Interview With An Inspiring, Spiritual Author

Carol Richardson

Q&A

Mornings with the Masters

  

1)      What inspired you to write Mornings with the Masters? In the fall of 2013, I followed my inner voice that told me to stop looking for a job, and I spent many of my mornings in prayer and meditation. This led to having numerous experiences of connection with the Ascended Masters who guided me, including Jesus Christ, Buddha, Mother Mary, Paramahansa Yogananda, Mary Magdalene, Lady Kwan Yin, and High Priest Melchizedek, and since then, Lao Tzu. I realized that the lessons were so important, and that the Ascended Masters intended these messages to be heard by everyone. I that I felt I needed to share these lessons, honestly, and vulnerably. The miracle of the story is that the Ascended Masters reached down to teach me even in the midst of my own struggles in life. 

2)      You have more than 20 years of experience helping people – as a life coach, spiritual leader, and healer.  With all that you’ve encountered, what is the one piece of advice that you have for someone looking to change his or her life? Accept responsibility for changing yourself.  No one else can change you or your life. Ask for help. God, angels, and Ascended Masters are basically waiting for people to ask for help; not for help changing the world, so much as help changing ourselves. Have faith that you will receive the help you need. Un-prioritize everything else except for connecting with God in order to be transformed into a better person for everyone’s sake. 

3)      In the face of tough challenges, what are a few key strategies to help someone press onward?  What tactics can someone utilize to help them remain strong? The Divine is within you.  Know that you are worthy of success, and becoming who you are meant to be in this life, and in this world; not in an egotistical sense, but in the sense of being the beautiful person you are on the inside. Do not ignore that part of you that the world seems to miss, to dismiss, and to stomp on. To give up on yourself and your life is to deny that God is in you. To give up on yourself and life is to give up on God. But, even in the act of giving up you are trying to save yourself from pain. That too is the reality of love in you, that no matter what you think you are doing, you are seeking to reconnect yourself with the love you need. So, why not reconnect yourself with love in a happy way? Keep believing that you will be guided to try something new, and eventually, something will work out for you? Keep on believing in yourself, loving yourself, and maybe do something different that you have not yet tried before.

4)      You discuss various techniques to increase happiness and reduce stress, such as meditation, yoga, and visualizations.  What benefits have you found personally and professionally from these methods? I use a short routine that I call “The Power of Breath Routine” which I learned at a place called Power of Breath Yoga, in Portage, Michigan (with their permission). It involves stretches, cross-body movements, and breathing which de-stress both body and mind. I give it to clients, who report that the method does reduce stress. I also lead the spiritual community in guided meditation classes in order to help people become tuned into Divine Presence. Raja Yoga meditation helps me get into a zone of peace, which is like no other state I know of in our culture.  Kriya Yoga meditation helps me sense connection with higher states of consciousness and higher energies, as well as Higher Beings. In the Inner Harmony (Light Worker) classes I teach, the meditations and affirmations help people experience the benefits of group meditation. This shifts and elevates the energy to a beautiful, loving, peaceful, healing energy. 

5)      Can you explain how visualizations work and why they are useful? Visualizations, when performed with faith in oneself, and a sense of connection with the universe, and engage the mental powers of the Third Eye. Therefore, they engage the power of the mind both to change oneself, and to extend the energy of that possibility out into the world. Visualizations draw on our creative mental capacities, transforming what we see into new possibilities that we envision, setting in motion our conscious and subconscious minds to align with the intention of that vision.  The power of intention is activated when we repeatedly envision possibilities, truly believing they can occur, and enjoying the visualization of these possibilities. This is not to say that they come from sheer desire (lust, greed, etc.), but from a deep sense of purpose and of fulfillment of that purpose.

6)      You have been meditating for about two decades.  What advice do you have for someone interested in starting this practice?  Create a space in your home for meditation. Light candles, set-up a place to sit where your spine can be straight, if possible sitting on cushions on the floor or a yoga mat or meditation stool. Don’t worry about how long you do it, and do NOT beat yourself up for your wandering mind. Just start with two clearing breaths – in through the nose, and sighing out through the mouth, and then breathe naturally in-and-out through the nose. Start by following your breath and becoming mindful of how you feel- first your body, and then your emotions, and then watching your thoughts come and go in your head. Choose a mantra if you do not already have one. You may choose a word that is sacred to you, or a word such as ‘peace’ or ‘love.’  Breathe gently and be grateful. 

7)      Mornings with the Masters discusses spiritual leaders across many faiths.  What is the advantage of an interfaith approach? Truth.  Truth is often disguised underneath the dogmas of various religious traditions. The path to truth is a mystical path, because no one else can truly teach us truth unless we are ready to learn.  Truth can be discovered within each tradition, but only when we let go of dogma and practice spiritual disciplines to seek, and find the truth within ourselves by connecting with God in our own hearts, minds, and souls. An interfaith approach can also open us up to guidance from more spiritual teachers who have truly experienced the truth within themselves, and not just read about the “truth” in a book.

8)      Your book draws on teachings from eight of the greatest spiritual leaders of all time.  What similarities do you find across their insights and wisdoms? Just Be. All is well, and the path to that state of being in which we experience “all is well” is the path of peace – inner and outer peace. Knowing the truth of who we are. Trusting that the Divine is within us, in everyone, and in the entire Universe, for we are One. Love yourself and love others, for without love there is no wisdom, and there is no peace. Give that which we should receive. Let go of how your ego may see the world. Trust that we will be provided for and get busy providing for others, loving others, seeking to understand others, and serving others. All will be well.  Or, as I’ve apparently trained my future son-in-law to remind me, “Buddha says, everything’s going to be okay!”

9)      Stress, pain, and overworking are rampant in today’s distraction-driven environment.  How has the cyber reality made us lose touch with ourselves? Cyber reality has changed our values, and our sense of what is important. We connect superficially most of the time, unless we get bold enough to say, “Do you want to meet for coffee or tea/lunch/dinner?” Cyber reality makes it more difficult, and potentially easier to get together to create community. The busyness of our lives separates us and therefore fragments our sense of self. We are souls in animal bodies having a human experience within families and communities in a natural world that is our home. Given the distractions of cyber realities we often forget, or never get the message, that we are souls on a journey. We minimize the idea that our bodies are of the earth, we forget that the earth is our home, and we lose the ability to create community in a holistic, and integrated sense. The internet actually gives us a beautiful analogy for the reality that the Universe is all connected and that consciousness in one place can be connected with consciousness in another place instantly. But, while the internet connects us and allows us to learn many “things” about the world, it does not lead us to the soul food we need any given day, and it does not help us learn to look into the eyes of other people, and bask in the beauty of one another’s souls. That is soul food for which we may be starving, and just do not know it.

10)  How can we regain that inner focus that might have been lost through such distractions? Set aside even just five minutes twice a day for meditation.  Practice a form of exercise, without music, that enables your mind to be set free to wander, to imagine, and to feel what’s truly important to you. Connect with nature. Nature is our home, and if we are willing to observe nature closely we can learn a lot of wisdom. By observing nature, pets, animals, babies, children, we can open our hearts and learn compassion. Take time to do something that is not about struggling to survive, and is not about material well-being. Whether it is art, music, or dance that gets you out of your focus on surviving, competing, striving, acquiring, getting, having, or taking, and instead gets you into a state of just being and enjoying; please do it. 

11)  You talk a lot about healing.  Most people understand healing from a physical perspective.  If someone breaks their leg, they wear a cast and until the bone repairs.  But what does healing mean from an emotional and spiritual perspective? All true healing brings in the energy of love, the energy of life. Deep healing heals not only the physical self, but old emotional wounds as well as emotional traumas. True healing reconnects us with who we really are, and empowers us to fulfill our life purposes. True healing also empowers us to believe in ourselves, and to overcome all the negative tapes we may have stored in our heads of the hurtful things people have said to us over the years. True healing eliminates our limiting beliefs, and connects us with the energy of love and of infinite possibility. An experience of energy healing brings us the energy of peace, relaxation, love, and a sense of well-being that medicine just cannot give. 

12)  For someone looking to find their sense of self and purpose, what is one step they can take to begin that journey? Love yourself, and accept yourself as you are. Let life be your teacher. If something is working; great. If something is not working; make a change. Reflect deeply on all the way you want to help people, and the world become a better place. For your true life purpose is never about getting something for you, but about doing something for others. Reflect deeply on what you enjoy doing, especially what you experience as meaningful and brings you joy when you are engaged with others. If you feel that you have not had a strongly, positive impact on others, then try different ways of helping people, or the planet until you find one you love. Life becomes your oyster when you believe that oysters have the ability to create pearls. So, please ask yourself, what are the pearls you would like to help others create in life? And who has an amazing ability to create those ‘pearls’ if you would only work with them to do so?

Please note, Carol is promoted by the PR firm that I work for,

2016 Book Marketing & Book Publicity Toolkit

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2015/12/2016-book-marketing-book-publicity.html

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2016

What Do Book Publishers Value?

What do you believe are the values of book publishers?  

Most publishers probably struggle to balance the value of pursuing a profit with publishing books they believe deserve to be published.  Sometimes the book you want or believe needs to be published will also be quite profitable, and that is the win-win they all should seek, but often it seems publishers have to choose the book they believe will be commercially viable over those that may be better, more important or more useful to society.  Some will purposely pick the book to publish that is socially redeeming over its commercial counterpart, even at the risk of losing money.  

So what drives publishers to make such decisions?

Before we fully entertain this, let’s ask the same question of writers:  What values do they believe in?  Many writers are driven by their passion and artistry.  They feel they have something to say, perhaps unique and worthy of sharing.  For them, they need to press forward almost out of obligation and need.  But many writers know that it’s an uphill battle to convince a publisher to publish their book if sales potential is limited.  Authors have the option of self-publishing, but that requires some money and more importantly, a different skill set and frame of mind than just pursuing a writing career.

So, to what degree does an author let commercial potential influence how he or she crafts a book?

Money, aside, how do publishers really decide what’s worth publishing? When it comes to publishing books, some publishers have specific restrictions or goals as to what they’ll print and circulate.  The litmus test could be genre -- some may only publisher non-fiction or only poetry.  Others may be wide open but exclude a handful of subject areas, such as politics, religion, or sexuality.  More specifically, certain publishers or editors will reject books on topics like abortion, atheism, or gun control, regardless of which side it supports on these issues.  But what guides these value judgments?

The book marketplace should be big enough so that every viewpoint has representation but on a daily basis, publishers make editorial decisions as to which books will see the light of day.  Their thinking collectively shapes America’s thinking.  Will we entertain all potential ideas, stories, histories and predictions – or will the reading public be cut off from exploring controversial areas simply because the values of publishers conflict with certain books?

We know in the past that we were deprived of books that covered certain viewpoints or topics, whether it be due to prejudice, ignorance, restrictive laws, or intolerance.  Books about black people rarely existed until the 1960s.  Not many on Hispanics, gays, or other minorities existed then either.  Which topics, people, or groups are being ignored today?

A lot of what book publishers publish is influenced by the news media. First, publishers and authors are inspired by the information and ideas circulating in mass media.  Second, politics and media influence each other, both of which impact book publishing. Third, publishers pay attention to what the media covers, in hopes it will be open to giving coverage to their books.

Are there taboo topics that book publishers tend to avoid? You don’t see too many books praising pedophilia or glorifying terrorism.  But who knows what’s missing and what the public has been denied a chance to read, contemplate, and deliberate on.  How many books that would’ve exposed something big never got to press due to the influence of money, violence, blackmail or plain choice of the publisher?

When books with outrageous plots or purported exposes do get published, they often get dismissed because they seem too outlandish. Maybe the public isn’t ready to handle such things.  Do we really want to hear things that shake the foundation of our existence?

Book publishing has its set of values and those values clearly influence what we are exposed to as readers.  What we read is based not just on our own values, but those of the book publishers.

2016 Book Marketing & Book Publicity Toolkit

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2015/12/2016-book-marketing-book-publicity.html

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2016

Great Writers Could Be Lousy People

Great authors write well and often.  They write from the heart, even a broken one.  They write from experiences, especially bad ones. They write in reaction to the world they live in, imposing their vision of how things should be.  They write from a deep sense of feeling, of knowing.  They are a gift to a society that needs more leaders, philosophers, and visionaries.  But what happens to the writer who sacrifices his body or life to his craft?

Maybe sacrifice is the wrong word.  I don’t know that writers willingly abuse their bodies so that they can write better but they certainly know they are slowly killing themselves as they seek to self-medicate against life’s misfortunes, losses, or mere ordinariness.  We know of many great writers who suffered addictions to various behaviors, substances and lifestyles that proved harmful to their long-term health.  The latest one to fall in this dark zone is Pat Conroy.

You may not recognize his name immediately, but several of his novels were turned into two of the best movies of the past 30-35 years - The Prince of Tides and The Great Santini.  He was just diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  A few years ago he reportedly quit drinking after being hospitalized for a failing liver and high blood pressure.

Which one comes first – booze, brilliance, or behavior?  Does he drink in reaction to a certain behavior or circumstance in his life, and as a result, he finds his only true outlet – writing – or does he write in reaction to his life experiences but turns to booze to kind of regulate himself?

The order may not matter  I would find it interesting to see how many talented writers actors, singers, dancers, comedians, and artists rely on at least one significant addiction – drugs, booze, food disorders, gambling, sex. Heck, a big chunk of the population abuses something or someone, but I believe creative people are drawn to these things. They are curious, sometimes dangerous people who test boundaries while seeking a cure for life.  Some fall short and miss the dose.  See Elvis, Michael Jackson, Marilyn Monroe, etc.

So is one at a significant disadvantage if they don’t abuse their bodies, minds, or souls? Is it harder to compete with a writer who gets high every night?  Can you write as well as the person who slaps his girlfriend around while on a bender?  Can you create a book that’s better than the troubled young man who is down $30,000 to a loan shark after a bad night at the craps table?

Let’s look further into this.  Who is the likely better writer – the girl who stared down the face of a gun she pointed at herself at age 17 or the person who grew up in a nice neighborhood with a good family?  Does it take bad experiences for one to be a great writer?

On the other hand, there are plenty of people who suffered traumatic experiences where they were victimized or where they committed crimes or where they were around dysfunctional people – and none of them became writers.  There are millions of addicts, criminals, and people who suffer from a disability, loss, or life-altering event and not one has even picked up a pen to draft as much as a poem.

So having problems or witnessing terrible things is not a guarantee for writing success. Addiction and violence do not make an equation for automatic creative genius.

But somewhere in there is a formula for artistic prowess.  It would seem that the more one directly experiences, observes and witnesses or hears about third-hand, the more likely this person could be in a position to convey a great story.  Throw in some chemical balancing with drugs and the like and you may have designed the ideal candidate for producing a terrific book.  But you still need inner talent and drive, something that allows you to see what others don’t, to do what others can’t, to feel what others won’t let themselves feel.  Plus, you need to educate yourself about life, language, and certain waiting techniques.

Writers can’t just come from the factory.  They come from all kinds of experiences and from people with all kinds of abilities. What seems like the making of a writer for one’s life experiences may not work for a person with a similar background.

Still, it seems almost cliché to hear about writers who succumb to an addiction, but maybe the news just reports on them disproportionately.  For every creative type that lives on the edge, maybe there are plenty who live a relatively clean or normal life.

Maybe the author who drinks himself to death by age 60 is the best he could do for himself.  If he didn’t drink he may have hurt himself, in a different manner at a younger age.  Or he could have hurt others.  Or maybe he wouldn’t have been a prolific writer.

I can’t judge these writers for what they do in their lives.  That’s up to the law and to the people they directly impact.  If you suck as a husband and cheat or binge-drink and live a lousy home life, consequences will be had by his family.  But as a writer, I have no issues with you living the way you do.  As a writer/reader, I understand and appreciate that whatever a writer does could translate onto the written page.  Sometimes the lousier the life or the person, the better the book or writer.  Do I enable the reckless writers?

They’ve already scripted their destinies.

2016 Book Marketing & Book Publicity Toolkit
http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2015/12/2016-book-marketing-book-publicity.html

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2016

Can Authors Help Elect A President?

The political debates filling the TV airwaves for the past few months have educated the voters about the presidential candidates.  Citizens hear a little about policies, but see a lot more on personalities. We are left to judge based on just a few elements, trying to determine our fate based on a nasty exchange, a campaign slogan, an empty promise, or an inaccurate quoting of a statistic.

What we haven’t seen – but need – from the media is a real roundtable discussion of the issues.  The problem is the political arena is so polluted that it’s hard to separate fact from fiction.  Everything is party-imposed or personality-driven, but the American public needs to understand what each candidate’s record is, where he or she stands on things, and what policies they plan to put forward – and which ones can be executed well.

What role can authors play in this?  Are there any authors who won’t immediately be labeled left or right, undermining whatever it is they have to say?  How can a writer appear neutral, or in fact, be neutral?  To be a writer is to have opinions and to conduct research. How do you remain outside the world you live in?

Is there a way to get people to even agree on what the facts are?  If we don’t start from a foundation of truth we can’t move beyond there to determine a plan.  Maybe an author can help things by writing about the areas we have agreement on.

Another area authors can go to is by quoting things the candidates publicly stated.  The problem is that they often contradict themselves or show a change in views over time.  So which quote do we hold them accountable to?

Authors could quote statistics that show where things stand on certain problems or issues and then work backwards by showing what a candidate says he or she will do to address that problem.  But who decides on which problems should be discussed and who can say with certainty how a candidate’s proposal would actually play out, given there are other unknown factors that come into play over time?

Maybe political books can’t be written by a single author.  You need at least two or three writers, each representing different demographics or backgrounds, where each can bring a unique perspective to looking at things.

What we have now in the book world is candidates writing their own books.  The problem with this is the book exists in a bubble and is biased from the get go.  Do voters need to read 10 different books and then try to reconcile the rhetoric?

Authors should come out with a series of books based on different voter needs or views.  If you’re 60, white and wealthy you may not vote for the same person a 21-year-old Hispanic woman would – at least not when it comes to economic or social justice platforms. If foreign policy weighs more on you, then you’ll find a split in the electorate on that issue. Now, take domestic and foreign policy – and a candidate’s ability to motivate the nation – and you have a concoction of views and styles that needs to be just a little better than the rest.  We are always looking for a great or perfect candidate but one never shows up.  All that we can do is choose the best of the bunch.

And authors need to help us do that.  They need to go beyond what the daily media reports.  They have to give us a comprehensive, narrative and present a reasonable scale by which to weigh the candidates.

Are authors up to the task of uncovering the truth?  Will they even recognize truth when they see it?  Will they be able to effectively convey such a truth?

Our nation’s future depends on it. 

2016 Book Marketing & Book Publicity Toolkit

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2015/12/2016-book-marketing-book-publicity.html

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2016

12 Steps To Grow On Twitter

Authors ask me all of the time:  “What can I do to grow my followers on Twitter?”

There are many ways to answer it, but let’s look at the core basics first:

1.      Say something controversial.  Offer something for free. Help a charity or good cause. Say what hasn’t been said. Praise an issue.  Expose a secret.  In short, write an interesting tweet – others will then circulate it.

2.      Make sure you are on Twitter.  Fill out your profile and share your Twitter handle on all of your branding tools:  blog, website, business card, email signature, other social media profiles, and on press releases.

3.      Tweet daily, preferably five to eight times a day.  Like the lottery, you need to be in it to win it. If you don’t tweet, no one pays attention to you.

4.      Be present on Twitter.  Monitor what people are saying that you are following.  Seek out tweets to retweet or ones that inspire you to direct tweet the original sender of that tweet.  Be engaged.

5.      Set goals to build up your number of followers.  Take note each day or week of your progress. If you get 10 new followers a day, you’ll hit 3,650 in just a year’s time.  As you build up your follower numbers people will perceive you as being worth following, so numbers beget numbers.

6.      If you want more followers, follow more people.  A certain percentage will naturally follow you back.

7.      Make quality tweets.  Some tweets should link to your blog and if people start liking what they read, they’ll agree to follow you. Additionally, if your tweet cites useful resources or great content, people will come to see you as a good source and follow you.

8.      Direct tweet people on a regular basis.  Do searches and twitter for categories of people who could be your fans.  Let’s take a topic like dieting.  Maybe you are a nutritionist who wrote a book about weight loss.  You can search for fellow nutritionists, authors, doctors, dieting, health and a host of other topics.  Tweet those people something they’d find of interest, such as a relevant blog post.

9.      Email people that you know and ask them to follow you on Twitter.  Then ask them to tweet about you to their followers.

10.  Give people incentives to follow you.  If people want to download a free white paper or book chapter or a perceived asset/resource, ask them to follow you on Twitter. Even better, have them bring three more followers as well.  Marketing is a number game – keep asking people to do things for you and never stop asking.

11.  Seek out an influencer. Check hashtags and see who writes on topics related to you.  See how many followers they have.  For a select few, seek to befriend them. Think of what you can give to or offer them, from a support and great ideas to partnering on a project.  Simply ask how you can help them and they may just help you.

12.  Don’t forget to tweet images.  I love words, but I admit that an image is worth a thousand words – or at least 140 characters.  Images have a better chance of going viral.

Twitter can help you grow your digital footprint, and in turn, raise book sales and increase traffic to your blog and website. The above 12 methods, if followed loyally, don’t guarantee anything – but they are the foundation for positioning yourself to have a chance at growing your platform.  Be authentic, aggressive, and creative and you’ll tap into a formula for Twitter success.

2016 Book Marketing & Book Publicity Toolkithttp://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2015/12/2016-book-marketing-book-publicity.html

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2016

Is Free Speech Not Honored On Twitter?

It’s been said many times that real free speech doesn’t exist in America.  Try telling your boss what you really think of him or just ask your teacher why you can’t write about his or her sex life in the school newspaper.  We hope, however, that free speech exists when it comes to people being able to speak against the government without retribution, i.e., jail.  But what are we to make of Twitter’s crack down on posts by those it deems as extremists?

Twitter just announced it suspended 125,000 Twitter accounts associated with extremism since the middle of 2015.  It says it is protecting Twitter from being used to promote terrorism.

On the surface this may sound good. If Twitter has a member solely dedicated to recruiting ISIS members and using its service to have beheading videos displayed so that members can raise funds for its criminal operations, we’d probably say shut it down.  But like all free speech measures that are well-intentioned and seem limited in scope, they tear away at what free speech is all about.

Protest speech is exactly what needs to be protected. When Republicans criticize our president as unethical, illegal, worst-ever, and power-abuser, how far off is that from a Muslim saying he or she supports those who don’t like America?  You see where I’m going: Where do you draw the line?

Offensive statements, hate speech, or calls for a revolution are protected by the First Amendment.  Terrorism is no different.

No, I don’t want to help terrorists kill innocent people and threaten America, but I don’t want the treatment of pro-terrorist speech to kill and destroy the high American ideal and value known as free speech.

Social media sites are a bit different than most businesses.  It’s one thing if McDonald's says it won’t post a pro-terrorism essay in its company newsletter but it’s another thing when FB, YouTube, and Twitter start to censor speech and content that technically is not criminal. For instance, Twitter won’t allow someone to post a naked photo of a 13-year-old-girl. Why?  It’s deemed child pornography by the government.  But if I stood on a street corner and got a permit to hold a pro-ISIS rally, I have such a right. So if I write about that peaceful, legal, rally on Twitter, should Twitter have the right to shut me down? 

Do we expand beyond terrorism and ISIS and now Twitter shuts down other political talk?

Let’s look at books. I have the right to publish a book in support of ISIS and listing ways people can join the group.  So why would Twitter not allow me to do the same – or to talk about that book?

This is one of those topics that most people won’t look too deeply into.  Their reaction is: “good, let’s crack down on terrorists.”  But they need to think about First Amendment consequences.

Outside acts of extreme violence (define those, please), how do we know where to draw the line on what people have a right to speak or write about?

I firmly believe that truth always wins out.  Rather than yank a Twitter account off the grid, keep it there. Let law enforcement move on to it and use it in a way that leads to capturing terrorists, protecting against future attacks, and to gain insights in how they operate. Further, let the good people who oppose ISIS counter these negative accounts by creating messages that oppose them and that educate people against them.  If something is obviously good, better, and truthful it should win out over false propaganda.

Trust me, I don’t defend terrorism or ISIS.  But I don’t defend ignoring the principles of our Constitution.  Free speech is what keeps us a civilized, strong and great nation.  We can’t censor what we disagree with or don’t like.  In the process, we’ll throw the baby out with the bathwater.

2016 Book Marketing & Book Publicity Toolkithttp://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2015/12/2016-book-marketing-book-publicity.html

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2016

Dead Journalists Should Make Headlines

49 journalists were murdered in 2015 – a lot more than the average of 33 per year from 1992-2014.  90% of the nearly 800 journalist murders in the past 23 years have gone unsolved, unprosecuted.  It is open season on those seeking to expose the truth, keep the rich and powerful honest, and protect the First Amendment.

The Committee to Protect Journalists notes that it’s not in the war zones that the majority of journalist deaths can be attributed.  Instead, the most dangerous occupation appears to be journalists covering politics.

We are fortunate, in the United States, to be a book writer, blogger, or journalist.  Few people are hunting those who write for a living here.  But just because it may be physically safer for one to be a journalist in the U.S. than in other parts of the world, doesn’t mean the job doesn’t come without challenges, risks, or threats.

Real journalism is under attack in many ways – financially, legally, politically, technologically – but when the media has to worry about real life and death circumstances it makes it very difficult to do the job it is taxed to do.   When our free press is compromised, our faith in the society that holds us together is compromised. Who else is keeping a check on the government, the rich and powerful, and the police?  Who else is paying attention to the forces that shape our lives?

It’s hard to believe, but being a journalist can be a risky occupation.  People with powerful interests don’t respect a free press any more than they respect the police and legal system.  They operate under their own self-interest rules, using money, threats, coercion, blackmail, and muscle to enact their wishes.

It’s actually amazing that the journalist murder rate isn’t higher.  You’d think if even one journalist was killed per country, there’d be an annual death toll of 200 worldwide.  Or if one was killed per state, there’d be 50 annually in the U.S.  So even though one murder in the world is one too many journalists killed, I’m amazed the toll is not higher than last year’s 49.  Warzones, gangs, organized crime, the police, the military and big business won’t let journalists get in the way of their corrupt, illegal or violent practices.  So it makes me wonder:  Are journalists doing something to avoid being killed on the job?

Perhaps better legal protections, technology and journalist training contribute to the death toll containment – or are journalists no longer the unbiased guardians of truth?  Are they becoming corrupt or avoiding certain stories out of fear?  Have journalists changed, no longer risking it all to get the big scoop?

Make no mistake, journalism is under attack.  We must stand tall and protect the people who protect us and the truth.  Journalists are the true soldiers in the war to protect society and human decency.

2016 Book Marketing & Book Publicity Toolkithttp://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2015/12/2016-book-marketing-book-publicity.html

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2016

Addiction Expert Reflects On A Life Of Overcoming Setbacks & Loss

                                                       

“I remember when my father died.  I was seven years old.”

The opening lines of Dr. Louise Stanger’s memoir of renewal, Falling Up, indicate just the beginning of what has turned into a life of loss and challenge – and of perseverance and accomplishment.  Dr. Stanger, a prominent addiction interventionist, has had to overcome more than her fair share of troubles.

Not only did she lose her dad and grandparents to suicide, but her husband died before she turned 45, and her infant son died of SIDS.  Other family members and friends died young or suffered from mental illness and/or addiction.  In some ways, she’s been in recovery her whole life and has been in an understanding position when it comes to her work of the last three decades—helping others live with addiction and families to rebound from the damage that comes from addiction.

“This book is dedicated to all you wonderful vulnerable folks out there who have fought like me back to clarity out of the I can fix it bazaar,” says Dr. Stanger, who is a client of the book publicity firm that I work for. 

“Back to solid ground.  We’ve both been there –pulling out all the stops – from standing on your head meditating, to mortgaging your home, to blaming others, to rescuing, to bailing out, to stand-up paddling down the Amazon. All in an effort to help your loved one stop using alcohol or other drugs, stop the horror of depression and mania, stop hemorrhaging all their money away, stop sleeping with folks they do not know, stop binging and purging, stop becoming intimate with law enforcement, with drug cartels, with brothels, stop demolishing a house without a contractor’s license, and stop lying about where they went or who they were with and what they were doing.”

There are certainly many inspiring insights and lessons that readers can gather from her motivational message of renewal and transformation that no matter the odds one is confronted with, he or she can not only survive, but thrive.

Here is an interview with Dr. Stanger:

  

1.      Dr. Stanger, what inspired you to write Falling Up?  I had previously written academic articles and blogs and did not want to write a how-to book. So I approached it from the perspective of sharing my story with friends, families, and treatment providers.  Throughout the book, I weaved skills and tools that they can use in their own lives as they grow and change. I talk about mental health and substance abuse disorders, sudden death, trauma, teaching, students, family, marriage, widowhood, and ultimately renewal and hope. Through this nonlinear approach, I hope the moments resonate with folks so that they may discover their own story.

2.      Your memoir of renewal shows a woman, turning 70, who has overcome many setbacks. What do you attribute your inner strength to? As a young girl, the sounds of the Baptist church filled my soul and long ago my housekeeper, Annabelle, rocked me in her arms and told me everything will be all right. As a young adult, I was greatly influenced by the words of Martin Luther King Jr., who shouted we shall overcome.  I had the good fortune of meeting folks along the way who believed in me and helped me triumph through many tragedies. I think it is that early resilience, both learned and acquired through my experiences, which helped me along. It was also my father, Sidney, who I remember used to whisper an endearing phrase in my ear or tickle me that told me all would be okay.

3.      Your dad killed himself when you were just eight. Your grandparents died in a double-suicide. You lost your husband before you turned forty-five. Your three-month-old son died of SIDS. How do you cope with such losses – individually and in totality?  The death of my son reminded me of my father. I share a poem called “Little Boy Blue” in the book, which kept playing in my head when he died.  Then, when my son died, that same poem came back. Somehow that poem was a coping mechanism. Coupled with grieving, my family, and sharing my story, I came to see my dad and son’s lives as gifts rather than unshakable catastrophes. I didn’t let go of them or their memories, just the unexplained part of why. Through that process, I also learned the value of seeking professional help and gaining the courage to have another child after the loss of my son.  In sum, I learned to embrace life on its own terms and be grateful for it.

4.      Are all addictions equal – in terms of the grip they have over the individual, whether it be alcohol, painkillers, illegal drugs, gambling, shopping, sex, etc? Substance abuse and process disorders are equal opportunity killers. They take their tolls in different ways, but all can cause irreparable damage. For example, the person who struggles with spending all their money shopping or on nefarious pleasures may well engage in other mind-altering substances to dull their pain. All addictions come at a cost (monetary or otherwise). Those costs can be their physical, emotional, or spiritual well-being as well as the costs of the loved ones who are affected by their addictions.

5.      You are a third-generation widow and one of your daughters became a fourth-generation widow. What advice do you have for women who lost their significant other early in life? I had the privilege of interviewing hundreds of women who lost their significant other for my doctoral dissertation. My advice is that grief is normal, non-pathological, comes in waves and in unexpected ways. Sometimes the best antidote is one widow to another. There are also chat rooms, groups, counselors, and friends who will take your late night calls. I hear professionals sometimes say to avoid big changes, but that is totally an oxymoron. Life is change and with the passing of a significant other, one must embrace change. Finally, there are no right or wrong actions in coping with loss. For some, giving away clothes helps them move on, while I’ve met others who make a patchwork quilt of their loved one’s clothes as a living memory. The key is to allow yourself to feel the grief and pain and let go of expectations about how you think you are supposed to live and react to the loss of a significant other. Everyone walks his or her own path in grief.

6.      What are some of the hardest decisions parents, spouses, and children need to make when it comes to interacting with an addict in the family?  Parents and loved ones have to decide how to love the person who is experiencing a substance abuse disorder. This means that they have to let go and let them experience the consequences of their behavior, which means no more monetary bailouts, cars, gas money, high priced lawyers to bail them out of jail, etc. No more calling into work, covering up, making excuses, taking the children and caring for them. Parents, spouses, brothers, sisters etc. have to let go of control and lean into the discomfort of allowing their loved one to experience the consequences of their actions. It’s a hard decision, but ultimately it comes from love and is necessary in order for their loved one to recover.

7.      Your parents told you that you couldn’t run from your problems, but they didn’t heed their own advice. How does one find a role model when their parents or those around them fall short? What I’ve observed in my life is that sometimes when you are not looking, the right folks appear to help you. For me, it was surely my nanny Annabelle who stepped in to fill the position of a role model. And after my father died, the camp counselors/owners, Leon and Rose, at a summer camp my mother sent me to, provided stability for me. Later in graduate school, Glenn Haworth appeared along with other friends.  So I think the key is to be open to learning and to be curious about life. You never know who will show up to fill a space in your life, and they come in all sorts of forms. Be ready to welcome what they have to teach you.

For more information, please consult: www. www.allaboutinterventions.com

2016 Book Marketing & Book Publicity Toolkithttp://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2015/12/2016-book-marketing-book-publicity.html

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2016

What Exactly Is Your Author Brand?

We hear a lot about how authors must establish their brand, build a platform, and network their way to book sales.  But how does a writer go about launching his or her brand?

Whether you work at it or not, as a writer, you have a brand.  If you have a non-existent brand, well, that’s your brand.  Keep in mind that branding is done both by you and others.  If you don’t want others defining your brand, assert yourself to establish your public image.

Your brand exists everywhere, including:

·         Social Media

·         Digital Media

·         Traditional Media

It’s your persona and how people perceive you. It’s your resume and professional accomplishments. It’s your personal life and what you have experienced.  It’s your voice and what you say publicly.  It’s your name and all that attaches to you, from your faith and geographic location to your sex, sexuality, ethnicity, whom you associate with, what you read, how you carry yourself, what you consume, what you wear, who you vote for or root for on the field, what you eat, where you travel to, and on and on and on.  Of course some things take priority and are weighted more heavily, but people begin to form an opinion of you and that becomes your brand.

Authors may in fact feel they have multiple brands. For some, they want to be known in multiple genres.  For others, they think there’s a wall between being a writer and anything else they’ve done.  The truth is everything mixes together, like a soup, to form your brand.

Here are some strategies to mull over:

·         You have a brand no matter what you do about it, so how active will you be to craft that brand?

·         You never stop growing your brand.  There’s never a time when you stop branding.  You may change strategies but it’s not a strategy to do nothing for long.

·         No brand is perfect so don’t expect people to just love you and be free of criticism.

·         You can learn from huge brands out there but realize that you are nowhere near what they’ve become.  So don’t expect to shadow what they do and then get the same results.

·         Be protective of your brand.  Think about what you say, write, or do and how it can impact how those you need to impress, win over, or retain will come to view you.

·         Look for differentiation from competing brands. Being just like everyone else is not good enough.

So how do you begin to establish a brand?

1.      Determine who you want to be and how you want people to see you.

2.      Determine what your core message is and be consistent each time you communicate it.

3.      Think about your style or persona – are you the funny guy or the serious intellect; are you the victim or the comeback kid; will you be the liberal, conservative or centrist; are you going to play up your background story, your job title or some other unique feature; will you be Trump brash or Apple creative or some other type? 

4.      Remember that you express your brand in all that you do or say, so it begins with what you say on social media, in your profiles, in a press release, on your website, on a business card, on your book jacket, etc.

5.      Review your brand periodically to determine if anything needs to be changed.

You shouldn’t have to search too far to figure out what your brand is – it is you.  It’s what you’ve been, what you are now, and who you want to be. Stick with the foundation that you built and look to grow it.  But if you feel you need a makeover or want to completely re-brand yourself, it’s not too late.  But it will be an uphill battle.

No one wants to feel limited in what they could accomplish.  If you are losing money in the stock market you may be one trade away from turning a profit.  If you are in a hole in a sporting contest you could be one rally away from victory.  Maybe you want to lose weight or get extra training in a neglected part of your career.  Wherever you stand on the spectrum of success – or branding -- you can still surge much further.

Take a look at your current brand and ask:

·         Which areas am I weak in that need attention?

·         What public perceptions about me are unfair?

·         What strengths can I lean on to compensate for what I lack?

·         What cosmetic changes can be made to improve my image, from my clothes and hairstyle to how my website looks?

·         What do people in my space or area of expertise, do or say that I can equal or excel at?

·         How can I focus on a single idea, service, product, event, or message that will give me an edge over others?

So many people have successfully launched a brand and many have been able to re-brand themselves when it was necessary.  It’s exciting to be you today.  You can determine your brand and become more than you’ve ever been. Nothing should stop you.  You may have barriers, challenges, and conflicts to navigate around, but you can establish the brand that you want and take it as far as you wish.

 2016 Book Marketing & Book Publicity Toolkit

http://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2015/12/2016-book-marketing-book-publicity.html

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2016