Interview With The Author Of The Happy Hour Effect

Kristen K. Brown, a bestselling author, speaker & certified holistic health counselor was interviewed today about her new book that launches today.

1. What is your new book about? The Happy Hour Effect is a resource guide to help people pinpoint the areas of their life that cause them stress and the areas that energize them and then setting goals to shift the balance between the two. It's a book that can be used throughout life because it's flexible to fit our ever-changing life circumstances and needs. It's easy, fun and really simple to use because every secret (chapter) is focused on a different aspect of life so regardless of where you are struggling at any given time, there is a chapter for it.

2. Why did you write it? As a young widow mom in corporate America, I have experienced extreme stress. But I have also discovered ways to manage it without prescription medication, without elaborate life changes and without adding more stress in the process. Stress contributes to illness and the leading causes of death in the United States plus it causes issues with work productivity, relationships and so much more. I want to help guide people using fun and easy experimentation to find the right stress solution for them. There is no one-size-fits-all way to manage stress so I want to give people options and support to find what works for them.

3. How will you get people to embrace its message? Through my speaking, writing, social media and media appearances, I am spreading the Stress Less Revolution and educating people on why it's so important to manage the inevitable stresses of life in a more positive way. I'm not just some doctor or expert who is pushing for everyone to stress less. I'm a regular person who went through extreme personal and professional suffering that caused extreme stress. But I found a way through it and made it my mission to help others get through it too. I am now a certified Holistic Health Coach, have my Master's certificate in Integral Theory, speak to organizations on stress/wellness, appear in the media regularly and have multiple books and online training products to help others minimize stress and maximize life. I am inspiring the world by preaching what I've practiced and practicing what I preach.

4. What did you love most about the process of writing your book? I love hearing people's stories and seeing the amazing changes that can happen with the tiniest of tweaks to their lifestyle habits. It's the most fulfilling thing to know that I am helping people live better lives through my writing. And really, it's not me making the changes. Every individual discovers their path themselves. I just give them the map.

5. Where do you see the book publishing industry heading? It's so interesting because I self-published my first book, "The Best Worst Thing," that was very successful and then parlayed that success into an agent and multiple traditional publishing offers for "The Happy Hour Effect." Both approaches required extensive marketing, time and money. So while I see self-publishing growing, there are still so many authors who put something out there but then don't have the expertise or means to market it to make it a success. So while it's wonderful to have the option to put a book out that a traditional publisher wouldn't take on, there is also a risk of an oversaturated market. I think self-publishing has a long way to go in getting inexperienced authors educated on what they need to do to create and market a high-quality book that's comparable in quality to a traditionally published book. And of course digital books are a whole other subject. We all know the growth of digital books and that they are the future - so there is a lot to learn there to create the same feel and experience as holding a hard book in your hands.

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. BookMarketingMediaBuzz is copyrighted material © 2012.