Interview With Author AW Schade

1.     What exactly is it about, and who is it written for? A father loses his nine-year-old daughter and goes looking for proof that he will see her again. He travels through religion, science, doubt, love, anger, and grief. It is for anyone who has lost someone, questioned what they once believed, or had to rebuild a life they no longer recognized. It is also a journey from faith.  

2.     What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book? I do not want to tell readers what to believe. I want them to walk beside Jacob long enough to start asking their own questions. If they finish the book feeling less alone, or looking at life a little differently, then I accomplished what I hoped to do.  

3.     How did you decide on your book's title and cover design? A mosaic is a picture made from broken pieces and that became the heart of the story. Jacob's life shatters, and the question is not whether he can put the old picture back together, but whether he can create something meaningful from what remains.  

4.     What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers, other than run!? Write the thing that scares you a little. Write what you know emotionally, not just intellectually. And do not polish the life out of it trying to make every sentence perfect.  

5.     What trends in the book world do you see, and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading? Readers have more power than ever, and ‘indie’ authors have more challenges having to compete against AI. With keen marketing a book can now find its audience through book clubs, audiobooks, online communities, reviewers, and simple word of mouth without waiting for a traditional gatekeeper. I think the books that survive will still be the ones that make people feel something strongly enough to tell someone else.  

6.     Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book? Absolutely. I was a Vietnam combat Marine, bank branch manager, and spent 28 years at IBM. I have lived long enough to experience loss, doubt, love, regret, and second chances. Jacob is fictional, but I understand the battles inside him. In many ways, I was Jacob. I know his pain.  

7.     What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book? The hardest part was refusing to hide from the emotions. Grief can become a melodrama very quickly, so I kept asking myself whether Jacob's pain felt true. Some scenes were difficult because they came closer to my own life than I expected.  

8.     If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours? Because sooner or later life asks almost all of us the questions Jacob is forced to answer. What happens when someone we love is gone? What do we believe then? The Shattered Mosaic lets you wrestle with those questions through someone else's heartbreak before, or after, life asks them of you.

 

Marketing Help?

Brian Feinblum can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your 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! 

 

About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over 10, 850,000 page views. With over 5,700+ posts over the past 15 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 2026, 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) and (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/10-things-my-dog-taught-me-about-marketing-books). 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, three times at BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association, Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, five times at Morgan James Publishing Red Carpet, 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