For years, Genius Book Publishing has focused on true crime, fiction, and music history — with a little Sherlock Holmes thrown in for good measure.
As our readership grows, so does our curiosity. Not just about what we create, but why we create.
Today, we’re excited to introduce Self-Discovery, a new publishing imprint devoted to books that explore inner life, healing, and awareness. We’re proud to introduce Andrea Thorfinson, whose forthcoming book Living Is Easy With Eyes Closed launches this new imprint.
Andrea is a writer and meditation guide, a mother of four, and a grandmother to one. She first dipped her toes into publishing with her award-winning children’s book Mouse the Pretty Bird, a gentle story about friendship across differences and overcoming fear.
Her adult work grew from a more personal place.
Andrea writes for people who have felt left out of traditional spiritual and meditation practices — those who were told to “just visualize,” quiet their minds, or try harder, only to feel discouraged or broken when it didn’t work. As an aphant (someone with aphantasia, the inability to visualize mental images), Andrea struggled to learn meditation through conventional methods and spent years believing she was doing it wrong.
Determined to find what actually worked for her mind, she began exploring alternative approaches grounded in breath, sensation, sound, movement, and awareness. Living with a husband who has ADHD further shaped her desire to make meditation accessible, flexible, and realistic for restless minds as well.
That exploration became Living Is Easy With Eyes Closed.
This book exists because not everyone experiences meditation the same way and many people quietly believe they’re failing at it. Designed for those with blank minds, busy thoughts, or past frustration with meditation, Andrea blends practical, approachable techniques with real-life stories and gentle, science-backed explanations. The book also includes self-guided meditations created for some of life’s most challenging moments.
While Living Is Easy With Eyes Closed marks a new direction for Genius, it reflects the same spirit that has always defined our catalog: curiosity, intelligence, and a willingness to explore complex inner and outer worlds.
As Andrea writes in Living Is Easy With Eyes Closed:
“The truth is, there was never anything wrong with you — the instructions just weren’t written for your kind of brain. Meditation can work for you. You just need a different doorway in.”
Living Is Easy With Eyes Closed is available for preorder now and will be released on February 7.
Andrea also writes regularly about meditation, creativity, grief, and spiritual curiosity on her personal Substack, where readers can explore her work and follow along between releases. You can find her here - Mouse and Meditation
We’re honored to welcome Andrea Thorfinson and excited to open this new chapter at Genius Book Publishing.
I am so very excited for this! Andrea is the best!