Janet Carson's Blog: Enchanted Pages with Janet Carson - Posts Tagged "ashes-and-amaranth"

There’s been a lot of conversation lately about how technology is changing the creative world. From art to writing, AI has become a buzzword and I understand why. It’s a fascinating tool, but for many of us who live and breathe creativity, it’s also raised important questions about what it means to make something authentic.
As both an author and an artist, I wanted to share a little bit about my own creative process and what storytelling means to me.
I come from a Fine Art background, and my love for expression began long before the first line of Ashes & Amaranth was ever written. I’ve been creating since childhood — painting, sketching, writing poetry, capturing emotion in words and color. For me, stories don’t come from software; they come from the soul.
When I write, I begin with imagery and feeling, the way light moves across a scene, the pulse of a moment, the breath between words. I build my worlds layer by layer, just as I would a painting with heart, patience, and intuition. Every line, every emotion in Ashes & Amaranth was shaped by hand, edited by eye, and inspired by the same spark that drives all human creativity: connection.
While many creators are experimenting with AI tools, my work remains fully human-crafted. I believe that stories carry energy a heartbeat that only comes from lived experience, emotion, and imagination. That’s what I strive to bring into every page: something real, something felt.
To every reader who has taken time to step into Chiara’s world and feel her journey, thank you. Your support and encouragement mean the world to me. You remind me why I create: to share something human, heartfelt, and true.
Thank you for celebrating the beauty of authentic storytelling.
Janet Carson
Author of Ashes & Amaranth

Thich Nhat HanhA Deeper Dive into why I wrote the poem, A Symphony of Love and Compassion

When I wrote A Symphony of Love and Compassion, I wanted to express that love, in its truest form, is not possession or perfection. It is presence, patience, and understanding.
A Symphony of Love and Compassion
A love so pure, its kindness is boundless loving.
A love so deep, vast with empathetic joy.
In a sea of intense, fiery blue, equanimity reigns.
In emerald waters, calm compassion sustains.
Lost within the depths of each other's soul.
In a sea of azure, endless love so pure.
This poem was inspired by the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk and peace activist whose writings have profoundly shaped my understanding of love and mindfulness. His Four Elements of True Love are loving-kindness (maitri), compassion (karuna), sympathetic joy (mudita), and equanimity (upekkha) offer a timeless path toward healing and connection.
Gratitude for Thich Nhat Hanh
I am deeply grateful to Thich Nhat Hanh for giving the world these beautiful tenets. His life’s work reminds us that understanding is the essence of love. Before we can truly love another, we must learn to care for ourselves, to cultivate inner peace, to listen deeply, and to be fully present.
How These Tenets Reflect Chiara and Nikolai’s Love
In my novel Ashes and Amaranth, the connection between Chiara and Nikolai reflects these same principles.
Loving-kindness
They seek to bring peace and happiness to one another, even through pain and uncertainty.
Compassion
Each recognizes and gently holds the other’s suffering, allowing healing to unfold through empathy.
Sympathetic Joy
They find joy in each other’s light, celebrating moments of growth and discovery together.
Equanimity
Their love expands into freedom; a love not rooted in control but in deep trust and acceptance.
Love, when expressed through these elements, becomes a spiritual practice, a shared awakening. It is the meeting of two souls who see one another clearly and, in doing so, illuminate the world around them.
While some may overlook or misinterpret art and poetry, true beauty arises when love itself becomes mindful. When we allow it to be compassionate, joyful, and free, love becomes the most powerful force for healing and transformation.

With love and gratitude,
Janet Carson
Author of Ashes and Amaranth