Ellen Dee Davidson
Living in the redwoods of Northern California, Ellen has fallen in love with the ancient trees. She has personally experienced the healing available from forest bathing, a term first coined by the Japanese, who call it "Shinrin-yoku". They have studied the health benefits which include lowered blood pressure, cholesterol, and stress hormones. Increased immune system including T cells as well as improved moods and well-being. Forest Bathing even speeds wound healing and helps kids with ADHD. What Ellen didn't expect was how much spending time listening to the old trees opened her up creatively, perceptually, and altered her consciousness. Now she is sharing these benefits in her books.
• Teaching
• BA
• Sacred Forest Bathing: AMERICAN BOOK FEST BEST BOOK AWARD 2025 New Age; NYC BIG BOOK AWARD 2025, Spirituality; Best Independent Book Award, 2025 Spirituality
• THE MIRACLE FOREST: American Book Fest Best Book Award, Children's Nonfiction Picture Book; Nautilus Silver Award, Moonbeam Silver Award
• WIND: Nautilus Gold Awqard 2023; Readers' Choice Silver; IAN Winner
• TreeSisters, Awakening Women, Earth Treasure Vase Global Healing Project, Archangel Ancient Tree Archive
• Planting trees with TreeSisters and Archangel Ancient Tree Archive
What do you attribute your success to?
Like most authors, I received many rejections along the way. At times, I tried to quit, but a new story would bubble up, wanting to be told. And in a hypnotherapy meditation, I was told I was to speak for the trees. Eventually, perseverance paid off and a number of my books have made it into the hands of readers.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Follow your heart.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Writing is both an art and a craft. There are many disparate parts: voice, dialogue, setting, theme, plot, use of language. All of them require skill. Be patient while learning the craft. It is worth it. Writing is one of the most intimate arts; we can talk inside people's heads, sharing our ideas. Reading allows people to know others in a way that can increase empathy. Be clear with yourself. Are you writing for expression, to share, or to make a lot of money? If it is money, then check out the market and find a niche that sells. That hasn't been my path with my odd duck books and flitting from picture books, fiction and nonfiction, to middle-grade and young adult fantasy, to an adult eco-memoir-wilderness adventure. So far, it is paying more in expression than dollars.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Publishing is in huge flux with AI, people reading less and watching more podcasts, movies, and TV. Millions of books are published every year. The competition is stiff. And, yet, some people make a fortune, see their books become movies, and are wildly successful. I call it the "Writer's Lottery". We never know what will happen with our creative ideas.
One big decision is to self-publish versus submit to agents or the few publishers that continue to accept unsolicited manuscripts. I've noticed that traditional publishers offer more editing, marketing, and legal support. On the other hand, self-publishing allows authors to keep their rights and the book won't be taken out of print.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
One of my biggest values is preserving and planting forests as well as restoring nature in general. I think everyone should have access to beautiful wild places and that it is crucial to our mental, physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. As we restore nature, we will be restoring ourselves.
Locations
Self-employed writer/author
Bayside, CA