Sunday, April 28, 2019

Interview with Author Lisa Pence



Illness Observed with Reluctant Eyes



What inspired you to pen An Illness Observed Through Reluctant Eyes? The inspiration for An Illness Observed Through Reluctant Eyes was my need for a book by someone who went through an extended illness and how they survived. I looked for ideas for the caregiver and the patient.  What obstacles did they face in the short-term and the long-term?  What methods worked for them and which ones didn’t.  Real life scenarios are more interesting to read so I included these in every chapter.

How did you get through what happened to your husband – and yourself? We took it a day at a time.  There would be days when he made great progress then two days later, he would take a step backwards.  It is imperative for the caregiver to remain strong and in good spirts so they can encourage the patient.  My husband would have days when he felt terrible and just didn’t know if he could go on.  I encouraged him to stay on course with eating the right foods and exercising if he was up for it, because tomorrow would be better.  If he had an especially difficult procedure, we would talk about how well he did and we were glad that was over.

How would you encourage others who are facing a serious illness?  Every day brings new challenges so don’t let setbacks get you down; it’s just another symptom to remedy.  Make time to work in at least one activity (and more if possible) that brings you joy into your day.  This works for the caregiver as well.  It can be something small like a fancy cup of coffee at the end of your day or take out from your favorite restaurant.  You might even try to work in a short drive to a local outing like a state park or museum.

What advice would you give to caregivers? Every day can be different so you have to be flexible.  When you work full time flexibility can be extremely difficult so get some help.  Having someone to take the load off me, for even a few hours was invaluable.  Try to recruit some older family members who are retired to help once or twice a week.  Many times they are willing, you just have to ask.
What challenges did you overcome to write this book?  Definitely, time.  Finding the time to sit down and get started was by biggest challenge.  I began by making notes when we were sitting in a doctor’s waiting room or during a rare quiet evening at home.  I finally decided I needed to devote some time to this project and see what developed.   I set my alarm clock for 5am and began writing most mornings.  This is when the book began to really take shape.

Any advice for struggling writers?  Write, write, and write.  Don’t listen to the voice in your head telling you to do something else.  We all have it.  You’re not a writer.  It’s too much work.  It’s already been said.  No one cares.  Turn off the doubts and sit down and write. 

How can we make sure we don’t lose sight of the importance of faith, family, and daily thankfulness? Your perspective will change during this life event.  It can change for the better or the worse.  Faith and reading God’s promises in the Psalms for encouragement was so important to me during these trying days.  Whatever your faith, don’t lose sight of the importance of including scripture promises into your daily activities.  It will give you the strength to persevere.  Your perspective will change with your family as well.  During my husband’s illness, we had three teenagers who stepped up to help keep the household moving forward.  We are so thankful for our immediate and extended family who were there for us.  If you are going through an extended illness or a bone marrow/ stem cell transplant (like my husband), and you have questions about our experiences or need encouragement, feel free to email me at anillnessobserved@aol.com.  My book serves an encouragement to all of you experiencing a period of your life as a caregiver or a patient with an extended illness.

DON”T MISS THESE!!!
How Book Publishers Grow Their Brand & Sales With Their Authors’ Help

How Authors Get Bulk Sales Now

A podcast on book publicity that you need to listen to today

How Authors Can Market To Libraries Successfully

Unfu*k Your Book marketing

How Authors Get A Yes Out Of Others

Some key principles to rally your book marketing around

How to write powerful, effective book advertising copy that sells tons of books

So what is needed to be a champion book marketer?

The Book Marketing Strategies Of Best-Sellers

How authors can sell more books

No. 1 Book Publicity Resource: 2019 Toolkit For Authors -- FREE

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 ©2019. 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.

No comments:

Post a Comment

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