Interview With Author Dr. Olapeju Simoyan

 

1. What inspired you to write this book? In 2023, I released Peju Sings! The Little Drummer Boy and Other Christmas Favorites - an album of 13 Christmas carols.  That December, I attended an event where we were given handouts that had the story behind "O Holy Night," and found the story fascinating. I was immediately inspired to research the stories behind the other songs on my album and write a book, so I did and published it in 2024. A second edition was released in October 2025.    

2. What exactly is it about — and who is it written for? The book tells the stories behind 13 Christmas songs and includes information about the composers, lyricists and translators. The stories are told in an easy-to-read format without too much detail. Interestingly, I found out that some aspects of the story of "O Holy Night" that are commonly repeated as facts have either been debunked or are not verifiable.  There are also aspects of the "Silent Night" story that have been questioned. I discuss some of these in the book. The book is for anyone who likes Christmas music and who is interested in how these songs originated and the people who created them.  

3. What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book? I hope people will be inspired by these stories. The songs are inspirational in and of themselves, but I believe that learning about the lives of the people behind them can help us appreciate them even more. 

4. How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design? The title was taken from " The Little Drummer Boy." I like the message of that song. There's much more to life than how much money we have. We all have something to give - and our best is good enough. I believe our talents and resources are gifts from God and we can use them to bless others and make the world a better place. The cover design is based on the cover picture of the CD, with the addition of a few ornaments and the Drummer Boy - depicted by a rag doll which I created. 

5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers – other than run!? I would say run towards your dreams! It’s relatively easy to self-publish these days. If you really want to write, just start. Work with a coach if you can for the first book, and after that you should be able to do it on your own. There are lots of resources on YouTube that are very helpful and you can learn so much about writing and self-publishing. There are also several support groups for independent writers on Facebook. I have learned so much since I started self- publishing and I look forward to publishing more books.

6. What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading? I think more people are getting into self- publishing and that's a good thing. The ability to self-publish means people don't have to spend years trying to get one book published. I have so many books inside of me and I can't afford to spend several years waiting for each one to come to life, so it's nice to be able to set my own timelines. I'm sure there are many other authors who are like me in this respect. 

7. Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book? As a physician who is interested in the connections between medicine and music (and the arts in general), I had the opportunity to attend the International Association of Music and Medicine's conference in Berlin, Germany last year (2024). I decided to make a brief visit to the Silent Night Museum and Chapel near Salzburg in Austria on my way to the conference. Even though the book was almost ready for publication by then, I was able to include some pictures that I took in the book.  

As an addiction medicine physician, during this past Christmas season, I led group sessions with patients where I told some of the stories in the book and led them in singing carols. 

As I told the stories, I highlighted some of the difficulties that the people in the stories experienced, and how those challenges didn't hold them back. An example is John Sullivan Dwight, the translator of " O Holy Night," who suffered from panic attacks and had to step down from being a minister as a result. He ended up becoming a music critic and started a music journal. It was while doing research for his journal that he found the poem that he translated into " O Holy Night." This is just one of several examples in the book. Jose Feliciano, the composer of Feliz Navidad, was born blind, something I wasn't aware of prior to writing the book. 

8. How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is
your writing similar to?   I really enjoy storytelling and try to write in a way that appeals to a wide audience. I like to think that my approach is unique and I see my work as building bridges, working at the intersections of art and faith and science and faith. 

9. What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book? Writing the book was enjoyable. Unfortunately, publishing it was not! Because I self-publish and had only a few months to get it published on time for the holidays, the publishing process was challenging and frustrating at times.  It all worked out in the end, thank God. The first edition was published in November 2024, just before Thanksgiving. A second edition of the book was just released in October this year (2025). You may wonder why a second edition already?  Well, this one has a foreword written by Dr Mary Rorro, the Chair of the Music and Medicine Committee of the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA), of which I am a member. I had also written an essay about Christmas caroling and making up some of the lyrics to parts of songs and decided to include it in a postscript.    

10. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours? Christmas may be over for this year, but the good news is that it comes every year, so the material in the book is "evergreen!" It is easy to read, and the stories can inspire readers, including those who don't celebrate Christmas, all year - round. Also, the ability to share the story behind a song during a future caroling session will add a special touch and make the experience extra meaningful.   

About The Author: Dr. Olapeju Simoyan (a.k.a. The Doctor Writer and The Doctor Singer) is an addiction medicine physician, professor and longtime advocate for the intersection of art and science. She helped establish medical  humanities programs at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine and Reading Hospital, and has served as editor of several literary journals. She combines her writing and photography in The Amazing World of Butterflies and Giraffes are Amazing. Her other books include the devotional Living Foolproof! Wisdom for Daily Living and the academic memoir Girls Become Doctors and Much More. Along with Dr. William Santoro, she co-authored Navigating the Methadone Maze: A Guide for Patients and Professionals. Author website: https://thedoctorwriter.com/

 

 

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About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over 5,400,000 page views. With 5,500+ posts over the past 14 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.”  Copyright 2026.

 

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/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum