What is name of your hometown? What do you miss most about it?
I grew up mostly in the Greater Vancouver BC Canada area. I currrently reside in this region.
Growing up, what did you see yourself becoming in the future?
In all honesty, my childhood was so scary, I never thought about my future. I just wanted to survive today. As I grew up though, my interests seem to focus around helping people understand this mess we have created.
What is your fondest memory of your childhood or teenage-dom?
I was very involved in the scouting organization throughout my childhood. To this day being in nature in any form creates fond memories
Since how long have you been a member of the Rosicrucian Order, AMORC?
1981. I discovered this secret organization through my mother’s best friend’s mother.
How did you feel when you walked the Camino Frances?
I have walked the full Camino Frances (800 kms) twice. 2015 and 2017. The first time I walked it to see if I could do it. The second to just enjoy the ambience. Because it is a long walk, one goes through many emotions since a true pilgrim does the walk for healing and self-exploration purposes.
At 70, I still feel I have at least one more Camino in me. I dream every day of going back to northwestern Spain to stay. I just feel so at home there.
Has the Self-Publishing School and Infostack made your writing journey a bit easier?
I would not be anywhere near the level of knowledge I now have about the book world if it were not for SPS. It provides such an abundance of resources and support. Infostack provides a good marketing opportunity, however, I have not, to date, been able to make use of it.
What was the first book you ever published and how were you struck with the idea for it?
Embracing The Blend was published in 2007 and re-published in 2010. A friend and I used to have a lot of conversations about communications and life, etc. One day, she came to the table with a pen and paper and told me we were going to write a book. We did.
I have since written 4 other non-fiction and now my first fiction book. Books 2 & 3 are birthing as we speak.
What is “The Ascenders” about? How did you come up with the idea of the story?
I actually channelled the first manuscript of The Ascenders. I was just the typist. The purpose of the book, and now the series, is to provide information and tools for personal evolution inside a really fun story. My hope is to draw people who are not familiar with the concept of Ascension as well as to foster discussions about topics such as our relationship to our soul, the reality of core beliefs and how they affect our perception of life, the importance of developing a healthy relationship with ourselves and others and the meaning of life, especially at this juncture.
How long does it take you to design a book cover and book title?
The concept of the cover took a couple of days but the actual cover was designed by Joris Leuwen at cutting-edge studios, an affiliate of SPS
What challenges did you face while writing your book, Embracing The Blend?
I had never written a book or anything similar to it except speeches for my Toastmasters group, so I did not even know what made up a physical book. I went to my local bookstore with pen and paper and examined books in my genre to give me an idea, then I had to research how each of these parts was developed. ISBN for example.
Do you think one could ever retire from writing?
Only when one chooses to stop breathing.
When do you have the most fun writing? When are you most inspired?
I am a pantser, so I never have any idea where the story is going to go, so it is always exciting to crack open my computer and let the story reveal itself. I tend to write in the early morning before the world clogs up my mind.
Who or what has been your biggest inspiration so far?
Life in itself is a huge inspiration to me. I am an adventurer so I am always looking behind the story in front of me. The three people who have inspired me most are George Burns, Shirley MacLain and Richard Bach.
What are you currently working on? May we know when we can expect a new book?
Books 2 and 3 are in the birth canal. I just need someone to do an alanalytical read of book 2 then it is off to the press, so to speak. Book three is about 2/3 finished for the original manuscript.
How did you stumble upon AllAuthor? In what way has this website been of help to you and do you think there's anything that could be improved?
Many of the people in SPS were mentioning Allauthor in their comments on Facebook. Having tweets sent out regularly is a big bonus because I just do not take time for social media. I actually feel fear about the whole concept.
The other thing that has become important to the process is I have been reachng out and developing relationships with other authors that write with similar focuses. We are working toward building a joint marketing strategy.
I have no suggestions for improvement on your site. It is clean and easy to navigate with good access to infomraiton.
