1.     How long did your manuscript take, start to finish?

The actual manuscript took me about nine months to complete.

2.     Did you do special research?

The research for my book, Perfect Circles came through the rich accumulation of insights from living with a physical disability, Cerebral Palsy. Much of the information was also drawn from the professional experiences I received while working as a social worker in both hospice and rehabilitative settings.

3.     How long before you held the first copy in your hands?

Being that Perfect Circles is my first book; it took a year after completing the initial manuscript to get it published. I did a lot of research of different publishing options before finally deciding on a publisher that accepted the manuscript. It took about five to six additional months to get the finished product from Stephens Press that I was quite pleased with.

4.     How do you write? When the mood strikes or certain time of day for writing? Word count goals?

I wrote a lot of my book while at my family’s mountain house in Lake Arrowhead, California. A good walk in nature sparked my creativity.  I wrote up to 4,000 words on some days. Sometimes I wrote as little as 300 words and sometime none if there was writer’s block. I tried to write five days a week.

5.     Do you outline first?

Absolutely! I wrote a complete outline before beginning the actual writing of the book.

6.     Do you listen to music while you write? If so what type of music?

Yes! I listened to all types of music from Classical, Jazz to New Age depending on what I was in the mood for.

7.     What is your favorite adjective and verb?

“Beautiful” and “Being”

8.     Which book have you read again and again?

A Course in Miracles

9.     What is your favorite book title (not the book, just the title)?

Man’s Search for Meaning

10.Which author would you most like to meet, living or dead?

Viktor E. Frankl

11.Would you rather get paid to read or get paid to write?

Getting paid for writing would be nice.

12.What is the strangest comment or experience you’ve had about your book or writing?

It’s funny how creativity always came while in the shower.

13.Your best advice for novice writers?

Start with writing down ideas/thoughts, holding nothing back. Think creatively, outside the box! Believe that there’s a book within you just waiting to be written and that your message/story is important to your future readers.

14.Your best marketing techniques?

I’ve written small articles for magazines. This gives readers a sample of your writing both on style and subject matter without actually giving them your book. Always give the website or other information at the conclusion of the article, directing them where they can purchase your book.

15.The future of printed books . . . ?

People love to hold a book and technology will never take that away. There will always be printed books.

I and a friend decided to take a hike in the beautiful and majestic Red Rock Canyon. In years past, I had hiked most of the area’s marked trails, except one known as Turtlehead Peak. This scenery seemed desolate, treacherous and uninviting to me with its grey granite and sharp volcanic shale. Conjuring up a new sense of adventure, Turtlehead Peak was the only option.

As we began our journey, my hiking companion eagerly asked if I could see the formation in the shape of a turtle’s face up on the peak. As I looked up trying to see what he was referring to, my uncertainty caused by my footing made it only possible to see a bunch of ugly rocks that sooner or later, I would have to contend with. As we rounded the bend, I was asked to take another look. It was like magic! There in front of me was a high peak in the formation of the head of a giant turtle. The landscape didn’t change, only my perception of it.

Often, life is like looking at Turtlehead Peak. At first it may appear to be a meaningless bunch of rocks to later discover purposeful formations after putting aside our fears and uncertainties. Life’s experiences bring new landscapes that we must traverse. Many formations we encounter have such smooth sandstone beauty to them that we welcome their presence all along the way. These beautiful formations easily give meaning to the journey as they are pleasing to the eye and pose only minimal difficulty for even the most inexperienced hiker. However there are those formations appearing to be the most barren of granite and sharpest of shale that seem to impede on the human experience to the degree that even the most advanced hiker will question the challenge.

If no growth opportunities can be found in our particular set of life circumstances then we must become more aware in how we perceive them. At the top of TurtleheadPeak, above all the sharp and jagged rocks, there is a formation that has a purposeful shape or opportunity for our growth and development if we will take the time to adjust our lens. Since life doesn’t always give us a choice of the landscape we prefer, it is up to us to make EVERY trek, even the most strenuous ones, into an opportunities for growth. The sharp shale comes in the form of sicknesses, disabilities, shaky economies and a whole host of potential barriers. We should always make the effort to take the safest marked trail, but when the landscape turns less then pleasant, the effort is ours to readjust our focus, taking a more introspective look at the purposeful formations awaiting our awareness to see them from a heightened vantage point. Remember! We’re not victims of random circumstance and meaningless terrain but real adventure ready to transform every challenge into opportunities for our growth and development. NOW is the time to let this grand journey begin!