1. What inspired you to write this book? My mom had grown accustomed to living alone after my dad's death. Despite mobility issues, she managed well until a freak home accident caused things to start to unravel. Her physical well-being gradually declined as her frustration and anger at her circumstances increased. Much of the anger was directed at me, who as the oldest of her children, was her primary go-to. For a long time, Mom chose to believe that she didn't really need rehab and insisted that I take her home. I struggled to find a way to help her with her physical and financial challenges and thought it might be useful to share my experience with others.
2.
What exactly is it about and who is it written for? This very personal
book describes the difficult and heartbreaking journey, complicated by
significant financial challenges, legal issues, the complexities of the
healthcare systems, and family drama. The experience illustrates how important
it is to have open discussions about end-of-life desires with your family
members, to review finances, and to make and document plans. Not talking about
these things doesn't cause them to go away, it just makes it harder to deal
with them. Ultimately, much to her profound disappointment, the reality of
mom's physical condition, together with her financial limitations, made her
desire to go home unattainable. We all
age and/or have loved ones who are aging.
The book is written for people who are contemplating plans for their own
aging or helping others through that process.
3. What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book? I hope readers will come to understand that aging is difficult, that no one has a magic wand to stop it, and that it is important to plan to the extent possible, considering a variety of health and financial “what if” scenarios. And that even with good plans, you can expect things to change dynamically. Above all, try not to blame yourself when things go awry if you’ve done your best.
4. How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design? My mom’s common refrain for the last year of her life was “I just want to be at home, sit in my chair, and look out the window.” Hence, the title “Mom Just Wants to Go Home,” and the cover picturing an elderly woman looking out the window seemed the best way to describe and illustrate what was within.
5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers – other than run!? While I do host a blog, this was my first book. My advice to others is simple. Write about what you know and what you are passionate about. If you stray away from what you know, your readers will see through that very quickly.
6. What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading? The publishing world has morphed from primarily print to digital. Authors now need to consider whether to publish their content in print form, digital form, or both. This complicates marketing and pricing decisions, as well as distribution plans. I expect the industry to continue to evolve away from print.
7. Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book? The book was written about a very specific time in my mom’s life and in my life as I tried to help her, so yes, the book was entirely personal. I spent my career working at companies serving libraries, so turning to writing was very natural.
8. How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to? My style is conversational and simple. I try to be authentic and take a common sense, pragmatic approach to what I have to say. I’ll have to leave it to others to tell me if my writing is similar to another author’s writing.
9. What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book? While this book lived in my head until I got it down on paper, I knew that my mom and dad would likely have objected to it. The book is intensely personal and sharing personal experiences outside the family was something they frowned on. While it troubled me to go ahead knowing how they would have felt, I concluded that the potential for this to be useful to others outweighed this concern. And the book certainly did not diminish their life accomplishments and value.
10. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours? None of us can escape aging. Given that, the book has some relevance to just about everyone. It’s a fast read and very reasonably priced. All proceeds are going to the Kymberly J Harris Scholarship in Long-Term Care Administration at the University of South Florida’s School of Aging Studies. Kym was my younger sister and a former nursing home administrator.
Need
Book Marketing 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 over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in
all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!
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About Brian Feinblum
Brian Feinblum should be followed on LinkedIn. 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, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The
Writer and IBPA’s The Independent. This
award-winning blog has generated over 3.4 million pageviews. With 4,600+ 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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