Tag: author on author interview

Interview with Author Shaheen Chishti

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1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?


I was born in Ajmer, Rajasthan, and saw at close quarters how women’s lives were in traditional
Hindu and Muslim cultures, having interacted with many families and seen many villages. I
came across many women’s issues, which moved me. I then moved to England at a young age
and saw the socially liberated society where they were making efforts to move up the chain, so
to speak. That being said, I noticed that both sides were suffering in different ways and came to realize that society has been unfair to our mothers, sisters, daughters and partners for
centuries. This set my mind up to write a book highlighting the issues faced by women from
various cultures and arguing for the advancement of women in all societies.

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2) What inspired you to write your book?


I wanted to help young women find their voices and power, and to make the most for
themselves – not for their society. So many young women now are the living legacies of strong
women who came before them, able to live their lives and enjoy their freedoms and identities
because of the sacrifices made by their grandmothers.


3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?


This book is written for anyone with daughters, granddaughters or young women in their lives,
who want the very best for them and all the daughters who follow. I have two beautiful
daughters of my own and want to make sure that they know that they are just as important as
anyone else – regardless of their gender, race, culture, religion or creed. We are all humans and
must support one another.


4) What drew you into this particular genre?


I would hope that my daughters and future granddaughters get to live in a society that fully
respects women; a society in which they would not have to face the same injustices and lead
their lives in fear of what could happen to them just because of their gender. We have certainly
made progress as a society but there is still such a long way to go to ensure that all our
granddaughters live without fear of men and are not held back to reach their full potential.
Since my childhood, I read about the Bengal famine of 1943 which no one covered – or at least
not as much as I have done in this book. The Holocaust was something that I was aware of from
an early age in India. I think that I was six when I saw a documentary about Adolf Hitler and
then, as I grew up, I read about it several times. I was also lucky to have a number of amazing
Jewish friends and noticed many similarities within our cultures. Finally, Notting Hill was on my
way to school when we moved to London, so it was also something close to my heart and I saw
first-hand the discrimination against black people, in particular.


5) If you could sit down with any character in your book, what would you ask them and
why?

One of my favourite characters is Ingrid. The strength and courage that she showed in helping
Helga’s family, when no one else would, is so inspirational. It is unimaginable to think about
what it must have taken to defy the law and society to do what is morally right. I would ask her
how she found the courage to stand up to a regime alone and why she showed such courage
and morality when so few did.
Many people talk about moral courage, but it is not always easy to do the right thing or to even
know what the right thing is. Sometimes, it is easiest to do nothing. Perhaps if more people
demonstrated such qualities, we would have more tolerance and acceptance for those around
us.


6) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?


I have found LinkedIn to be particularly effective at sparking interesting debates around these
important issues.

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7) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?


Just start to write because it is the hardest thing to get words on paper. Keep re-reading your
work and re-working your ideas and it will work out. You must also write from the heart and let it flow naturally, making sure that historical events are duly cited if they are to be included.


8) What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?


Yes, I have another book planned and am extremely excited to share more details when the
time is right!

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About the Author

Shaheen Chishti is an Indian-British author, world peace advocate and thought leader. Shaheen is a member of the London Literary Society and Muslim-Jewish Forum in London. He is also the founder of the Jewish Islamic International Peace Society. Shaheen’s writings – fiction and non-fiction – primarily focus on the upliftment of women and the emancipation of Muslim women in particular. He believes that the “empowerment of women is at the root of Muslin teaching”. An ardent believer in the Sufi philosophy of “Love towards all, malice towards none”, Shaheen endeavours to promote the message of peace and solidarity of the Chishti Order of Sufism. Shaheen was born into the Syed Chishti family in India which traces its ancestry directly to Hazrat Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the Holy Prophet.

http://shaheenchishti.in/

Interview with Author Rich Marcello

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  1. Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?

I’ve been writing now for ten years. When I started, I had a goal to write ten books before all was said and done. Cenotaphs is my fifth novel and sixth book, so I still have a ways to go before I reach the goal, but I remain committed to getting there. Before I became a professional writer, I worked for a number of technology companies.

2) What inspired you to write your book?

I was interested in writing a book about platonic love between a man and  woman. In particular, I was interested in how that kind of love has the power to heal the deepest wounds, maybe even more so than other kinds of love. Not many written books are written on this topic, and I thought it was a fascinating one to explore. 

3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?

I hope they experience the power of redemptive love.

4) What drew you into this particular genre?

I tend to be interested in big topics and I think literary fiction, with its emphasis on characterization, is a great way to explore these topics. It’s given me the tools to write books on polarization in America, aging with meaning, the long term impacts of violence, and on being a good man. Plus, all my favorite writers like Walker Percy and Milan Kundera write literary fiction.

5) If you could sit down with any character in your book, what would you ask them and why?

I would sit down with both Ben and Samantha and ask them how they felt loving each other in such a non-traditional way, and why that kind of love allowed them to move forward with their lives separately and together.

6) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?

Facebook.  Many of my Facebook friends engage on a regular basis with me and my books.

7) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?

Just keep going. Learn as much as you can about your craft and remember good art doesn’t always find an audience right away. If you have a need to create, as I do, there’s nothing more powerful and generative emotionally than putting a piece out into the world.

8) What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?

I’m working on two novels now, The Means of Keeping, about the climate crisis, and In the Seat of the Eddas, a follow on to The Latecomers.

About the Author

Rich is the author of five novels, The Color of Home, The Big Wide Calm, The Beauty of the Fall, The Latecomers, and Cenotaphs, and the poetry collection, The Long Body That Connects Us All. He also teaches creative writing at Seven Bridges’ Writer Collaborative. Previously, he enjoyed a successful career as a technology executive, managing several multi-billion dollar businesses for Fortune 500 companies.

As anyone who has read Rich’s work can tell you, his books deal with life’s big questions: love, loss, creativity, community, self-discovery and forgiveness. His novels are rich with characters and ideas, crafted by a natural storyteller, with the eye and the ear of a poet. For Rich, writing and art making is about connection, or as he says, about making a difference to a least one other person in the world, something he has clearly achieved many times over, both as an artist, a mentor, and a teacher.

Rich lives in Massachusetts with his wife and Newfoundland Shaman. He is currently working on his sixth and seventh novels, The Means of Keeping and In the Seat of the Eddas, a follow-on to The Latecomers.

http://www.richmarcello.com/

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Interview with Author Natalie Hanson

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1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?

For many years I concentrated on being a screenplay writer. I had mild success optioning scripts, selling scripts and being hired to write, but never felt the joy of seeing something I wrote on the big screen. Scripts are rarely considered a ‘finished product’. There’s always another producer who wants changes.So my angst for having a completed project led me to pursue writing novels. There is something very satisfying when you are truly done.

2) What inspired you to write your book?

I wanted to write a female character that can do anything a man can. Traditionally women are judged for making choices a man does every day. Who they can sleep with, how they speak, having children. I wanted to create a protagonist that was ashamed to be who she was.

3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?

In all things, chaos prevails. So just accept it now. The more control you try to have over life the more you will be disappointed.

4) What drew you into this particular genre?

In recent years I’ve had a number of folks who have given me the feedback “Your writing is so disturbing. Everyone is so evil!” And I always think “Really, I thought that was just Tuesday!” I guess I live in the dark places where most people just visit. For me, my creative work has always been on the gritty side.

5) If you could sit down with any character in your book, what would you ask them and why?

I’d be interested in asking Zalla about her life choices. One seemingly small choice can change your entire life. I’d love to explore how her life might have turned out differently had she zigged instead of zagged.

6) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership? Oh, this one’s a tough one. I will fully admit I am not good at social media. It’s a real skill that requires time and dedication. I strive to improve in the future.

7) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?

Your writing is going to suck, and it’s OK. It takes thousands of hours to start pumping out good material. So in the beginning, be open to feedback and adjust. Edit out your favorite thing from a story if it’s not working. Be prepared to do anything to make the material better.

8) What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?

The Zalla series includes five novels. They are all complete and book 4 & 5 are being edited now. I wanted to get all the heavy lifting of writing out of the way so I’d have more time to devote to promotion and the logistics of self-publishing. I am looking forward to getting them all out there into the world!

About the Author

Natalie Hanson is an author and screenplay writer born and raised in Seattle, WA.

‘The Unknown Man’ is the first of five novels chronicling the hunt for serial killers and criminals by FBI agent Zalla Bennbett. This dark series examines the worst criminals humanity has to offer through the eyes of a jaded agent, struggling to keep optimism alive and fight for the voiceless.

Book two in the series, ‘The Butcher’, is an upcoming release.

Her novel ‘Every Moment and Not a Second More’ was published on Amazon in 2018.

Currently she is collaborating on a horror genre comic series based on her screenplay “Dociles.” It tells the story of a teen runaway, kidnapped by a medical examiner who turns the dead into zombies. It’s a fight to not end up as one of the herd!

https://nataliehardy9.wixsite.com/author/books

Interview with Author Tom Kreffer

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn Interviews1 Comment

1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?

When I was twenty-one, I watched Dead Man’s Shoes by Shane Meadows. I thought the film was excellent, and I could tell it had been shot on a low budget. I was studying film at university at the time, and I thought that perhaps my way into the film industry could be to write a really good self-contained story that was set in only a handful of locations – low, low budget stuff, like Dead Man’s Shoes. So, I wrote my first screenplay and called it Sophisticated Gangsters. It got picked up by a couple of local producers, but we never completed shooting owing to a complete lack of experience and expertise (not to mention money). Looking back, it’s almost certainly a good thing that film never came out, as my script was terrible. But that was my first crack at writing. I wrote more screenplays in my twenties, but I’ve still yet to do anything with them. 

It wasn’t until my partner fell pregnant that I began writing my first book. Doctors told us that it was highly unlikely we would conceive naturally, and I had all but accepted that I might never become a parent. But then she fell pregnant. I started writing a journal about my experience of discovering I was about to become a father and what it was like to live with a pregnant woman. At some point, I began to wonder if other soon-to-be dads would find the story of pregnancy told from a first-time dad’s perspective to be valuable, or at the very least entertaining. So that became my first book, Dear Dory: Journal of a Soon-to-be First-time Dad.

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2) What inspired you to write your book?

Becoming a father and having the journey documented in journal format.

3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?

I love it when readers tell me that they responded to the book’s blend of humour and honesty, and I love it even more when they tell me that my take on pregnancy is unique and not something they’ve come across before. 

But ultimately, I want readers to feel as if they are the ones who have got the better end of the deal from buying my books and taking the time to read them. When I read a book, my world view and my life experience – billions of interactions with my environment on both a conscious and a subconscious level – shape how I interpret and connect with the material. And so I find it hard to list anything specific that I want readers to take away, as every response is unique to the individual reader. But as long as they take away something positive, whatever it is, I’m happy because I feel as if I’ve done my job correctly. 

4) What drew you into this particular genre?

As mentioned in the earlier question, it was a fluke. If you had asked me before I became a writer what genre I would begin my career in and make money from, non-fiction parenting memoirs from a dad’s perspective would have been very far down the list.

5) Which social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?

I’m still at the very beginning of my career, so I’m still figuring a lot of that stuff out, but Facebook and Instagram seem to be the platforms that I benefit from most. My favourite thing to do is build up relationships with my readers and rely on good old-fashioned word of mouth. I’m now experimenting with advertising, but it’s not an overnight process. Just like writing a book, it takes time to do it well.

6) What advice would you give to aspiring or just-starting authors out there?

Be prepared to work harder than you’ve ever worked before. Writing is a tough gig. I’m on my third book now, and it feels the same every time – hard work. Another thing I would say is that there’s this uncertainty about what you’re doing and whether your story will work. And that doesn’t go away until you’ve reached the end of your first draft, at the very minimum. In my case, I don’t really know if I’ve got anything good until the third or fourth draft. But that’s OK; I just keep at it every day. And that’s what you need to do. Don’t worry about looking up and trying to see the end; just focus on looking down and taking the next step. Then the next day, do the same thing; take one more step. Commit to giving that one step everything you’ve got. Pour your heart and soul into it. And on the following day – do the same thing again. And then again the next day, and the next. And when you get to the end, and you look up and see how far you’ve come and what you’ve got, you never know; you might just have something beautiful to share with the world. 

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7) What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?

So many projects! First is the sequel to Dear Dory, which is called Dear Arlo: Adventures in Dadding. It tackles the first year of parenthood. The manuscript is locked, and it’s now with the formatting team. I think it’s due out in early September (2021). I’m over halfway through the first draft of book three in the Adventures in Dadding series. I also have plans for other non-fiction books that are related to parenthood.

Finally, I’m desperate to dive into fiction, and I have a ton of notes on two different ideas. Both of them are huge. I can see myself staying in those worlds for a very long time. I would love to do something with my screenplays as well. I’m never at a loss for ideas, and I’m deeply passionate about all of my writing projects, but I can only fully commit to one of them at a time.

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dEAR doRY rEVIEW

About the Author

Tom Kreffer has a degree in film and television and has worked in finance for over ten years. Dear Dory is his first book.

He lives in Northampton, England with his family, whom he intends to exploit for many more story opportunities in the years to come.

Amazon: Say Hi

Facebook: Say Hi

Instagram: Say Hi

https://www.bookbub.com/books/dear-dory-journal-of-a-soon-to-be-first-time-dad-adventures-in-dadding-1-by-tom-kreffer

Interview with Authors Scott & Ashley Roepel

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn Interviews2 Comments
  1. Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?


Ashley has been writing stories her entire life. In her late teen and early adult years she published a lot of fanfiction that won community awards. It’s always been a passion for her and she has been able to write for some websites prior to publishing her books. For Scott, he was a local journalist for many years before writing for pop culture and car websites. We both mesh well in writing a book series together! 

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  1. What inspired you to write your book?


This book series is based off our D&D campaign. We both love the game so much and it has inspired so much creativity in our lives. It felt only right to turn these adventures into a book series. We had developed a world rich in lore and history with complex characters. Since our entire campaign was homebrewed, it made it really easy to translate into a book series. 

  1. What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?


Many of the characters come from places or situations where they were told they have no value. We hope readers that struggle with the same message may find inspiration in these characters. Characters that find their own worth internally, and are able to discover their own strengths and confidence despite others telling them to the contrary. 

  1. What drew you into this particular genre?


We both have always loved fantasy. Especially from our early experiences with the Fellowship of the Ring film. What we like best is there are no limits. You can create your own world and put what you want in it. It is full creativity. 

  1. If you could sit down with any character in your book, what would you ask them and why?


Actually, we can! One of the best things about having this story start as a D&D game is we get to roleplay these characters. We get to do a deep dive into each character and learn all about them. All about their childhood and memories, and all about their future hopes and dreams. We get to explore their motivation and pain and what keeps them going each day. It’s one of the purest ways to learn a character. 

  1. What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?


Twitter for sure. It’s so much more social and we are able to connect with other writers and D&D players and indie creators. Being able to have many conversations and post multiple times a day has been helpful. Our Twitter is @TalAndRu 

  1. What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?


Write the story you want to tell. Don’t worry about what other people say you should be writing or doing with your book. Don’t worry about a big following, that will come in time. Just tell the story that is inside you and that is important to you. At the end of the day, you should write something you want to read. 

  1. What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?


Book III of Thread of Souls is currently undergoing its final edits and will be published on August 27th this year! It’s part of an eight-book series, so we have a release planned for each year. As we are currently playing the story’s D&D campaign at the table, we are playing through what will end being book seven and having a blast! 

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Thread of Souls Book One – pHANTOM fIVE rEVIEW

About the Authors

Scott and Ashley Roepel are a husband and wife team of writers, creators, and travelers. They are co-founders of Tal & Ru Travels LLC which is focused on entertaining and engaging content. Deep lovers of fantasy, the two of them are avid D&D players and content creators.

https://talandrudungeonloot.com/

https://twitter.com/TalAndRu

https://www.instagram.com/talandrutravels/

Interview with Author James Rosenberg June 2021

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn Interviews1 Comment

Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?

I have been a lawyer for over 30 years and love cross examining witnesses attempting to get to the truth.  When in trial, I try to craft a story that resonates with the jury.  At the same time, the other side is trying to build a different narrative that is better for the their client.  Ultimately, the jury gets to decide which reality to believe.

I started writing as a way to relieve stress.  My first foray into writing was telling the story of a small success one of my boys had on the baseball diamond. Seeing him achieve just a little on the field was huge for me and witnessing the significance of the event triggered a flood of emotions that compelled me to write an essay about perseverance.  This story is part of my second novel, The Jersey, which focuses on the relationship between father and son who share in the son’s athletic achievements.

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What inspired you to write your book?

Unclean Hands is a fictional account of a major trial I had a while ago. Without spilling too many details, it centers around a civil lawsuit brought by the widow of a man killed while shopping at a warehouse store. Although the trial is certainly important to the story, I think it’s the characters and how they navigate the emotional toll a trial takes on all participants that is the main thrust of the novel.

What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?

Not everything is as it appears.

 What drew you into this particular genre?

I have practiced law for over thirty years and love watching the effect going to trial has on all participants.  The lawyers, judge, jurors and of course the parties all play a central role in a drama that is acted out in public and will have long term effects on everyone who takes part.  Funny aside: The trial in the novel is based on a case I had a few years ago.  The witnesses are based on some of the actual participants in the trial.  Many questions in the novel are taken from the transcript of the actual trial so there is a good amount of verisimilitude to the story. One editor who helped with the story left me notes about how “real” court was different than how I portrayed in the book. She kept saying that “Lawyers don’t talk like that” and how I should “go see an actual trial.”  Well, I’ve been to hundreds of actual trials and the trial in the book is about as realistic of a trial as you will ever read in a novel.

If you could sit down with any character in your book, what would you ask them and why?

Morgan Askew is not one of the main characters in the book but I find him fascinating.  He has a relatively dull job and a slightly weird relationship with his mom. What I would want to ask him is, “if you had the chance to do it again, would you?”

What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?

Probably Facebook.  I understand it the best and seem to get the best response from readers on it.  I’m trying to get better at twitter and snapchat, but they are a work in progress.  Social media is so important to independent authors and we have to spend so much time each day learning it and more importantly, finding and engaging with readers.  I still have so much to learn about it.

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What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?

Keep on writing.  Get the first draft done because once you do, the second draft is always better than the first and the third draft is better than the second. Every day you got to put some words on paper because without the words, your stories don’t get told.  You have great stories to tell.  You just have to believe in them.

What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?

I’m still practicing law, but every day am closer to becoming a full time writer.  I am about to restart a novel I have put away for awhile that I think holds a lot of promise.  It involves a parent whose kid kills the president.  Can’t wait to get back to it.

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Unclean Hands Review
Legal Reserves Review
The Jersey Review

About the Author

James Rosenberg is a 3rd generation trial attorney with plenty of stories to tell.
Inspired not only by the courtroom stories his father and grandfather used to tell
him when he was a child, but also by the wild adventures he’s encountered through
his own experience as a lawyer. James is fascinated by the intricate, interpersonal
dynamics of every trial he’s endured. Whether it’s the raw emotion on display in
court, the tension in the air that builds until someone wins, or the impact that a
case’s decision has on the parties involved, James is always paying attention and
keeping tabs on what’s happening.

In his debut novel, “Legal Reserves”, James flexes his creative muscle outside of the
courtroom to share his stories, with a fictional twist, through the eyes of archetypes
he knows well.

A native of Pittsburgh and a graduate of Taylor Allderdice High School and the
University of Pittsburgh School of Law, James has been a trial attorney in Pittsburgh
for almost 30 years. He started writing legal thrillers as a stress reducer and finds
this creative outlet to be a fun and meaningful diversion from his day job.

When he’s not trying cases, he’s either dreaming up his next book idea, spending
time with his wife and three kids, or both.

To contact James email Rosenberg@marcus-shapira.com

Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/RosenbergWrites/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/RosenbergWrites

Author website:  Jamesrosenbergauthor.com

Interview with Author Robert Moment

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn Interviews1 Comment

1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing? 

I am a Mental Strength Life Coach  and Entrepreneur who specializes in coaching women entrepreneurs on how to overcome imposter syndrome by becoming mentally strong to out think, out position, and out strategize their competition for profitable results , success and happiness in their business and personal lives.  Writing gives me the opportunity to share my business ideas to a worldwide audience. My goal in life has always been to uplift and help people become the best version of themselves. We all are a work in progress. 

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2) What inspired you to write your book?

I was inspired to write this book because being an entrepreneur isn’t for the faint at heart. You have to develop a mentally strong mindset to become an entrepreneur.  This book  has given me the opportunity to share my ideas and experiences being an entrepreneur for over 20 years. Life as an entrepreneur is a life time of continuous learning and growth.

3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?

The two most important messages that I want the reader to take away from this book is to (A) Always believe in yourself no matter what  (B) Never give up on yourself or your dreams.

4) What drew you into this particular genre?

I have always been an entrepreneur all of my life.  It started with grass cutting, selling Christmas cards,  designing custom t-shirts just to name a few entrepreneur ventures I started and had success with.  And I have had my share of failures along the way as well. Even when I worked in Corporate America for Fortune 500 companies I never lost the entrepreneur drive or desire .

5) If you could sit down with any character in your book, what would you ask them and why?

The number one habit for first time entrepreneurs is to develop the right mindset for startup success. And the number one skill is to master the art of marketing to sell your product or service to your target audience and market successfully.

6) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?

The most helpful social media site to help develop my readership has been LinkedIn Entrepreneur Groups and entrepreneur blog sites.

7) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?

Starting out as an entrepreneur it is essential to clearly define your target market and research as much information you can to know what they want and need. There are two types of successful businesses (A) Solve a Problem  (B) Serve a Need .

8) What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?

I am thinking about hosting a Podcast Show for Entrepreneurs and writing a book of being kind.

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About the Author

My Story

For as long as I can remember I’ve had a real passion for personal growth, development and renewal. It’s a journey that’s allowed me to enjoy some amazing experiences, meet many inspirational people, and visit places I never thought possible. But more than that I want to use my own experiences to offer you the chance to live in exactly the same free and open way.

My Goal

As a Spiritual Life Coach I believe that anyone, from any walk of life, can go out there and change the world in their own unique way. It may not always be easy, but it does only become possible when you invest in your inner self and believe that it’s possible. The only problem is knowing how to make it happen so that freedom and spiritual awakening manifest themselves in your life.

My Approach

I specialize in offering Spiritual Life Coaching that’s designed to set you free in a whole host of ways that you could have never imagined. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve been connected with your spiritual side your entire life, are a complete skeptic, or you’re anywhere else in between, I want to connect with you and show you what can become possible.

Your Future

Living a spiritual life means different things to different people, and some see that as a problem. I’m different in that I see it as a solution to every potential problem out there as it allows you to define your life in your own terms as you find your voice amongst the noise.

Together we can connect, get to know the real you, and reconnect your authentic self with the inner you. Through my combination of coaching and writing I love nothing more than showing people just like you what becomes possible when you open your eyes to the spiritual side of life.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifecoachrobertmoment

Interview with Author Robert McEvilla

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn InterviewsLeave a comment

1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing? 

I started writing late in life. I don’t golf, play tennis, or bowl. Never cared for fishing. I always felt sorry for the bait. And I don’t hunt. Any interest I may have had with guns, I lost it while serving in the army. So, to keep active, I did my best to learn how to write fiction. What compelled me mostly was to write a novel based on my experience during the U.S. intervention in the Dominican Civil War of 1965. As far as I know, there has never been a novel about this footnote in American history depicting the role of American soldiers; an operation that cost the lives of 44 American servicemen, although it is mentioned in a novel by Elmore Leonard. So to my surprise, my book, The Goats of Santo Domingo, was published in 2013 by Wild Child Publishing of Culver City, California.

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2) What inspired you to write your book?

I received my inspiration for Fender Head, from a minor character in The Goats of Santo Domingo. I decided to flesh this character out and make him the main protagonist in Fender Head.

3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?

The message I tried to convey in Fender Head, is that people often think they’re getting away with their foolish actions. But those actions are cumulative, and they set themselves up for the eventuality that one small thing could cause their undoing.

4) What drew you into this particular genre?

I don’t think I started out writing the book with any particular genre in mind. It just developed while I wrote.

5) If you could sit down with any character in your book, what would you ask them and why?

If I ever get the chance to talk to the protagonist in Fender Head over a beer, I’d ask him if he ever had to do it all over again, what would he have done differently? If his answer wasn’t what I thought it would be, then I’d have to write a sequel.

6) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?

I’m just beginning to use Face Book as a tool to promote my work.

7) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?

If I had to do it all over again, I’d would’ve started writing at an early age. So, my advise to anyone who wants to write would be to start at an early age and watch yourself grow as a writer.

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Fender Head Review

About the Author

Author, Robert McEvilla, is a retired stationary engineer who lives in the backwoods of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. In his first novel which is based on his  experiences with the 82nd Airborne in the Dominican Republic.  His second novel is a detective mystery.

His short stories have been published in the literary magazine, Down State Story.  Other stories have been published in CWW Publications of Carmel, California; Twin Rivers Press of Ellerton, Florida; and Toxic Evolution Press of Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania. The short story, Horseradish, received honorable mention in a Glimmer Train short fiction contest and was published in Story Teller Magazine. Also a short memoir of Robert McEvilla appeared in the October issue of The Good Old 

Days Magazine.

https://authorrobertmcevilla.com/

Interview with Author Dorit Sasson

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn InterviewsLeave a comment

1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?

Ever since returning to the States, I wrote all different kinds of articles on the side, but it wasn’t until I realized I needed to tell the story of serving in the Israel Defense Forces and understand what happened to me that I jumped into memoir writing. 

I started out my career as an EFL (English a foreign language) teacher in Israel and since then I’ve pivoted several times. My last pivot was as a SEO (Search Engine Optimization) specialist and copywriter and that happened right after the university where I was teaching ESL (English as a Second Language) let me go. 

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2) What inspired you to write your book?

With both my memoirs Sand and Steel and Accidental Soldier, there was a burning desire to understand the WHY behind the WHAT. What happened in the IDF led to discovering the real cultural struggle of finding home. 

3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?

Several: 

How misunderstood Reverse Culture Shock really is and how hard it is for returning Americans like myself it is to find a home. As an Israel expat, my energy is spent understanding longing and straddling two different cultures and this can be an extremely emotional and lonely experience that can make or break a person and a family over time if not addressed well. RCS is very individual, personal and subjective. 

I have 2 passports – American and Israeli but no one ever told me how hard it would be to find a home again on U.S. soil.  Writing the book helped me understand the fluidity of home — in that it’s always changing and evolving so long as we evolve and change and that’s okay. 

4) What drew you into this particular genre?

I could never fictionalize my story without really telling the truth. Memoir is a truth-seeking genre. I needed the power of reflections and takeaways to show how my character grows and develops and ultimately comes full circle at the end. 

5) For those who have never had to move to another country, what would you say was one of the biggest changes you experienced moving back to the United States? What impacted you the most personally after your time serving in Israel?

I’ll just be blunt about this: From experience, not many Americans want to get to know another culture and where a person comes from. We’re a very ego-centered, “me, me, me” culture and this does not serve in bridging cultures and build compassion. With that said, the Jewish community where I live acts a bit differently than my overall experience.  

When I served in the IDF with many foreign recruits, I got a crash course in understanding the psychology of cultures and people. The intimacy and learning. I couldn’t afford to stay anonymous. Israel is a tight-knit country and is like one big family. It’s the size of New Jersey and you’ve got no choice but stay connected to each other for better or worse. In many ways, this inter-connectedness is deeply missing from the American landscape. We don’t do well as a culture when we prefer to stay in our bubbles. 

6) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?

Over the years, I’ve floundered between Facebook and Instagram and I feel Instagram helps cater to my message and storytelling. I can capture the emotional essence of what I’m trying to say in an Instagram post. The visual element is also motivating. 

7) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?

Quite a bit actually as I can’t help myself. 

Worry more about the craft than marketing. 

Write to that one person. 

Writing is the fun part. Enjoy it as long as it lasts. 

Don’t rush the writing either. You’ve got just one chance to make a good first impression. 

Hire an editor earlier on in the process and/or join a critique group when you’ve fleshed out the story as best as you can.

8) What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?

I’m currently taking a short story course and writing my way through fiction because I’m tired writing about myself. It’s time to use my imagination to create characters from scratch.  I’m also doing a fair amount of pitching to different outlets to help promote Sand and Steel. 

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Sand and Steel Book Review

About the Author

Dorit Sasson writes for a wide range of print and online publications, including The Huffington Post and The Writer, and speaks at conferences, libraries, and community centers. She is the author of the a featured chapter in Pebbles in the Pond: Transforming the World One Person at a Time, the latest installment of that best-selling series, and. She is the host of the global radio show “Giving Voice to Your Courageous Story.” She lives in Pittsburgh, PA with her husband and two children.

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