Issa
is a civil rights attorney, writer, researcher, and traveler. His work revolves
around law, society, and spirituality, often learning to maneuver cultural
intersections with different opinions and views of our world.
1. What inspired you to write this book?
I would say three main points. One, I wanted to
write about a journey, because it feels like that’s what life is. I also wanted
to explore the idea of conflicts… conflicts in our lives, on individual and
global levels. It’s as if we just don’t know how to help each other, how to
find solutions. And third, hope, making effort, persistence, because we have to
keep at it, but I think too often we give up on ourselves and each other.
In large part, these ideas started out with my
work. I work as an attorney on criminal defense and civil rights issues, and
over the years I have come across cases that just don’t make sense – we are
prone to punishing the ‘little guy’ over stupid misdemeanors, pushing people
deeper into poverty, instead of looking for productive solutions. On the other end
of the spectrum, we have violent conflicts in various parts of the world. I’m
convinced that everybody – everybody – loses in a war. There is no winning. So,
I wanted to write about a person who is pushed to help, and persists at it.
2. What exactly is it about and who is it
written for?
From one perspective, it’s about that
journey. The story is about Asant, and his decisions. It starts with him and a
friend planning and then attempting a bank robbery.
From another perspective, it’s about desperation,
fear, seeking redemption, and us humans looking for help.
Asant flees his country out of fear, but like
many of us, he is also seeking to find his way, and to find redemption. So
fear, and desperation, force him to take that step and to start thinking about
doing good.
I would say it’s story written for those of us
questioning our own lives, our own journeys, and the world around us.
3. What do you hope readers will get out of
reading your book?
As a reader myself, I often find that I get
something different from a given book than another reader might. So I think
it’s hard to know what a story will deliver or how it will be received. That
said, I hope Attempts encourages a few of us to acknowledge that it’s more
beneficial to intend and do good, and to persist with that, than to resort to
punishment and violence.
4. How did you decide on your book’s title
and cover design?
The process of deciding on a title is
interesting. With this book, at first it was Attempted Robbery. A couple of
friends, however, expressed to me that although the story starts with that, it
is not about that. Those friends also commented that a title like Attempted
Robbery would build a different expectation for them as readers. One follow-up
suggestion was Consequences. This was certainly closer to what the book is
about – i.e. consequences of our actions. In the end, I decided on Attempts
because I wanted to convey effort and persistence. I also wanted to contrast
between the not-so-good attempts, such as theft, with that of attempts to do
good.
5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have
for fellow writers – other than run!?
I think that’s funny. I would say stick to
it, if you enjoy it of course. I think writing is amazing. It can be fun if you
allow yourself to have fun with it. It can be liberating, adventurous, scary,
even therapeutic. But, make sure joy stays as the top priority.
6. What trends in the book world do you see
-- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading?
This is a tough question for me. I’m not
sure. There are so many great books, so first thank you to the authors and the
people helping authors along the way. It’s great that we have writing to
exchange ideas, experiences, and facts about our world. By the same token, I
think in part it is a tough industry to navigate; but, in a way it’s also a fun
experience learning how to reach the readers who would enjoy your story. Where
it’s heading, especially with AI coming into the picture, I don’t know. I would
have to think about it a bit because there are so many factors and avenues
involved today, such as the various social media apps, digital formats and
outlets, and numerous marketers and marketing techniques. With all that said, I
suspect, and this is coming from a new author, that the core will remain the
same – that is finding and connecting with those readers who find your writing
beneficial in some way, be it fiction or nonfiction.
7. Were there experiences in your personal life
or career that came in handy when writing this book?
Absolutely. Some from my work, some from
everyday encounters, some from travels. In one trip, for example, while
visiting an oasis, I encountered a couple of members of a local tribe, wearing
traditional garb. We spoke for a few minutes. They came across tremendously
kind, wise, confident, and I felt lucky and honored to have met them. There are
a couple of sections in Attempts where I tried to incorporate this encounter
and experience.
To
take it a bit further, I would add my experiences as an attorney and also in
regards to conflicts, or even moments when I maybe angry at something or when I
choose confrontation. I have a few lessons from those moments that I tried to
include in the story. Moments, perhaps lucky moments, when I managed to
reconsider my perspective and chose an alternative approach than what my
initial reaction would have been.
8. How would you describe your writing style?
Which writers or books is your writing similar to?
I like to think it’s simple and to the
point. As to similarities, I dare only admire but not compare.
9. What challenges did you overcome in the
writing of this book?
Imagination is a lot of fun, but it’s a
challenge to put images and thoughts into words. Sometimes the mind is too fast
and my fingers are too slow. Or when I find myself questioning where the story
is heading. So, I would say a challenge has been to follow the motto of ‘just
write’ and don’t think or question too much. Just write.
10. If people can buy or read one book this
week or month, why should it be yours?
Some of the feedback I received mentioned
thought-provoking, journey, and captivating story. So I would say, do read it
because it is a unique story with magical realism elements that delve into
current social issues and questions. And it leaves us with hope.
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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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