Judy Carey Nevin, right, says kindness and compassion are important to her. “Kindness is so easy and it’s free,” she says on this week’s podcast.

Over the last three years, Nevin has written four children’s books — the latest is called “All Kinds of Kindness.” The book’s series of 11 couplets uses simple words to express profound thoughts. In her eight years working as an editor at Viking, Nevin loved finding undiscovered authors but never thought of becoming one herself. However, she did save two paper fortunes she got from fortune cookies while working there: “You are a lover of words,” said the fortunes. “

You will someday write a book.” Nevin had loved reading from a very young age. Once, emulating her mother reading in the bathtub, she accidentally dropped a Lynnwood Elementary School library book in the water.

She and her husband read books to their daughter, now almost 8, since she was born, and Nevin noted two things: “There are so many bad books” and many children’s books are about the wonders of mothers. One day, she heard her husband tell their daughter, “Daddies like hugs too.” That led her to write her first book, “What Daddies Like,” followed by “What Mommies Like,” and “All Kids are Good Kids.”

She is pictured with her husband, Mark Nevin — both are graduates of Guilderland High School — and their daughter, Sarah. Mark Nevin is an associate professor of American history and Judy Carey Nevin is the manager of library services — both at Ohio University Lancaster.