Interview With Author Diana Beranek

 

1. What inspired you to write this book? It wasn’t a dream exactly, and it wasn’t on my to-do list to write a book.   A writer was always in me, and I needed to just let her rip.  I have journaled most of my life, and I was always someone in school who needed more paper on essay exams as I had so much to write in order to express myself.  Many people over the years suggested I write a book after they heard just one or two of my life experiences, but I didn’t see it as a reality.  Numerous events just gelled together in October, 2022, and I felt a distinctive voice from the Holy Spirit telling me to start writing now, to stop being a victim of the chapters that hadn’t happened yet, to write even if there wasn’t closure and answers still remained, that the time was now.  I started writing literally the next day and knew I was writing a book for the right reasons.  I wanted to pass on wisdom that I had accumulated throughout my life to help others in their struggles, wisdom that had come through God’s hand in so many stages of my life, whether I was aware or not.  

2. What exactly is it about and who is it written for? It’s a personal memoir and self-help guidebook.  It’s a very uplifting book chronicling my struggles and how I found inner strength through faith, along with tips for readers to apply to their own lives.  It’s written for anyone who wants a different, more positive perspective on trials, traumas, challenges, grieving, health issues, and suffering.  Many people are living a victim mentality throughout whatever challenge they are facing, but they aren’t always aware or being honest with themselves.  Changes happen when you tap into your God-given inner strength and see His perspective on your situation.  

3. What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book?  My book is very unique, and the chapter titles were chosen for a reason.  Future readers could relate to health struggles, childhood abuse, traumas, grieving, the dog chapter and the role pets play in our lives, feeling defeated at times due to almost anything out of our control, changing careers, understanding the orphan spirit, discovering what a narcissistic mother is, and healing/healing/healing, transformation and getting to the other side of whatever issue is holding you back.  Learning to overcome the victim mentality, whether you have it, had it, or know someone who does, can change your life in incredible ways.   

4. How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design?  The words, Stop Being A Victim, were spoken to me at the lowest time in my life, when I was filing bankruptcy and almost homeless.  At the time, the words seemed insensitive and yet the words hung over me like I was supposed to remember them and figure out what being a victim meant.  Years later, it was the major theme for the book, how God led me to overcome so much and not be defeated anymore.  The colors for my massage business and jeep are yellow and purple so I wanted to keep the same theme.  Purple is also my favorite color.  I was inspired by traffic signs with a slash through them as it catches your eye and makes you pay attention.  The subtitles were things I felt God spoke to me as a transition from victim mentality, lifting something off to release the weight, then lifting eyes up to God for help during the situation.  I lift weights so it made it easy to talk about and connect.  Spreading your wings is about being transformed, moving to the other side of whatever you were going through, to discover the freedom, relief, and joy.  

5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers – other than run!?  Everyone has a story which needs to be shared.  Someone needs to know your story as it could help others more than you know.  You will know when you are ready to write as events will just come together that compel you to get it out of you and onto paper.  You will want to share how you overcame so many things that used to defeat you, and you will get beyond the fears and things holding you back.  That’s when you know you’re ready.  You won’t care anymore what anyone thinks as what you have to share is more important.  If it can help even one person out there, it is worth it to share your story.  

6. What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading? The book world is definitely moving toward audiobooks.  Mine will be available by audio early June of this year.  I don’t listen to audiobooks, but many people suggested I go this direction as they listen vs read in print.  After googling the subject and talking with the audio network, I found out that there was an entirely different audience that could be attracted to my book, that it would give my book a voice and speak to them.  I see more memoirs coming out as people desperately need to share their stories.  I’ve had several people thank me for the mother chapters as for the first time they understand something that has been such a mystery to them.  Many said that my book inspired them to actually know it’s possible to write a book because I did it.  

7. Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book?   The entire book is about my life story.  I changed careers so I could write about that from personal experience, the struggles and emotions of fighting back and going a completely different direction.  Most people don’t understand the struggles of extended singlehood, the loneliness, the lack of closure so I devoted an entire chapter to that.  Childhood traumas, abuse, growing up with a narcissistic mother, the deep healing needed from those events greatly shape the book as I’m vulnerable and raw about how it all affected me.  I struggled with health issues for 17 years which totally changed my life, so the deep healing I achieved after struggling so much, yet never giving up, always knowing there was an answer, thinking of Thomas Edison and the light bulb.  My faith grew immensely as I completely learned how to trust God, something I didn’t know how to do and experienced joy in so many ways.  

8. How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to?  The people who have read my book say it’s a conversational style which they really enjoy as it seems like I’m talking to them directly.  Most have said that when they started the book that they couldn’t put it down as it drew them in.  That’s exactly what I was going for too.  I don’t think my style is like anyone else, but from the vulnerability/rawness angle, I would say my favorite writer, Lysa Terkeurst, speaks to me in a way that is so relatable.   

9. What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book?  It’s very cathartic to write a book so I still cry when I read the letter to my younger self.  I didn’t write this book in order even though it’s my memoir.  I organized the book by selecting chapter titles and deciding which chapter I would write anytime I sat down to write.  I took a few vacations and wrote the majority of the time I was away letting things gel between chapters so that the transitions would make sense.  It was challenging to fit certain chapters together making sure I had mentioned something previously, so everything made sense.  I also wanted to use words with a flair to describe events, so I consulted synonyms a lot.  I use a lot of quotes and Bible verses to help tell my story so there was a lot of googling going on.  Google became my best friend literally.  I felt it was necessary to teach, to spread wisdom, and the verses/quotes were the best way to augment my story.  I wanted these verses/quotes to be fit into the book at the perfect spots.  I also added personal anecdotes to add humor so when to tell certain parts of my story involved timing.  Writing the back cover was required before editing stages, and I didn’t want any time to be wasted so I wrote it in 2 hours, the words just flowed together so I knew it was meant to be.  It’s also a challenge to know when the manuscript is finally ready to submit as I kept wanting to change something, just wasn’t sure how to end.  I tried to write one day a week for a few hours on Sunday evenings so making the time, uninterrupted, to just write became a goal.  I wore the same outfit, lit a candle, played relaxation music, and many times my dog laid beside me to support my writing.  I wrote most of it by hand then at some point had to start converting it to the laptop and work on it that way to edit so it was quite the project.  

10. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours?  A lot of creativity went into the design of this book which is reflected by the colors, the butterflies, the scripture verses and quotes which stand out in boxes, and the cover itself.  My book stands out because of the conversational style and vulnerability.  It’s also a potent wake up call to change one’s perspective.  My book is so different, so unique, a completely different style.  There are lessons conveyed in my book which show the transformation from one side, just survival, to the other which includes going from grieving to joy no matter the circumstances, moving from pride to humility, and finally changing from self-sufficiency and indifference to compassion.  I think anyone can relate to something so this book is for you!  It’s all about choosing to ride the overcomer train.   

Diana Beranek has been the successful business owner of Go Madd 4 Massage in St Augustine, Florida for the past 17 years.   She currently lives in Jacksonville, Florida with her fun and sporty dog Wrangler who she loves to take walks with in nature.  Wrangler provides a huge slice of daily joy and is Diana’s inspiration.  Diana is originally from La Crosse, Wisconsin and is a huge Packers fan.  She graduated with a B.S. degree in Pharmacy from the University of Iowa.  She was a practicing pharmacist for many years before changing careers, going back to school to pursue massage, and starting a business.  She lives her passion daily as a licensed massage therapist in sunny Florida and enjoys helping people take better care of themselves.  She recently became a health and wellness coach to further help her clients after battling health issues for 16 years.  Additionally, she receives massage weekly in order to walk the walk and maintain longevity in her career.  She enjoys working out at the gym lifting weights as much as she loves watching football and tennis.  She is an avid movie fan and concert goer.  She can be contacted through her website: www.GoMadd4Massage.com.

 

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About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on Twitter @theprexpert. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2023. 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 award-winning blog has generated over 3.3 million pageviews. With 4,400+ posts over the past dozen years, it 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 www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years 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, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America, and has spoken at ASJA, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, 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: www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum.