the information, but also a joy to write down so many captivating facts about these tiny insects, capable of such a complex and intricate social organization.  

Daniel: We are particularly satisfied of having included the precautions and adverse effects in the recipes, so that these can be safely used. That was an absent part in the naturist books I laid hand until now. And we found the inclusion of preparation time and difficulty, as well as the layout of the recipes as a whole quite helpful. Actually, this book is the first from a series regarding bees’ products

Q: What are your future ambitions for your writing career?

Mona: We are planning to continue the book series about bees. There are so many fascinating things to share about them and their products!

Daniel: We are also playing with the idea of including practical and fashionable things in one of our future books, such as a fairly elaborated cosmetic book based on natural ingredients. Later on, there are so many other topics we are keen to tap into.

Q: Where can we buy or see them? 

Mona: Well, you can find our book as a print in kindle format on Amazon.

Daniel: And Ingram Spark is also a good place to start.
 
Q: What are you working on at the minute?  What’s it about? 

Mona: As promised in our book, Honey The Nature’s Gold, we have begun the next book in the series.

Daniel: It is also about bees’ products, and for the time being we are in the research phase.
 
 
Q: What genre are your books and what draws you to this genre?

Mona: I’m afraid I’m a bit eclectic when it comes to books. I enjoy as much a Balzac’s book, as I savor an Agatha Christie’s book or one of Asimov’s books. I think I’m the inquiring type and I just like to have a finger in every pie.

Daniel: I too enjoy lots of genres of books: crimes, science-fiction, fantasy, and classic books just to name a few. Like Mona I prefer to keep an open mind and gather as many information as possible. And to enjoy the things in the process!
 
Q: When did you decide to become a writer and why? What was the principal reason for taking up a pen (metaphorical speaking) and write that first sentence?

Mona: Daniel and I had often remarked how much had been lost or simply ignored from the ancient wisdom and connection with nature.

Daniel: There are actually so many wonderful things in the nature to be known and used. Mona and I, as medical doctors and keepers of some of this knowledge, we decided to offer parts of these to other people so that hopefully a larger and larger number of people will benefit from it.
 
Q: Tell us about the covers of your books. How did it come about?

Mona: From the beginning, we agreed there had to be a bee on the cover, for the bees are, actually, the essential actors when it comes to honey. 

Daniel: And as we both love lavender, a field with lots of it seemed the best idea. We also find the poppies on the back cover a nice touch. 
 
 
Q: Do you think that the cover plays an important part in the buying process?

Mona: Some would say it is fundamental. I like a good cover too, but this has never been the main incentive for buying a book. I’ m more interested in the title of the book.

Daniel: I think for many it is quite important a good, catchy cover. Indeed, it is the very first thing one sees, before reading the title. So, accordingly, and also for the sake of our book’s beauty, we spent much time on deciding the right cover. And the right one we found!
 
Q: What are your thoughts on good/bad reviews?

Mona: Good reviews are the vital food for any writer. We hope we’ll enjoy lots of them. Now, regarding the bad ones, what can I say? People are very different. What’s pretty good for one is uninteresting for the next one, or even unpalatable for another one.

Daniel: I totally agree with Mona. However, I’m pretty confident we’ll receive our fair share of good reviews.
 
Q: Is there anything else you would like to add that I haven’t included?

Mona: We truly believe our series, and particularly our first book, Honey The Nature’s Gold  Recipes for Health, will cover a missing segment in the natural medicine domain, specifically the bridge between it and the modern medicine. And I hope you’ll enjoy it and benefit from it.

Daniel: Well, I have a single thing to add: Enjoy!
 
 

Thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to take part in this interview.

NEW BOOK RELEASE:

HONEY - THE NATURE'S GOLD
RECIPES FOR HEALTH
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by MONA ILLINGWORTH & DANIEL ANDREWS

Honey and Health - they go hand in hand. 
The book brings in the foreground the multiple benefits of honey. The nature' s gold stands out because of its multiple therapeutic characteristics, in particular the anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial features. These properties play a significant role in preventing aging and averting and treating degenerative, as well as chronic conditions, such as cardio-vascular and pulmonary diseases. By regular consumption, honey also boosts the immune system, so that it helps in preventing and treating infections. Overall, honey consumption reduces fatigue and is one of the most effective energizers in nature. 
The book represents a guide with numerous recipes for many conditions, also briefly and simply depicted. The authors never tired to warn about the importance of precisely following the recipes, and kept advising that the treatment should be applied under medical supervision.
We hope you will appreciate the information presented and will take advantage of the nature's gold benefits shortly. ​