As publisher of Natural Awakenings Long Island magazine, each month Kelly Martinsen writes a letter to readers that sets the tone of that issue's unique editorial theme. Four years ago, within two days of publishing her first letter, 'You Only Regret the Things You Don't Do,' a reader called to thank her for the thought-provoking piece that spoke deeply to her. Month after month, topic after topic, responses to Martinsen's editorial letters grew and readers were connecting with her words in life-changing ways. 

A Year of Inspired Living is a monthly chapter book with weekly sub-chapters, compiling and expanding on Martinsen's letters leaving the last page of each week for the reader to write their own letter. Chapter topics include: love, commitment, faith, challenges, death, freedom, middle age, children, cancer, dog poop and more. Written in a familiar voice, A Year of Inspired Living speaks with wisdom, tongue-in-cheek self-effacing humor, and raw honesty to help readers reach into the hidden corners of their lives and develop a greater awareness of their own personal relationships and journeys. To help them reap the maximum benefit of their experiences, a reflection question and blank page follows each weekly entry, guiding and inspiring them to record their own life-story.

Kelly Martinsen (Long Beach, New York) is the publisher of Natural Awakenings Long Island, which is part of the larger family of Natural Awakenings Magazine (circulation 4.2 million). Natural Awakenings Long Island is read by over 55,000 people and is the exclusive free magazine distributed at all Whole Foods on Long Island and distributed to other healthy-living establishments on Long Island; she has made many connections in the wellness and inspiration world and has gleaned pearls of wisdom from all of them. Martinsen has just begun to extrapolate on the overwhelming response to her editorial letters and hopes to write more books that focus on the process of delving deeper into living an evolving life, raising conscious children, and applying the power of faith.