Sunday, September 2, 2018

Interview with Author Joseph Baskin


Exit Strategy
1. What really inspired you to write your book, to force you from taking an idea or experience and conveying it into a book?
An idea occurred to me as I worked to process losses in my own practice.  My work as a psychiatrist has involved several suicides, each one jarring.  Over a small period of time I was overwhelmed with multiple incidents.  Already in the habit of writing, I conceived of 
a character whose missteps in coping with suicidality brought on its own consequences.  I put him in a new situation where he'd have to experience those same issues in real time and with little support.  

2. What is it about and whom do you believe is your targeted reader?
In a general sense it is about family dynamics, conflict, expectations, loss.  
Specifically it is the story of two men whose lives intersect briefly, each looking to make peace with their past, and how suicide impacts those left behind.  My target audience is the adult reader.  The story follows a thriller/mystery pattern and is engrossing. Additionally, it will interest those who find psychology fascinating.  I develop several characters and offer the clinicians perspective on life outside the consultation room and the impact of processing patient emotions.

3. What do you hope will be the everlasting thoughts for readers who finish your book? What should remain with them long after putting it down?
That motives are complex and not always understood by the individual's themselves.  Sometimes, despite our best efforts, there isn't much we can do to help others.  My hope is they get resolution for an emotional experience involving acute loss. Despite our imperfections as humans, we try to do the right thing as we see it.   

4. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers?
Keep writing and editing.  In the immortal words of Ernest Hemingway, first drafts are shit.  Be open to feedback and make criticism fuel to perfecting your craft.  

5. What trends in the book world do you see and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading?
The gatekeepers can no longer keep work out of the public sphere, but at the same time, the milieu is flooded with voices longing to be heard.  It is both a wonderful and scary time.  Publishers will continue to seek out sure things and we will continue to have to be great self editors, marketers, and promoters in addition to writers.  

6. What great challenges did you have in writing your book?
Finding the time to sit for an expended period.  Snippets are par for the course because I have a full time job, four kids, and other responsibilities.  But when I can write for a good clip, I hit a groove and immerse in the novel's world.  That is when the work comes alive and events occur within the plot that I hadn't anticipated.

7. If people can only buy one book this month, why should it be yours?
It's authenticity, humor, and relatability.  I write about a topic that could be heavy and oppressive.  I use humor to make it more palatable.  The characters have depth and humanity.  Most of us know what it means to be a psychotherapy patient, but 
we have less intimacy with the clinician's perspective.  My novel delves into the psyche of a psychiatrist who is gun shy and cynical, but retains basic compassion and decency.  

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Brian Feinblum’s insightful views, provocative opinions, and interesting ideas expressed in this terrific blog are his alone and not that of his employer or anyone else. You can – and should -- follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels much more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2018. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s Independent.  This was named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. Also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America and participated in a PR panel at the Sarah Lawrence College Writers Institute Conference.

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