Thursday, October 26, 2017

Interview with author Margaret Dulaney



To Hear The Forest Sing  

Margaret Dulaney is the principal contributor to the spoken word website Listenwell.org, offering once monthly open-faith essays, designed to puzzle out divine themes through story and metaphor. Founded in 2010, Listen Well has gathered an international following of curious listeners, eager to spend ten peaceful minutes a month in the exploration of non-dogmatic, contemplative stories.

1. What really inspired you to write your book, to force you from taking an idea or experience and conveying it into a book?
I had been writing faith-based, non-dogmatic stories for many years before I began to record the essays for Listen Well. After several years of recordings, it was the followers of Listen Well that convinced me to gather some of the offerings into a book. I understand this. When a story is meant for teaching as well as enjoyment, one wants the chance to dip back and reread certain passages. I was happy to gather some of my favorite stories from the last seven years for my listeners. 

2. What is it about and whom do you believe is your targeted reader?
The stories in the book are designed to explore certain sacred and secular themes without expounding a specific creed, and without drawing hard conclusions. The audience for the book are those who are seeking a slightly higher view than that which they are too often unable to allow themselves, due to cultural restrictions, upbringing, religion, absence of religion. We all have hidden, and not so well hidden, restraints on our views of how the spiritual world might inform the physical world. So much of this broadening, or raising of our view is a process of unlearning: attempting to unlearn our notions of a punishing God, for instance (a recurring theme in my stories). 

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?
I would hope that the book is a springboard into new ways of looking at how the divine might be working in the readers’ lives. I would wish that their sense of mystery and miracle would be alight after reading these offerings, and that they might be more inclined toward communication with whomever it is that they feel guides their lives, and trust in a spirit of loving kindness behind life. 

4. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers?
Please keep writing, our lives were meant to be creative. And, when doubt raises its ugly head, and it will, try and stare the thing down with a fearless respect for yourselves.

5. What trends in the book world do you see and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading?
I try very hard not to follow trends. I like to follow Emerson’s suggestions, “Insist on yourself!”

6. What great challenges did you have in writing your book?
The greatest challenge to writing of any kind for me is wrestling with the voice that is constantly looking ahead and warning me that what I am writing will never be read. It is a very boring voice, and I don’t wish to give it any more power than it already has over me. The only true antidote to this kind of thinking is to simply keep writing.

7. If people can only buy one book this month, why should it be yours?
The book is essentially hopeful. I don’t think there was ever a time in the history of the world where people did not need to be lifted into hope. One could argue that these times are particularly void of hope, and a book of this positive nature is almost like medicine to those seeking more joy in their thinking. I have searched for such medicine in the writings of wisdom teachers for all of my life. I hope to offer to the reader my own bit of medicine from that great pool of sacred reading.


DON'T MISS!
Study this exclusive author media training video from T J Walker

What does it really take to land on a best-seller list?

Can you sell 10 copies of your book every day?

Great book PR lessons from kids, clergy, women, contractors & sportscasters

How do authors get on TV?

Here’s the 2017 Author Book PR & Marketing Toolkit


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. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog 2017©. Born and raised in Brooklyn, now resides in Westchester. Named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.