Interview With Inspiring Author Scott W. Box

 

1.      What motivated you to write your book, to force you from taking an idea or experience and turning it into this book? First of all, thank you for allowing me to share my adventure with the readers of your blog. As far as my book is concerned, I became determined to share my story about mental illness and my journey of faith in God; it gave meaning to the pain of my bipolar disorder and helped me make sense of my purpose in life.  

2.      What is it about, and who is it for? HEROIC DisGRACE is my story of managing my mental illness, bipolar disorder. It’s the tale of my journey from brokenness to wholeness. I set out on a journey of “heroic disgrace” to figure out why the historical figure, Jesus Christ, lived the way he did. I had to figure out why his chosen lifestyle of heroic disgrace mattered to my health and well-being of my mind, body and spirit. I wondered if he had the answers. Along the way, I discovered some very, very interesting truths. First and foremost, God makes healthy what He does not heal. Health is always an option, even when healing is an absurd impossibility. I am proof.  HEROIC DisGRACE is a story for anyone who has been touched by the painful hopelessness of mental illness. 

 

3.      What takeaways might the reader be left with after reading it? When people finish reading HEROIC DisGRACE, I desire that a compelling hope has captured them. I genuinely expect the lifestyle of heroic disgrace to lead broken people—just like me—to safety.  

4.      How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design? That’s a fun question. I remember a friend asked me out in the golf course one afternoon what the title of my book would be. I couldn’t answer him. I was so deep into the writing process I hadn’t been inspired by a title. I was embarrassed. Eventually, my working title, “A Hero Story,” became HEROIC DisGRACE when I stumbled on the glorious irony of the title one afternoon.  The image of a Icarus—with a cape—falling into an open palm came to mind. This concept greatly influenced my commitment to the book’s title.   

5.      What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers? So, one of my closest friends is a NYT best-selling fantasy fiction author. He has told me how critical it is to set the rules of the magic in the world…and then to follow the rules! Nothing bothers a fantasy reader more than when a writer uses magic to solve every problem. Evidently, using magic in this way is a real danger to the credibility of a would-be fiction authors. My point: I tend to think even nonfiction writers like me need to follow the rules we set for the “magic” in our stories too. These rule couldn’t be more clear, “Be real” and “Be me.” In other words, people would see right through me if I didn’t choose to follow those two rules. My advice, use your “real” magic, be you, completely!  

6.      What challenges did you overcome to write this book? Challenge #1: I wrote hundreds of thousands of words to get to a book with a 48,000-word count. Sigh.  Challenge #2: I had to decide what words were needed to tell the right story.  

7.      How would you describe your writing style? What you read is what you get! I try hard to sound/be like myself through my fingers as much as I do with my voice. I try to remember the rules of magic?:Be real. Be me.  

8.      If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours? The Hebrew King, David, once wrote this prayer to his God, “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, and with the pleasures of living with you forever.” (Psalm 16:11. King David’s God is the same God I pursue and try to reflect in my life. Still, living a life wrecked by mental disorder was chaos and filled me with fear. I needed order. I needed hope. Scripture from the Holy Bible about God’s heroism moved me deeply and gave me hope. Everyone needs hope. And amazingly, I have learned everyone can be hopeful as David was hopeful, heroic as Jesus was heroic, if they look for purpose, joy, and reward in the right place. I don’t have all the answers. But my story will guide you to safety and true heroism--the disgraceful kind. Want hope? Read my story. You’ll meet the Great Hero.  

For more information, please consult: www.heroicdisgrace.com  

 

Please Contact Me For Help

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com He is available to help authors promote their story, sell their book, and grow their brand. He has 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres.

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About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on Twitter @theprexpert. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2022. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This blog, with over 4,000 posts over the past decade, was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and two jobs at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Susan RoAne, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America, and has spoken at ASJA, IBPA, Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. He has been featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald. For more information, please consult: linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum.