Interview With Author Rev. Dr. Apelu Poe

  

1. What inspired you to write this book? Growing up on the island of Samoa, South Pacific, the issues of time and space, their origin, development, and interrelation with matter and energy have always intrigued me. The main reason for that is, in Samoa, my early upbringing was shaped by the common saying, “The coconut falls when it wills.” Yes, I have heard many people say that we are the product of our environment. Others say that we are made up of our parent’s genetic makeup. Still, others say that we are the results of our early childhood. But the questions still remain with me. Is there a purpose behind our human existence? What about time? Does time have meaning?  

For the past forty years, I have served in the Christian ministry and in schools in the United States. However, when approaching the end of my 40-year commitment to academic teaching and church ministry in July 2021, people approached me and said, we have heard that you’re retiring; how does that feel? And I said, well, to tell you the truth, I’m both thrilled and scared simultaneously. So, I did what Moses did. I went to God on the Mt Sinai of the ministry, so to speak, in prayer. How long? For 120 days. It was a long and surreal experience. I lost 30 pounds. I was in a complete mess physically. But spiritually, it was the most rewarding experience I’ve ever had in my life Toward the end of those 120 days of prayer, each day, 2 hours on my knees, beginning on November 23, 2020, to March 23, 2021, God gave me my second assignment to do. To write this III Book Series, with 11 Volumes, The Hidden Secrets of the Master’s Mind: How You Can Live with God’s Time that follows God’s calendar.  

You can read about the Biblical basis that supports God’s vision given to me as documented in the Tarnach: God’s word (Torah, prophets, and the Psalms) For example, if you turn to the Torah, Deuteronomy 17:18-20, you get to hear these words: “When he sits on the throne of his kingdom, or the seat of his government,” (these are metaphors, meaning, when he sits on his study seat at home. Then what?) “he shall write this Torah which is in the custody of the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him. And he shall read in it all the days of his life to learn to fear the Lord his God so that his heart may not be lifted up upon his brethren by turning to the right or to the left. But that he shall prolong his days, he and his children in the midst of the land.” In the prophetic literature, Isaiah 42:21, It says, “For the Lord is pleased for his righteousness’ sake to honour his Torah and make it glorious.” In the Psalms, Psalm 1:1-2, David said, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor sits in the seat of the scoffers, but that his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on this law, he meditates day and night.” 

You may wonder, what’s the value of all this? How could this be possible? And what’s in it for me (WIIFM)? Well, let’s put it this way. The Torah (God’s law) is the heart of God’s creation. Like our human hearts, the seat of all our human emotions. The place that pumps blood to all our vital organs. The same with God’s Torah. Imagine when our heart stops, the action of the mind ceases. When our heart stops pumping blood to all our vital organs, all our vital organs will shut down immediately. Is that not the clinical definition of death? But that’s not all. Like our human heart, the link that provides life force to our nervous system and our brains. The same with the Torah. Imagine this. When our heart stops, no life force will enter our nervous system and brains. Our nervous system can no longer function, and our brains can no longer influence our bodies. But that’s not all. Like our human heart that connects us to the universe. The same with God’s Torah. It connects us not only to the universe but to God’s mind. Imagine when our heart stops, our connection to God and the universe will be cut off. It is no wonder David testified in Psalm 19:7-11, saying, “For the Torah (the law of the Lord) is perfect reviving the soul; the degree of the Lord is sure making wise the simple, the precepts of the Lord are right rejoicing the heart, the commandment of the Lord is clear enlightening the eyes, the fear of the Lord is pure enduring forever, the ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether, more to be desired are they than golds, even much finer golds; sweeter also than honey, and the drippings of honeycombs, by them your servant is warned and by keeping them there are great rewards.”   

So, why the need for me to teach this Torah staff at a time when more and more people have lost a sense of who they are and whose they are? Because as David said in Psalm 104:27, “All these look to you, and you give them their food in due season. And when you give to them, they shall be filled with many good things.” Yes, all these people in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, and the Antarctica will look to you, and you give them their food in due season.  

My pastoral desire is simply this: For you to be the person God has created you to be, regardless of your background. My prayer, then, is for you to live with God’s time so that you may discern God’s Divine path for your life, and how God wants you to live to receive his blessings best and shine his holy light.  

 

2. What exactly is it about and who is it written for? As I have shared above, my book is part of a III Book Series, 11 Volumes on The Hidden Secrets of the Master’s Mind: How You Can Live with God’s Time. The book serves as an introductory pathway into spiritual teachings of the Torah while also using Hebrew to understand the hidden meanings behind Biblical teachings to help people fulfill their purpose.  

In a refreshingly how-to-guide (Book I, Volume 1), I decipher the first five weekly Torah portions of the Hebrew Bible to reveal the answers to the mystery surrounding: (1) the purpose of our human existence, (2) the need for Divine harmony, (3) the truth behind our faith journey on this earth, (4) the power of our eyes of faith, and (5) the secret to long-term success.  

Using expert Biblical linguistic techniques and my in-depth knowledge of the Messianic signification of the 22 Hebrew alphabet letters (the universe’s building blocks), I analyse the 54 weekly Torah portions on which our lives turn. For what purpose? To reveal the hidden secrets of the Master’s mind so that you can discern God’s Divine path for your life, and how it is that God wants you to live to receive his blessings and shine his holy light.  

The Series is written for leaders who need a clear step-by-step blueprint on how to connect to God’s mind. Suppose you are a politician, or a business owner, or an educational professional, or a religious leader, or maybe just a head of your household who is struggling to figure out why you are here. Or why God has put you in a leadership or management position at such a challenging time. Where are you going, and how do you get there? You will be delighted by the depth and richness of the book’s teachings on answering those questions. Not from what people are saying but directly from God’s mind.  

Read some of the early reviews of the book by readers around the world when the book was first released on February 28, 2023:

(1)    From India,

“Fascinating is the only way to describe this book. If you are into theology and question why you are here and what your life purpose is, then it's a must read even if you are of a different faith. A source for much self-reflection too.” 

 

(2)   From Australia:

“An amazing spiritual book! A must-read! Grab your copy and read it right away. Highly recommended!” (Susana Tuya Sarmiento, February 28, 2023),

 

(3)   From Great Britain:

Rev Dr Apelu Poe’s interesting new book takes time to explore the 54 weekly readings of the Torah in the first of his 3-part book series, serving as an introduction and exploration of the Torah’s teachings. Looking forward to the next installments! (Susie Brisco, February 28, 2023),

 

(4)   From USA

“Gain new insights and wisdom from Dr. Apelu Poe's book and reach a new level of understanding about our Divine purpose to find meaning in our lives.” (Verified Amazon customer,” February 28, 2023).

 

3. What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book? What I hope readers will get from reading my III Book Series, 11 Volumes, is a step-by-step blueprint that will help guide them on a 52 weeks spiritual journey in a year. For example, at the end of Book I, Volume 1, the leaders will have learned the answers to these enduring questions: For what purpose are we here on this earth? What is the truth behind our faith journey? Is there a secret to long-term success? And much, much more. And, why in the end, it’ll all come down to one word: TIME. In other words, what the readers of my book want or think they need to be successful is clear instruction or direction on how to live according to God’s time to get from where they are to where they want to be.  

Unfortunately, millions of people in the seven continents that God created are still struggling to find their proper place in life. Why? Because they do not know how to live with God's time. Most people work for something, strive for something, or struggle to get where they want to be. But they are not getting there because they do not know where to begin or what questions to ask themselves. They feel stuck and depressed like they are staring at a closed door. Some of them are dragging themselves through life and could not find the doorway out. Others are doing reasonably well but are still not living the life they want to live. And their lives are not bringing them what they truly desire. Therefore, they cannot move forward toward fulfilling their life's purpose simply because they do not have the foggiest idea of how to live with God's time. 

 

The superior benefit that my book provides that makes questioning it nearly impossible to question its value is synchronicity. By synchronicity, I mean when you follow God’s calendar or the weekly Torah portions on which our lives turn, then everything will come to you by Divine providence. It’s like collaborating with fate. You are tuned in and tapped into your Divine nature and you are being guided and directed by something bigger than yourself. Jesus had that in mind when he prayed to God in the Lord’s Prayer, saying, “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” Then Jesus said this, “Give us this day our daily bread…” Every week, there is a Torah portion that God provides by which we can sustain ourselves spiritually.   

 

4. How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design? When writing a book, it is very hard to resist the urge of just diving right into your writing project. But I’ve learned from my experience working on my doctoral dissertation how important it is to do the required research first before undertaking any research project. For this reason, I tapped into the power of new technology, and new tools. I used storyyrocket.com to try to find out what keywords appeal the most to the eyes of the readers. I’ve already got a pretty good idea of my subject matter and how I’d like to develop it, but I wanted to find out how best I can use certain keywords to phrase the title of the book and its sub-title.  

My goal here is to find the key words that interest, and amuse the readers while at the same time instructing them on the basic teachings of my book. People want to see a title that is exciting, intriguing, funny, fascinating, unique, and attractive. So I made use of this formula: FEATURE plus BENEFIT plus ADVANTAGE equals TITLE and SUB-TITLE. How does that work? Here’s how I use it. Feature = The Hidden Secrets of the Master’s Mind, Benefit = How You Can Live, Advantage = God’s Time. That’s how I arrived at my book’s title: The Hidden Secrets of the Master’s Mind, with its sub-title: How You Can Live with God’s Time that is benefit-oriented and creates intrigue and curiosity about my book.   

 

Regarding how I decided the cover of my book, I was reminded of the saying, People will judge your book by the cover. So I did my research and ended up choosing 100covers.com to help design the cover of my book.  

 What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers – other than run! Peggy McColl, a  New York Times bestselling author with whom I worked in the past, once said, Writing a book can be liken to a person who is going on a long journey in the dark. Peggy McColl’s  point here is, you cannot get to the end of your journey until you’ve travelled every single mile of the journey. I have just come through this so-called journey in the dark myself. So, I have six words of advice for fellow writers if you’re looking for long-term success:

 

1.      Plan

I’m sure you have heard people say that plans are worthless. But the truth of the matter is, planning is essential if you want your book to be considered an international bestseller. Before you think about starting to write, you’ve got to get your head levelled and your mindset in the launch pad mode. Be clear on the main idea that your book will put forth, the structural design, that is, how you develop your topic, the system you will implement, the benefits or what you will offer to your clients, then finally be sure to deliver what you promise you will give to your readers. Always remember the 10/90 Rule. The 10% of the time it takes for you to plan something, that 10% will save you 90% of that time down the road.

 

Here’s my book writing blueprint in a nutshell: write one sentence proposition first, keep a vivid picture of your ideal reader in your mind, then write a simple outline, after that, write one chapter at a time, read through your manuscript without worrying about editing, rewrite, paying special attention on structure, get feedback, then rewrite again this time focusing on proofreading. Get a professional editor, prepare to publish, then continue marketing and promoting.

 

2.      Brand

Revealing your brand and your core values are incredibly important when it comes to writing a quality book. Why do people need to listen to you or to read your book? I co-authored 4 anthology books with other bestselling authors before I even wrote my solo book, The Hidden Secrets of the Master’s Mind: How You Can Live with God’s Time because I wanted to develop my author profile first. I wanted people to know that I have a unique, life-changing message that can help change their lives forever. Once you become clear about your message and its core values that you want people to benefit from, everything changes. People will seek you out no matter where you are.

 

3.      Quality

There is a saying that says, what you give is what you get. If you want people to think of you as “quality” put quality in. Quality means perceived value. You cannot plant small tomato seeds and expect large quality tomatoes. You reap as you sow. People will judge you, and form an opinion of you based on the quality of your work. Here’s the key question: What are you passionate about? Or what are you called to do, the thing God has put you here on this earth to help someone with that no one else can do? Remember, where there are people, there are problems, pains, and frustrations. As a pastor turned author, my mission is not about me. My mission is about the needs of the people God has called me to serve. Why is that important? Because at the end of the day, the only thing that matters to me is whether or not I have fulfilled my Divine calling to serve the needs of the people. Where? In the seven continents God has created: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, and Antarctica.  

 

4.      Start with the End in Mind

Here’s my advice. If you want your book to attract more clients or generate multiple streams of income, you must develop it in the right way. You must start with the end in mind. Do this correctly and it will propel you into the future you want. Unfortunately, many authors don't know or do this. So they have failed before they have even started. It is critical to identify your goals for the book before you begin writing it. So start with the end in mind.

 

5.      Algorithm

One of the challenges I faced when I first got into the book world since my retirement from the church ministry in July, 2021 was algorithm. By algorithm, I mean having an adequate conception of how things operate, or how a set of instruction or rules can be applied to your writing process in order to solve problems. For example, when we talk about algorithm we’re not just talking about algorithm with reference to Amazon. No. We’re also talking about social media, author websites, logistics, writing process, timeline…etc. etc, Think about a factory line production, how your book goes from mindset or your book idea in your mind all the way through the writing process to publishing and marketing.

 

6.      Promote

My head tells me not to share this last piece of advice but my heart says, share it. Writing a quality book is difficult. There is no going around this fact. The statistics speaks for itself. 82% of adult dream of writing a book, only 1% will ever try. But though difficult as it is, it should only take 10% of your total effort. The other 90% should be devoted primarily to your marketing. That’s the word: MARKETING. Do that well, and your book will become a guaranteed #1 International bestseller.

 

When I wrote my #1 International Bestseller, The Hidden Secrets of the Master’s Mind: How You Can Live with God’s Time, I had no other option but to follow these requirements: First, sell 6,000 copies of my book on Amazon in the week my book is launched. Second, sell 500 copies of my book on any other book retailer in the US other than Amazon. Third, show that I have 10,000 subscribers on my email list. You, that’s right. It is a seemingly impossible task but it is the truth when it comes to the bestseller world. 

 

6. What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading?  I, myself, see many notable changes in the book world most especially in the past two years. From the increasing variety of the use of different book formats, such as eBook, audiobook, flipbook, paperback, hardcover, black & white, colour versions to the increasing use of new AI-related technology in book publication. From the extensive application of social media platforms as marketing tools to the steady rise in book prices. Are there any factors that can help us explain why the past two years have been a period in which we witness so many new changes in the book industry? Well, let me put it this way. In 2020, we had a global coronavirus pandemic that affected everyone. It has called each of us to rethink how we live or how we do business. Not only that but the global economic downturn that has contributed to the high cost of living. In fact, inflation has caused the prices of many goods and services to rise over the past year, including paper and books. So because the cost of producing books has risen, so too will their prices.

 

Regarding the question of, where the book publishing industry is heading, I believe the rise of self-published authors versus traditionally published authors will continue to rise exponentially. The main reason for this, as far as I could tell, has to do with royalty. Royalty from a traditional publisher for first and second time authors are usually 6-10” of net receipts. You do the math and you will see, on a $20 book your royalty is only 72¢ per book. Since the average book only sells 3,000 copies in its lifetime, that's just $2,160 in royalties during the entire life of the average book. The good news is, self-publishing can be much more profitable if you know how to market your book Because You can make from two to 20 times the printing cost, depending on the quantity printed.  

 

7. Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book?  Sociologically speaking, we are all influenced by the traditions, the experiences, and the environments in which we were born and grew up in. I, myself, am no exception. I shared how my early upbringing growing up on the island of Samoa, in the South Pacific, how that was shaped by the common saying, “The coconut falls when it wills.” That idea of time and how it affects people’s lives later provide the framework within which my book’s topic was developed. We cannot also deny the influence of our parents’ teachings on our lives. For example, I wrote in my book how my parents instilled God’s love and the community spirit in me very early in my life. In fact, these two lessons, God’s love for all people and the community spirit of which we are all part constitute the thread that runs through my whole book.  

But of all these cultural experiences growing up on the island of Samoa, perhaps the one experience that I found most helpful when writing my book was my 40 year academic and ministry experience that God has blessed me here in the United States. Why is that most helpful to me? Because it helps provide me with both the academic and the professional level of excellence that I needed when writing my book. For that I acknowledge David’s words, “O let’s give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever” (Psalm 107:1).  

 

8. How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to? To give you a quick taste of my writing style, please allow me to share with you Professor Benny Akonteh’s testimony as follows  

“Dr. Poe has been prepared for this, and other missions through his academic training, his relentless research of the Scriptures, his (40) years of pastoral works from California, through the Fiji islands and back to Tennessee. This book is Volume I of the 11 Volumes that make up the total of his proposed III Book Series and which facts reflect the depth of his scholarship, his educational training and experiences, and the trust of his Mentors starting with his graduation from Malua Theological College (Samoa, 1981). From thence, he has gone onto the Pacific School of Religion (Berkeley, 1985), Yale University, 1986), and finally to Vanderbilt University where he obtained his Doctorate (Ph.D. 1999) in the Hebrew Scriptures. His knowledge of theology and the Scriptures is profound, his pastoral and mentorship extensive, and his research writing skills internationally recognized.”  

As you can tell from Professor Akonteh’s testimony, I consider myself immensely blessed to be able to express myself clearly in the English language. I have my own distinctive style of writing that follows these 7 steeps:

1. TEXT
2. UNIT
3. FORM
4. CONTEXT
5. VALUE
6. AIM
7. EXPOSITION

My favorite book that I enjoy reading is The Write Structure by Joe Bunting.

 

1. What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book? Poverty or scarcity mindset

As a South Pacific Islander born and grew up in a third-world, developing country, we are used to a so-called poverty or scarcity mindset. Oh, I don’t have money. Oh, I cannot afford that. The fact is, where there is a will, there is a way. Of course, you have money. And of course, you can afford it. Because as God said in Isaiah 43:7, “All whom I have called in my name for my glory, I have created them, I have formed them, and I have made them.” So, the solution, change your scarcity or poverty mindset and you can overcome that first challenge.

 

2. Procrastinating habit

Over the years, people have approached me and asked, Dr Apelu Poe, Can you please tell us the secret to success? And I’d say, Well, I’m sure you have heard people say that the most common challenge many people face today is procrastination. Oftentimes, we say, oh, let me think about it. Or, I’m not too sure about that. Change that procrastinating habit, and you can change your life. And that was the second challenge I overcame in writing this book.

 

3. Lack of a time-tested system

From my experience as a Hebrew Bible scholar and a Retired pastor with over 40 years of academic teaching and church leadership experience, I can certainly testify to the importance of having a time-tested system. A number of authors with whom I work struggle and never finish publishing a book simply because they do not use a time-tested system to create a quality book that attracts new clients and generates multiple income streams.

 

4. Curse of wanting to have a perfect product.

I have learned an important lesson from collaborating with other, more established authors like Brian Tracy, and those best-selling authors with whom I co-authored 4 anthology books, like Viki Winterton, and Donna Kozik. And that is, when writing a quality book to help grow your business, and gets your message out to the people who need it the most, it is helpful to resist the temptation of wanting to have a perfect product. Most authors will take a number of years to complete a book because they would rather have a perfect product when they do not need to. The advice is, as long as your book is good enough, meaning offers a solution to your customers in a step- by –step manner that they can follow, it should be ready to go. In other words, don’t allow perfection to stop you from moving forward. And that was perhaps the hardest challenge I had to overcome in the writing of this book.

 

10. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours? When Book I, Volume 1, The Hidden Secrets of the Master’s Mind: How You Can Live with God’s Time, was released on February 28, 2023, it shot to the #1 International Bestseller list on Amazon in 3 countries in 24 hours, reaching #1 in the US in Christianity, Religion and Spirituality, with 4 #1 Hot New Releases, and 3 #1 New Release Banners for Christian Old Testament, and Jewish Sacred Writings. The book also peaked at #1 in Australia in Judaism, and Old Testament Study, with 7 #1 Hot New Releases, and made the Amazon Bestseller list in the United Kingdom in Hebrew Bible, Bible References, and Bible Study Guides. In addition, the book has caught the attention of more than 1496 librarians across the United States, and was listed on the front page of the Leaders Press LibraryBub News release earlier this month. The Hidden Secrets of the Master’s Mind: How You Can Live with God’s Time also made it to the Honor list in the Religion and Spirituality categories as seen on MarketWatch.   

For more info, please see: www.apelupoe.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.