Meet the Author
Kirana, Née Karen grew up in Richmond, Virginia. Her elementary education was at Richmond Montessori, and she graduated from Open High School. She loved writing and at age thirteen won “best book” prize for a contest at the Henrico Public Library for her illustrated book “Nike” about a ten-year-old girl who meets two-inch extra-terrestrials (Nikens) that give birth to their androgynous young by blowing bubbles and lack immunity to chicken pox. At Antioch College, she designed her own major, “World Philosophy,” combining her studies of philosophy and anthropology in a senior thesis about how dreams can be used to solve conflict. After graduating, she wandered for four years in Europe and lived on the Balearic Islands of Ibiza and Mallorca. She returned to Richmond in 1991 to become a responsible adult and be near her family. While there, she worked at an early childhood daycare center. Deciding against graduate school, she was certified as a yoga teacher. In 1993, she returned to Spain and has lived there in Catalunya, near Barcelona, ever since. She shares a home in her “peaceful village” with her partner and young adult son and has been the director of her own yoga center since 2001.
Details
Format: Paperback, Hardcover, E-book
ISBN Paperback: 978-1-966369-45-5
ISBN Hardcover: 978-1-966369-44-8
ISBN E-book: 978-1-966369-46-2
Pages: 173
Release date: 2/3/2026
Endorsements
“Mom’s in There is brilliant. Devastating, funny, and full of truth.”
—Michael Goldfarb, journalist, author, and host of FRDH, First Rough Draft of History podcast.
“Mom’s in There gives us an intimate lens into the back and forth of a slow traveling and unraveling, the rises and falls, the good, the bad, and the terrible. This dramatic narrative is compelling in the intensity of its psychological self-examination.”
—Merrill Leffler, publisher of Dryad Press, and author of the poetry collection, Mark the Music.
“Mom’s in There is a testament to the often overlooked and remarkable creative power of being with. Readers are offered rich glimpses into the private space of a woman dying, with her daughter at her side. The universal letting go is narrated most often by the ever-present daughter, sketchbook in hand, recording this poignant passage from life to death with attentive language and evocative drawings.”
—Marianne Maili, author of Lucy, go see. And I am home.
“Mom’s in There captured me; I read every word. I liked the sparse but exacting details and the honest voice. I loved the illustrations.”
—Romy Nordlinger, actor/screenwriter/audiobook narrator.
“Mom’s in There is a very moving book. There’s little that’s unique in the story itself – a woman slowly dies while her daughter and a bunch of strangers care for her. It’s modern American death 101. But the telling is unique, and the art takes it beyond simple uniqueness to rare heights of the intensely personal.”
—Daniel Kempner, journalist and author of the forthcoming book, Saigon Serenade.
“Mom’s in There is a nudge to perception. I was moved by the particular, pure voice of dying it expresses.”
—Jacquie Morris, caregiver.
“Mom’s in There is genuine, real, and at the same time, sad and beautiful. Life and death meet and coexist in their full rawness and beauty. I hear it, feel it, and sense it, and it brings alive what I have experienced with my parents.”
—Mari Rantamaki MD
“I ended Mom’s in There with an aching heart. Sorrow, yes, yet a sorrow that comes after reading a beautiful poem, a strange mix of beauty and truth combined that sneaks around your brain and settles into your heart. The paintings and pictures are powerful in context; the art speaks of moments of simple beauty and truth. They also powerfully invite me, as a reader, to a time of rest and reflection before going back into the room.”
—Pastor Ed Koffenberger.
“This simple, almost childlike, book is a doorway to wonder! With little commentary or interpretation, the author records her mother’s words and the scenes through her window during the last months of her life. Without sensing the author as an intermediary, I felt that I was there in person, joining her mother as she made the journey from anxiety to wonder, and from prose to poetry. This sweet story soothed my own fears of dying and brought glimpses of the Great Life beyond.”
—Swami Divyananda Ma, Integral Yoga.
“I was awed by the portrayal of this deeply personal and intimate journey to death. At parts, I laughed out loud, at other parts, I felt a deep ache. Throughout, I felt profound compassion for this dying woman finding her way out.”
—Ellah Ray, midwife.
“It’s troubling. Beautiful. Sad and joyous. One of the best pieces I’ve ever read about dying–both the experience of the dying, and those they are leaving.”
—Damon Silvers, attorney, Visiting Professor of Practice, University College London.
“Mom’s in There is intimate, matter-of-fact, and kind. I was riveted and amazed. The paintings are incredible and help set the place. This book should be made accessible to anyone encountering an intimate death because it makes the end of life feel so miraculous.”
—Matt Chapman, public school teacher.
“Mom’s in There is perfectly crafted, a work to be savored.”
—Fred Liss, teacher of English as a Second Language.
“The author has given us a portrait of one person’s dying. It has depth and strength without being “sappy.” Mom’s in There is so intimate that it’s not a book, it’s an experience.”
—Jerry Carpenter, Mom’s husband.
“This is Mom’s story—brave, troubled, funny, smart, rhyming and singing her way to her next life. The writing is unique: spare, direct, no egoism, honest. The lovely artwork is intriguing, comforting, and uplifting.”
—Joy Payne, Mom’s neighbor and walking companion.
“The illustrations provide a sense of place. This in-depth reflection will provide another resource for a hospice team.”
—Arlene FitzGerald, Mom’s lifelong childhood friend.
