Interview With Author Dianne Ebertt Beeaff

1. What inspired you to write this book?  The property Infinite Paradise is the focus of has been in my family for nearly seventy years. As so much of our natural world has been or is being destroyed, I wanted in some small way to bring attention to what remains. Nature has so much to offer, to tell us and give us, especially in troubling times. It is my hope that my experiences will inspire others to look to the natural world to combat stress, heal the human spirit, and foster new and calming perspectives on life. The complexity, beauty, and power of the natural world is available to any reader who stays open to the splendid lifeforms among which they live.  

2. What exactly is it about — and who is it written for?  Infinite Paradise transports readers to a serene sixteen-acre forest and water meadow along the Conestogo River in Southern Ontario, Canada, offering a season-by-season account of its wildlife and ecological wonders.  It is my hope that it would appeal to adults and young adults of diverse interests.   

3. What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book?  It is my hope that the stories in Infinite Paradise will transcend the personal space from which they come, move past the subjective to touch the collective spirit, that readers will find their own, however small, healing portion of nature’s paradise, and realize that though we've lost much of the natural world there are still many riches left.  

4. How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design? Some years ago, I travelled to Costa Rica for a yoga retreat. Each of the counters in the San Jose airport had a posting that said:  "Infinite  Paradise, Costa Rica for all Seasons.” I was already working on the cottage book at the time, and as my mother always referred to the place as Paradise, Infinite Paradise seemed the perfect title for the book. The subtitle, Witnessing the Wild seemed to state the book's focus more clearly.  Having enjoyed the cottage for many, many years myself, I already knew that experiences there are infinite. The cover was designed by the publishers cover designer team and I thought it made the book more accessible than using a specific photo from the property itself. 

5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers –other than run!?   I don't subscribe to most 'advice' about writing and the writing life as the subject is especially subjective. I would say though that I have     always subscribed to the maxim of "Practice, Patience, and Persistence" in no particular order, if you want, or rather need, to become a writer.  

6. What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading? I think various genres will rotate in coming to the fore of contemporary writing. With publishing houses becoming more and more pockets in huge corporations I think too that publishing will continue to be dominated by celebrity books of one sort or another. This means to me that you have to write what you need to write, not what is trendy at the moment.   

7. Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book? The entire book actually came from my personal experiences.  

8. How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to?   This is always a difficult question for me. I don't really know whose writing mine is similar to and my style actually changes   depending on what I'm writing.  

9. What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book?  Usually, the hardest part of writing to me is a first draft. In the case of Infinite Paradise, the first draft was done with the use of my journals and those of my dad regarding the cottage land. The biggest challenge then was to deal with the time-consuming nature of the work with regard to other parts of life and living and to limit the information included in the book as I always want to tell readers everything! 

10. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours? We are living in especially challenging times. I feel Infinite Paradise can be a sort of balm against the stresses of contemporary living, helping people deal with things a little more peacefully. There's a calmness in being in nature and bringing it into your life in whatever way you can to soothe the human spirit.  

About The Author: Dianne Ebertt Beeaff has written professionally for many years beginning with magazine journalism. Her books include two memoirs A Grand Madness, Ten Years on the Road with U2, and the sequel A Grand Madness, U2 Twenty Years After, Homecoming, a book of poetry, Spirit Stones, Unraveling the Megalithic Mysteries of Western Europe’s Prehistoric Monuments, Power’s Garden, an historical fiction novel, and On Traigh Lar Beach, a short story collection, and a nature memoir, Infinite Paradise, Witnessing the Wild. Dianne’s work and blog can be found on her website www.debeeaff.wordpress.com and on Instagram. She lives in Tucson, Arizona with her husband, Dan.

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About Brian Feinblum

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For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity 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.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully). He was recently interviewed by the IBPA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0BhO9m8jbs

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

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. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

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.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/