JohnEgreek Interview Published on: 21, Aug 2018
What has been your greatest motivation throughout your childhood? How does your Grandma continue to shower you with her many “Secret Blessings?"
I actually dialog with my grandma and the answers seem to come to me in dreams or with signs. Often times the signs are coins or actual street signs.
After all that you've been through, what message would you like to say to your father if given the chance?If I was given the chance to say anything to my father, it would be thank you. Let me clarify this because anyone that reads my book will wonder, "Why would he say thank you to such a horrible person?" Well, the answer is simple. Without him, I never would have been brought into this world to experience the many lessons as well as the trials and tribulations that life has to offer
What makes your emotional stories unique and creative? What has been the most struggling part of your journey from a broken childhood to an author?Truth and honesty make my emotional stories unique and creative. The most struggling part of my journey has a great deal to do with my adult children. The saga continues, as they too have chosen to turn their backs on me. I thought living with my father was my biggest nightmare. I understand now that even though life presents us with opportunities to grow, sometimes the pain itself becomes unbearable.
How long does it take for you to find a suitable name for your books? Do you think that a book name is less important, more important, or as important as a good book cover?Book titles come to me before they are written. I believe our books were written lifetimes ago and they have their place and timing to come out. I think a title and the cover are the first point of interest that begss a book buyer to pick up and buy our books.
"Grandma's Secret Blessings" has received such a wonderful response for its inspiring and excellent writing. Did you always dream of becoming a writer?I prepared myself to be a writer during my childhood. I was inspired by a first-grade teacher who told me I was a great storyteller. Through Junior High School and the first year of High School, I went to summer school three years in a row taking typing. I knew I wanted to be a writer, but I couldn't read my own writing so I took up typing.
What does writing mean to you? if you were to choose between losing a limb or never writing again, what would be your choice?Writing is my opportunity to help just one soul at a time to recognize the opportunity to heal. If I were to choose between losing a limb or never writing, I would choose to lose a limb. I hopt neither ever happens. I plan to live the last years of my life writing.
What made you decide to publish your first book? What was your experience like getting it published and sold and what are some struggles you had?Tom Bird inspired me to publish. His "Write your book in a Weekend" retreat helped me to write and complete my book. It's exhilarating to see your book in print, but it's even a bigger experience to know you touched someone's heart with your writing. The struggles are not be marketing prepared as a writer. That's why I'm creating a Virtual Hands-on working retreat for authors to help them build and grow their social media.
How difficult did it get to overcome the adversities of growing up in the 50's? Do you have any regrets?It wasn't difficult to overcome the adversities of the 50's, the 60's, the 70's, the 80's, the 90's, even the turn of the century once I recognized that I was responsible for my own actions.
I wouldn't be human if I didn't have regrets. I regret the experience of my children walking out of my life the most. Unfortunately, they too have lessons to learn and I've accepted this as fact that it's not possible to live someone else's lessons. The decision to walk away was theirs, so they have to live up with the responsibility of owning their decision. I didn't walk out on them, so I'm just continuing to love them.
Your first book says that it will open your eyes as you discover the magical recipe to Grandma’s Secret Blessings and you too can use them to heal your heart and find the avenue to your soul. What was the one magical recipe that helped you to heal your heart?Taking responsibility for my life by removing the obstacles of blame, anger, guilt, fear, and sorrow.
You're a true survivor. Was it all worth it? Do you feel happy with all that you have achieved today?It was all worth it. I no longer feel that I'm a Wounded Child. This life experience has brought me to my intended "purpose" which is to write The Mortal Wounds Series ™ which will be a collection of shorts (Amazon has a category called Shorts) titled as the for example, The Suicidal Wounded Child, The Timeless Wounded Child, The Abused Wounded Child, etc. These will be fictional stories but they will help others to recognize that they too have a wounded child within their psyche. I don't think there is one person on this earth that doesn't have a Wounded child within them. I'm really excited about writing this series and I will be doing a bi-monthly podcast talking about each book as they are published. I'm equally excited about that too. The experience of life is worth it when we take steps in a positive direction. I believe I have done that.
Apart from your Grandma's magical recipes, what else do you think helped you to heal from the trauma of the past?The Universe. Once I opened up to recognize all we have to do is "seek and you shall find, ask and you shall receive and to knock and the doors will be opened. When I started asking and knocking, the doors opened wide.
Is there anything else that you aspire to do? What are some of your future goals?The Mortal Wounds Series™ and helping new and experienced Authors to learn how to convert books into sales. I'm excited to teach.
What are you currently working on? On any normal day, what would you be doing if you weren't writing?If I'm not writing, I'm working with the Authors in Tom Bird's program as the PublishNow Liaison.
