7 things to know about Anna Kloots: Author, GlenOak High School grad, Stark County native

Anna Kloots remembers sitting in a small red trailer doubling as a French classroom and library outside Pleasant View School for the Arts when she was a young student.

Kloots began to learn the French language and about Parisian culture as a Plain Local middle schooler within those untraditional confines.

Eventually it would lead to a trip to France as a teen before she made the country her permanent residence years later. World travel became a passion, as well as a source of personal discovery and healing when she overcame a devastating divorce.

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Such themes are explored and shared in Kloots' new book, "My Own Magic: A Reappearing Act."

Kloots discussed the book at GlenOak High School, her alma mater, in May 2023.

Kloots writes about feeling invisible in her own life despite what appeared to be a glamorous existence full of globetrotting. Consumed by her marriage to a magician "that left no space for her own desires, she chose to reframe the failure of her marriage as an opportunity to begin again," the book's summary reads.

Talking by phone during a stop on her book tour, Kloots was compassionate and insightful when discussing what she learned after her husband left her. She also fondly recalled growing up in Stark County, including working as a teen at Milk and Honey in Canton and Abercrombie & Fitch at Belden Village Mall, before sharing life lessons, travel highlights and thoughts on her famous sister Amanda Kloots.

Amanda Kloots, also a GlenOak graduate, is known for her success on "Dancing With the Stars" and being a host of the CBS daytime television program, "The Talk."

Anna Kloots was the co-author with Amanda on her sister's New York Times bestselling book, "Live Your Life: My Story of Loving and Losing Nick Cordero."

1. Anna's famous sister joined her on a few book tour stops

"Coming out of so many things being canceled for so long, I think people are really craving community and events again," Anna Kloots said of the book tour, which featured Amanda Kloots leading the question-and-answer session at two book stores in Los Angeles earlier this week.

Book tour stops have included sellouts and waiting lists.

"I'm honestly overwhelmed with gratitude and so excited to connect with people about their story and my story and how they mirror each other."

2. A devastating divorce inspired a book

"Part of the reason I decided to write this book is I realized the power of sharing your story, sharing your struggle, sharing the difficult thoughts you had ... and letting people know they're not alone in how they're feeling.

"These are normal feelings, and these feelings are OK to feel and OK to talk about because when you're suffering in silence, it can cause pent-up emotion and stress, and it can be really difficult to deal with things on your own, and I did that for so long."

People have been impacted by her book in different ways, Kloots' story transcending marriage and relationships.

"People have said, 'I relate to this in losing myself to my career ... and to losing myself to various things."

3. Anna's advice: 'Fall in love with yourself first and foremost.'

"There is a lesson learned of the strength in you. Sometimes you don't realize your own strength until a situation forces you to step up, and there's a beautiful transformation from a fear of the unknown ... to realizing just how much you are capable of, and sometimes only these very difficult things bring it out, and I quickly realized how essential failure was to my story. And I was able to create this whole other life that was the one I had always hoped for and dreamed of that was a result of my marriage failing.

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"I spent so long just doing everything I could trying to make my relationship work. I was giving everything trying to make this relationship work, and I wasn't taking care of my actual self ... and that success was more important to me than my success."

Her advice to others: "Fall in love with yourself first and foremost, and give yourself and the relationship you have with you just as much love and attention as you would give to a relationship with anyone else."

4. Anna has traveled to 83 countries ... and lives in France

"One of the biggest trends I noticed was the trips I take alone are really impactful," said Kloots, who lives in Paris, France. "When I tune into my strengths and weaknesses, it lets me just really connect with myself."

Traveling solo also allows her to be more selfish, she admitted. A trip to Finland, where she stayed in an igloo and scouted the Northern Lights, resulted in an essay written on the plane ride back home, the words of which could be in her next book.

Kloots said she enjoys travels "a little bit outside the box," citing a two-week road trip in Romania as an example.

5. Anna loves connecting with readers in person

"There's sheer power with connecting with someone in person ... now that we have that back, and it's so beautiful. And this story is extremely personal and very raw, and it's done a lot of things that I hope are universal and people can relate to, and I hope by being there in person ... and hearing someone talking in person, it can be a mix of inspiration and healing that everyone can walk away with whatever it is they needed, and then they realize what they needed."

6. Anna and Amanda are still there for each other

"We have basically been best friends and (our) biggest life supporters," Anna said of her sister.

"We have a real beautiful relationship that we're both thankful for, and I think we really inspire each other in a lot of ways."

7. Anna ate a fish sperm sack in Japan

Asked about her favorite food discoveries while abroad, Kloots didn't hesitate: "It's between Japan and Italy. I mean, you can't beat Italian food − it's the best. And I thought I knew what sushi tasted like until I went to Japan. Japan's food is amazing."

While she was already familiar with Italian food, "in Japan, I was eating things that I didn't even know you could eat, and I love those discovery moments.

"I ate a fish sperm sack. I was only told after the fact that's what I ate; it was in like a very traditional, multi-course meal. Every place has what's normal to them and what's odd to me."

Reach Ed at (330)580-8315 and ebalint@gannett.com

On Twitter @ebalintREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Author, GlenOak High grad Anna Kloots chats new book, famous sister