Saturday, May 4, 2013

Interview With Relationship Author Cija Black


Interview With Author Cija Black

1. What type of books do you write? My focus is on dating and relationships with a heavy emphasis on helping people recognize and sort through their baggage. I believe that when people are armed with the knowledge of what their heart really wants and needs, there is no stopping them. I want to empower people to take charge of their dating destiny!

2. What is your newest book about? My newest and actually first book is called Modern Love: The Grownup's Guide to Relationships & Online Dating. It helps people sort through their relationship baggage and then use that knowledge to successfully navigate dating. It's particularly beneficial if they've been out of the dating pool for some time. The book is broken up into three distinct sections: (1) Sorting your relationship baggage and clarifying what you want from a relationship and partner (2) How to take that information and turn it into a successful online dating profile and safety date online (3) And finally actually going out on dates and determining when you really have a spark or if need to move on. You can find out more about the book at: http://www.modernloveguide.com

3. What inspired you to write it? A few years back I had a number of friends going through divorce and then I went through it myself. When I found myself back on the market I turned to online dating websites. I have used personal ads and then online dating as my go to to meet potential matches throughout my dating career, so about 20 years. I have always been direct in my approach to meeting matches and really had fun in the process. But I found that when I talked to friends and family about dating, they were coming from a place of fear and anxiety about it. I decided I wanted to help people enjoy the experience of dating and relationships and have control over it. Drive it instead of letting it drive them.

4. What is the writing process like for you? The writing process for me starts with me saturating myself with the information I plan to write about. I had been thinking about writing this book for a couple of years and with the support and encouragement of my boyfriend I quit my job and was able to dedicate myself to writing this book. As far as the functional piece of writing, it started with general ideas I wanted to get across to my readers, arranged that into an outline and then basically sat down and started filling in the details. I was also really fortunate to have friends that were willing to read the book and give me their feedback before I finalized it. I didn't expect the editing and review process to take so long, I tend to be one of those people that wants things done yesterday so it was a very educational process for me. The whole book took me about 9 months to write.

5. What did you do before you became an author? Before I was an author I worked at a company that managed conferences and events. I was the resident computer geek, marketing assistant and unofficial office therapist. Before that I worked primarily in higher education on the administrative side of things. I have a past filled with customer service & problems solving. Throughout it all my biggest high has been helping people solve problems. Writing a book about dating and relationships seemed like a natural progression for me.

6. How does it feel to be a published author? I have to admit it's pretty exciting to realize I actually wrote a book. When I got the first box delivered and opened them, it was sort of surreal. Many people talk about writing a book, but I actually did it. I'm extremely proud of that accomplishment and regardless of where this book goes I have achieved a major goal that few do.

7. Any advice for struggling writers? If you want to write a book you just have to sit down and do it. Give yourself daily word count goals, even if it's just a page a day. All of those pages add up. There are also so many ways to get your book out there and if you are willing to spend some time learning some technology the possibilities are limitless in terms of where it can go. Follow your dreams, that is never a waste of time.

8. Where do you see book publishing heading? It's hard to say where book publishing is heading. We live in a society that now demands constant content. So everyone these days seems to be a writer, blogger or content provider of some sort. I think there will always be people that want hard cover books, but with the advent of ebooks, audio books, pod casts and videos I think to stay current and relevant authors need to at least acknowledge that there are now many platforms to get ideas out there. Think beyond the traditional book and make the information more interactive and more dimensional to engage the reader.

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Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer, the nation’s largest book promoter. 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 blog is copyrighted material by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2013


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