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1. Why did you write this book?
When I was in college in the 1960’s one of my professors asked
the class what their philosophy of life was. I thought at the time I’m
only 18 years old. I haven’t lived long enough to answer that.
Well, now I have. After examining experiences in my life, starting with
an impressionable childhood, I began to understand how my values were formed,
and why I see the world as I do. I think that anyone who chooses to understand
why they believe as they do, what caused them to take certain paths in life
would benefit from this type of introspection.
2. What is it about and who is it really for?
I believe that an exercise in understanding why one believes as
they do, is healthy for the individual, but also very beneficial in
understanding the motivations for others in life that we are associated
with. I use my personal stories to illustrate my points. I want
those stories to stimulate others to think about similar things that happened
to them and how those events influenced their values.
3. What do you hope readers will get out of
reading your book?
I hope when they have finished they will be able to thoughtfully
be able to articulate how they see life, or put another way, be able to explain
their philosophy of life.
4. How did you decide on your book’s title and
cover design?
So many of our values, our view of the world, starts with our
early childhood experiences. I thought having a child’s picture with a dog
emphasized that. I also smile when I see this serious little face on the
cover, under such a forbidding title, Finding A Philosophy Of Life.
Breadcrumbs is, of course, a reference to finding one’s way as in the
story of Hansel and Gretel.
5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have
for fellow writers?
Stick with it! The first book is the hardest. It
gets a little easier as one goes along. And, it is critical to engage an
experienced editor to help shape and organize the flow of your story.
6. What trends in the book world do you see --
and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading?
I believe more people are going to electronic formats for
reading. I have never liked that, because I spent so much time in my
career looking into a computer screen, that I like the change of reading a
print book in my leisure time. I don’t think I’m alone in that. I do
worry a little about kids that grow up getting all of their information from a
device of some sort. I’ve always found it easier to be fully absorbed
into a story in a physical book than reading a story on a screen. To be
fair, I do spend a lot of time on my phone and computer researching story lines
or getting the news. But again, for leisure reading I find it much more
relaxing to turn to a hard copy book.
7. Were there experiences in your
personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book?
Yes, not to be flip, but my whole life has given me experiences
to write about.
8. How would you describe your writing style?
Which writers or books is your writing similar to?
I would describe it as conversational. I like to write as
if I am talking to the reader. I suppose if I compared myself to other
writers they would be Tony Hillerman, or possibly Clive Cussler.
9. What challenges did you overcome in the
writing of this book?
Thinking through where I want the book to end up at the beginning
of the writing process. Also being conscious of using the same words too
many times. And, not the least of the challenges is thinking how to write
so that the reader will clearly understand my thoughts as I express them in
written words.
10. If people can buy or read one book this
week or month, why should it be yours?
I found the thought process I went through to be able to
understand myself in the sense of why I see the world as I do was very
enlightening for me. I would be pleased to know that my book encouraged
others to spend time thinking about the various influences on their lives and
the resulting decisions they made, consciously or not, to take certain paths in
life.
About The Author: I received an MBA from Georgia State
University, worked while in college for private industry as well as
government. I spent three years in the U. S. Army, commissioned as an
officer from the Officer Candidate School at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. I
had a career following that in higher education. That career covered
being at three universities, and being an administrative and business vice
president at all three in addition to being the chief financial officer at
one. Now I am enjoying writing. My first book is So, You Want To
Be A Leader, Secrets of a Lifetime of Success, and my second book, this
one, is Breadcrumbs. I’m currently working on my third book, a science
fiction novel, with the working title, Ghost Flower. I’m at the
halfway mark on that one. I would like to have it published later this
year, or first of next year. For more information, please see: williamfmerck.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.
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