Sunday, July 26, 2009

"My Quest in Search of Me" FREE lecture, Fort Worth, Texas


FREE lecture in Fort Worth, Texas with author, public speaker and Internet talk show host, Bobby Ozuna

“My Quest in Search of Me—Creating True Success by Utilizing your God-given Gifts”


If you wish to learn how to best utilize the gifts and talents God has bestowed upon your life, to discover “reason” and “purpose” for your life, you will not want to miss this lecture!

Focus on this lecture will come from the six key concepts and sections of my new book, “My Quest in Search of Me—Creating True Success by Utilizing Your God-given Gifts.” My vision for this book and my lecture(s) is to offer insight into how you present your gifts to the world, thereby creating success by allowing God to open doors for your opportunities. By learning to understand the process of creating success, with a serving spirit, you will discover purpose and reason for your life and become available to greater opportunities on your journey. By understanding your life’s journey, you will be better prepared to deal with the struggle that comes with pursuing a dream.

“You are writing the story of your life, by living the story of your life.” ~Bobby Ozuna


Lecture Outline:

Introduction with a story about “The Boy and His Garden”
I. The Vision—Who are you in relation to your gifts?
II. Your Goals—Learn the concepts of “creating” success
III. Planning & Preparation—Study to show thyself approved
IV. Doing the Work—the theory of “invisible results”
V. Building Credibility—Establishing Your “Brand”
VI. Giving “it” Back—the Serving Spirit for the soul of humanity
Session closes with open Q & A with audience

*The concepts and approach for this lecture deal with creating true and lasting success, based on biblical teachings and the philosophy of the serving spirit.*

Seating Is Limited!!!

Event Date: Friday, August 7th | 7PM ~ 9PM CST
Event Location: The Holiday Inn Express (Fossil Creek) “Meeting Room”
6351 North Freeway, Fort Worth, Texas 76131 | 817-234-9033
RSVP: via email to bobby@ozunapub.com








Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Author Melissa Williams featured on Houston Channel 2

I am always happy when someone I know accomplishes something great for the sake of their art. Today, my dear and special friend Melissa M. Williams, author of the children chapter-book series, Iggy the Iguana, was featured on Houston's Channel 2 news.

If you ever wanted to truly learn how to accomplish great tasks, from an independent author/publisher perspective, I would highly recommend you watch and mimic the business approach to author branding by Melissa Williams. She not only works to incorporate her audience in every story she writes, but she markets herself--not to other authors like many people do--but on the contrary, solely to students, school faculty and parents. By understanding her market, her vision and goals for her literary future and by honoring God in her efforts to give back to the children of her Houston (Texas and beyond) followers, Melissa has been able to create huge book sales and a serious fan base.

I speak from experience when I say too many times authors spend an excess amount of time performing online marketing and social networking, and although this aspect is critical in branding and marketing yourself effectively, you have to learn to work beyond your comfort zone and get right in the face of your audience. Having an educational background in professional counseling, Melissa felt inclined to serve the reader community by incorporating strong values, lessons, and morals in her stories and especially her characters. Each animal character takes on human traits (in a non-human world) and the students (animals) struggle with some of the same pressures our children face everyday--acceptance, bullying and friendship.

I have seen her work and learned more from her than any other author. I have watched her work beyond mere authorship and work her publishing company--LongTale Publishing--into a brand that represents and stands for children's literature. She works with librarians, teachers and school administrators to schedule school visits, lectures and (of course) book signings. She teaches children about the importance of pursuing a dream and following through with your vision by setting goals. Having dreamed of creating stories about her own childhood pets, Melissa shows our youth how your background, experiences and simple life happenings, can turn into a future if you work hard, study and stay focused on your goals.

Earlier this summer Melissa launched the first of many children's writing and illustrations camps in the Houston area. Her illustrator came down from New York to help her in a week long workshop designed to spark, nurture and enhance the minds of young and future artists. She has worked to develop a line of Iggy the Iguana stuffed dolls, t-shirts, online videos and more. And to incorporate her soon-to-release sequel, Summer League, Melissa will feature baseball cards depicting every character from her Iggy series.



Be sure to follow the URL below and watch her recent interview from Houston's local Channel 2 news. Last week she was featured in the Houston Chronicle at the local youth baseball park--the Tomball to help announce the release of the sequal, Summer League!

Watch Melissa on Houston's Channel 2 News

Read the Houston Chronicle Feature Interview

You can view Melissa's complete profile, find contact information, upcoming tour dates and news on LongTale Publishing's official homepage.  Also, be sure to connect with her online to learn about her upcoming workshop in the Houston area, where she will teach others how to create success by writing and publishing children's literature.




...supporting the independent arts...

~Bobby Ozuna


Monday, July 20, 2009

"The Story Behind the Story"--July 19th, 2009


"The Story Behind the Story, an Author Interviewed" Q & A session is my new measure to help the world of independent authors and publishers. If you have released your own book and are looking for ways to promote your efforts, your book and your soul as the creator of your work, contact me HERE to book your online interview on this blog, "Drawing Stories...With Words."


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Introducing author Celia Hayes...




Q. Let's start by introducing yourself...
A. 
I am Celia Hayes; I am a retired Air Force radio and television broadcast technician, who lives in San Antonio. I am a long-time blogger, and contribute to a handful of blogs as an essayist and book and movie reviewer … among other things
Q. What is the title of your book?
A.  It’s actually three books – The Adelsverein Trilogy, which tell a continuous story, although all three are self-contained and can be read individually. But they are a bit like potato chips; it seems that readers just can’t stop at one


Q. What genre is your book? Who is your audience?
A. 
Historical fiction, although if you bend down and squint sideways in a certain light, they can pass as Westerns, being as they are set on the mid-19th century Texas frontier. The Trilogy is about the German settlements in the Texas Hill Country, so my initial audience is … well, everyone in Gillespie County who will want a copy to see if I have mentioned their ancestors. For the larger audience – anyone who loves a ripping good yarn about adventure on the American frontier.

Q. In 150 words or less, what’s your book about?
A. 
About the German-established communities, in the Hill Country, the entrepreneur scheme called the Mainzer Adelsverein, who essentially dumped 7,000 German farmers, small craftsmen and intellectuals onto the Texas frontier, and how those who survived the experience settled Gillespie, Kerr and Kendal Counties, built towns, lives and families, endured through the Civil War, prospered afterwards, and essentially became American. I did not actually have to make up very much out of my imagination – just the family that I wrote about and some of what happened to them – because what is recorded in historical documents about what happened to those settlers was completely fascinating, as dramatic as anything. One of my early fans called it “Barsetshire with cypress trees and lots of sidearms”. Oh, and cows. Lots of cows.

Q: Apart from being an author, who are you in relation to your gifts?
A.  I am a story-teller, if anything; I have an affinity for drama, I can read people well, and then create characters out of thin air, a handful of qualities and my own imagination … and I love history. History gives us hope, reassurance, and a pattern to guide us in dark times and when we are in doubt.

Q: Of all the stories you could have written…why did you choose to write this particular book?
A.  I had finished my first novel, “To Truckee’s Trail”, which was about a wagon train party, the first to bring wagons over the Sierra Nevada. They came two years before the Donner Party, also got lost, stuck in the snow, had to break up into separate groups – but they all survived – a great story, which practically no one has ever heard of. I was casting around for what to write about next, and had narrowed it down to something about the 19th century frontier (I already had all the reference books!) and I was comfortable writing 19th-century speech, and didn’t want to write about something which was already well known. So, I was racking my brains: dramatic story, American frontier, 19th century, and I slapped my forehead and realized I lived just down the road from a great and relatively unknown story – the German settlers, around Fredericksburg, with the Comanche peace treaty and all. It was going to be originally just one book, but I started to find out so much material when I started researching that I just had to go on with it.

Q: How much of your personal psyche, your struggle and your insecurities are hidden within the characters of this particular story? (Please elaborate)
A.  I have been kind of amused by the irony that I have written very movingly about happy and loving marriages, but was never married, myself. Kind of like Jane Austin, I guess – never married, never seriously courted, but wrote so charmingly and endearingly about it all. I also have had a very strong relationship with my father, and with my brothers, so some of that comes through, I think; father-son, father-daughter, and brother-sister relationships are a very strong element in the Trilogy. And I write about strong women, who still have to deal with having responsibility thrown onto them, who sometimes don’t feel quite up to the challenge of it, who do have doubts about themselves, feel their own limitations, or feel a little resentful because they are not conventionally pretty, or perhaps don’t conform to the expectations that they think others have of them.

Q. Apart from writing stories, in which direction do you see your career heading and what will you bring to the literary world outside producing new stories.
A.  Well, I do love telling stories – especially those stories which no one really knows too much about. I think I am pretty well hooked on historical fiction; it’s how most people know about our past – and it’s absolutely essential that people know about where we came from, and how our ancestors (real and metaphorical) coped. So I also try to be absolutely faithful to the historical record – to the point where my books can be sold through historical museum bookstores. All that, and tell a ripping good yarn, too; Which is really not very hard, because real history is full of just straight-up and incredible stories and characters.

Q. Who would you say is your literary mentor?
A.  If anyone – Rudyard Kipling; he told terrific stories, and wrote sympathetically about an incredibly wide range of characters. More recently, I suppose George McDonald Fraser, of the “Flashman” series – ripping good yarns, but seriously researched – to the point of having historical footnotes and notes in the back of the book.

Q. What has been your greatest inner struggle to overcome with relation to your literary career?
A. 
To finish stuff; I am, or was, the most awfully lazy person about finishing projects. I would get bored and lose interest and go on to something else. I’m just rather astonished that I’ve been able to finish projects like the Trilogy. It has as many words as the Lord of The Rings. There is another blogger that I read regularly, who speculates that the discipline of blogging regularly, and over a long period of time is good for someone thinking of tackling a bigger project. He may be on to something there; I finished the Trilogy in a little over two years, and now am outlining and researching another series of books…

Q. What words would you like to leave the world when you are gone?
A.  Never forget where you came from. Never


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Celia Hayes Homepage

Celia's Blog

Connect with Celia on Twitter

Connect with Celia on Facebook

Other URL's...

http://www.ncobrief.com/

http://historical-fiction.thedeepening.com/

http://podbram.blogspot.com/




Thursday, July 16, 2009

Get your name on "the list."

"The Quest of the Independent Author"--July 16th, 2009


If you would like to put your name on "the list" to be notified of advanced orders for my new non-fiction book, "The Quest of the Independent Author" please send an email here. When we are ready to begin taking orders, we will notify you via email and you will receive a discount on the total cost of the book, prior to it's release. The preliminary release is scheduled for Winter of 2009.

You can read the (unedited) copy of the Introduction here. This book is designed to help cultivate your God given gifts, teaching you how to create true lasting success in the literary business and guide you through the struggle to find your place with relation to your gifts.

~Bobby Ozuna





"Drawing the Story"--July 15th, 2009

"Drawing the Story"--July 15th, 2009

When working to develop your storyline or character for your new fiction novel, be sure to ask yourself six fundamental questions to ensure you are creating characters and conflict that is easily identified by an audience, thereby hooking the reader. Remember to ask yourself: Who, What, When, Where, Why & How.

For reasons beyond my understanding, it seems character development is an overly dramatized topic in the fiction industry. I think many people--and I have been guilty of this in the past--try too hard to over analyze the "rules" for developing real fictional characters. Some say you should start by creating an outline, others say you should draft a character style sheet and others say this and still others say that. I have an easy method, which stems from our early literary learnings in grade-school, that if applied, can help add depth within your characters.

Let's try some practical application using our creative minds, not our editorial perspective. Consider this very simple scenario I have drawn below for practice.

There is a young man sitting in the lobby of a hotel.

If this simple sentence above were the best you could conjure within your creative measures, let's apply those six simple and fundamental questions to the scene and start drafting greater details to the storyline and character. This is a perfect exercise you can try on your own, either with my starting sentence or with the opening of your next great novel.

Who:  Ask yourself, who is this man? The sentence says he is a "young" man. How old is he? Is he a teenage man, or possibly mid-thirties? Who is he? Do we know when your story opens? Who is telling his story? Is it him or the narrator? Do we have to wait to find out? Is he going to be the hero (protagonist) or the villian (antagonist) of the story?

What:  Ask yourself, what is he doing here? What is he waiting on? What happened to him five minutes before he walked in the door? What is waiting for him, just outside the hotel? What's he reading? What's he watching? What's he wearing?

When:  For this aspect, you can start adding backdrop to the story, by perhaps, adding a timeframe. When does the story take place? When did this young man arrive? When was he expecting someone?

Where:  Where does this story take place? Where is the hotel? Is it familiar to you? Is it familiar to your audience? Is is some place new in the world you are going to introduce to the audience, like a fantasy world far, far away? Where was the young man before he arrived? Where was he going before he arrived?

Why:  Why is he here? Why do we not know him? Why did his parents leave him, or his wife leave him or why did he just lose his job at the hotel? Why is he sad or happy or why is he reading a particular map while smoking a cigar?

How:  The last thing you should as is the how. How did this person get to where he is? How will he accomplish the task that you, the author, have set before him? How will the world receive him? How will he find the strength to go on?

By learning how to think beyond the scope of literary rules and outlines and guidelines and instead remember to ask yourself these six basic and fundamental questions, you can develop an entire history, backdrop and future for a character and storyline that is only limited by your ability to wonder. You are the creator of your own art. You have to remember to be witty, charismatic, passionate, romantic, mean, soft, sweet, polite, rude and every possible quality that is common to human beings on this planet. By encompassing those common human emotions into your characer development, you are thereby allowing an audience to relate and identify with your character. And that, is what makes a character believable. That is what moves an audience.

Try using the simple sentence I have provided and apply the six rules and share your brief story introduction here on this blog. Be as creative as you wish! (Let's keep it PG-13 please!)

...drawing stories...with words...
~Bobby Ozuna






Monday, July 13, 2009

"The Quest of the Independent Author"--Introduction (sample)

Here I share a sample chapter from my new non-fiction book: "The Quest of the Independent Author." My hope is that you find encouragement, hope, and enlightenment to follow the course of your heart in relation to your literary endeavors. Please, share this will as many people as you wish. You can expect this book to release this year.
If you have questions, comments or feedback, please, share them here on this blog. Don't forget to Subscribe and if you will, forward this blog article to someone you know--someone who may need to hear these words to keep moving forward.

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If I had to sum up the heart of the struggle in pursuit of a dream, those words are said best by Mr. Jeff Olson, author of “The Slight Edge, Secret to a Successful Life when he said, “Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal…[which] means success is a process, not a destination.” In dealing with the agony and often overwhelming heartache that accompanies any venture outside the normality’s of everyday life, the concept of success can seem elusive and perhaps even reserved for a select few—but not for all. If we considered the people who dared to dream higher than the clouds, to create a life many would only dream of themselves, one can’t help but wonder what special tricks or magic they performed to get there. What did these people do or what did they know, learn or acquire that helped them arrive at the top of this mystical mountain called success?

As an independent author and publisher I wanted to know—as a man and as an artist I had to know—the answer to that very question so I could apply it into my own life. Like all people in search of something different I tried to bypass the inevitable—the struggle that accompanies any quest towards enlightenment and absolution. But as I have learned through my walk with the Lord, and my venture within the realm of independent publishing—it is simply not possible to create anything lasting, anything of value and of substance apart from the struggle. There is no such thing as an overnight success. That concept is an illusion. Instead, what exists is overnight news. You might hear of someone accomplishing something great overnight. The news of their deeds might be spread overnight, but their accomplishments, contrary to what you may think—did not happen overnight. These people you hear of simply chose to make something of the life they were given, utilizing the gifts they were given, and in time they created success—one day at a time, one step at a time. That journey to the top of the mystical mountain of success is called the struggle. And in order to obtain the goals you have set before your life, utilizing what has been given within your life, you must first accept the call to partake on the journey of life. And yes, there will be struggle. But like any great tale of victory…there is always light at the end of the tunnel. There is always hope.

It is the struggle that humbles you to the point where you can appreciate what you have earned. It is the struggle that forces you to determine whether you truly want that which you seek to find, build, create and establish in your life. There is no testimony, or evidence of our existence without a test. There is no victory without adversity and a character cannot change within a story or tale without first partaking on a journey. Artists I believe, appreciate this concept more than any other type of human on this planet. Artists are soul-searching beings who in an attempt to discover truths about themselves, take on the emotions of the world around them; like a sponge they absorb the very spirit of the people closest to them. And as we work to discover the truths about our own existence, artists ironically, become overwhelmed with grief and joy together and have no choice but to expel those feelings into a creative outlet. We are as blessed as we are cursed by the spirits of the world around us. We view things most people will ignore, hear sounds and whispers most people can’t hear and are in tune with a flowing force of life that most people simply miss. The author Julia Cameron explained this best when she said, “Artists are visionaries. We routinely practice a form of faith, seeing clearly and moving toward a creative goal that shimmers in the distance—often visible to us, but invisible to those around us.”

Artists are not stagnant creatures, lifeless as a pond, but free flowing waters, always on the move whether in our life or within the depths of our minds, pushing towards a greater body of water. We will never conform or never be comfortable unless we are moving towards the creative struggle that brings about our true spirit—our true identity. There is a balance we seek within our soul that draws us towards this struggle. It is the heart of the artist’s spirit in relation to their journey that is captured within their art—the deep shadows within the paintings, the sadness and joy within the music, the triumph within their stories and the cultured beauty and understanding within their poetry. Because of the roads we have traveled—those purposed before us and those we have walked for our own selfish reasons—and our common understanding of human struggle—we are thereby truly able to identify with a greater mass of people. This connection is accomplished when we strip ourselves of rules and guidelines, procedures and worldly stipulations and instead live freely as we were meant to live—as we were once called to live.

People with an entrepreneurial spirit, small business owners, inventors and especially artists all seem to share a common attribute—they either want or expect more for their life or have a voice within them, a spirit of calling, which never lets them conform to the world around them. They are different in everything they do, how they do it and how they perceive the world. And despite a world of troubles, they seem to face greater adversity for simply daring to dream. I have come to believe the artists of the world suffer greater than most, not because they are any more special, but because they serve as special purpose in the soul of the world. They are the people who add life to the cultures of every society. The musicians and singers are the songs by which the cultures are celebrated. The writers and poets are the voice of the people and their times. The painters and sculptors draw the worlds and icons that identify that people. Artists teach us how to dance and how to laugh and how to imagine a world beyond the scope of our surroundings. If you stripped a society naked of their artists, you would be left with a bleak world on a black and white canvas…without a voice…without a song…without a dance…and without the imagination to know what they are missing.

Where does the determination to overcome a guaranteed life of adversity come from? How does an artist find the strength to overcome? At what point do they begin creating success? That struggle has always fascinated me, partly because I am an artist myself. And more so, I believe the journey and the struggle shape the soul of the artist and in the course of the quest of our life we discover who we are. It is in the face of our true existence that we find the ability to overcome great obstacles and create a successful life despite the odds.

Everyone loves to read and share success stories. We pack into movie theaters or find perfectly comfortable settings within our homes to partake on the struggle and perseverance of everyday heroes on film. These people inspire us; they move us and spark inner curiosities within our own lives, about our own existence. In today’s society we forward emails about them and television hosts spotlight them before world-wide audiences to share, not so much the victory, but more so their struggle to overcome great odds.

In my own quest to find my place in the world within relation to the gifts and abilities God has bestowed upon my life, I have had to suffer many setbacks.  My personal studies in mythology, story-writing, character development and the Holy Bible (among many other works) have brought me to a place of greater understanding. To say I have found the final answer or absolute secret to creating success would not be true, for I am just a man. I am no better than anyone else, simply obedient in my faith and courageous (or foolish some might say) for sharing my story in hopes that it might become encouragement to you. Many people have written books about becoming successful. There are many “how-to” books on the market that fit that particular style. They are wonderful books which give us the steps—the to-do list—to help chart the pathway towards success. Although many of these books are helpful, I have found they did little to serve the spiritual or emotional concepts of creating true and lasting success. Yes, a to-do list or guide will help many of us, especially those who are self-motivated or driven by an inner desire to succeed. But, what about the rest of us? What about those of us who can read the signs but still need the method explained? What about those people who can follow the steps as they are outlined but fail to comprehend the purpose and validity behind the adversity between each step of the road? The purpose of this book—The Quest of the Independent Author—is to provide not just a simple how-to philosophy for achieving and accomplishing your dreams, especially in relation to your literary endeavors, but to include the often left out emotional and spiritual component that offers encouragement, hope, enlightenment and courage towards laying the foundation for a successful future.

You have purchased The Quest of the Independent Author because you have written a book I presume (or you are about to start or finish one) and you are on the cusp of venturing into the next stage of authorship—marketing, promoting and selling your book. My hope is that this book, the points to consider and the encouragement in example will become a blessing to every step and course in your journey. My hope is that my experiences, struggles and knowledge acquired will be a light to your path. I believe if you are better prepared emotionally—or procedurally—for the journey ahead, then you can better prepare for the practical—or how-to—methods that lead to creating long lasting literary success as an independent author or quite simply, as an artist and an individual.

            The book you are about to write or have written should be your passion, “your heart’s blood” as W. Somerset Maugham so eloquently put it. But to create a lasting life in the literary world, you must accept the notion that your book, your art—and all the aspects of your qualities, gifts and character—is and will become your business. The journey will be long; but so is “the rest of your life.” You’ve heard it said before [that] nothing worth having is easy and there is no celebration in earning a free gift. Trust me when I say, I couldn’t stand to hear that anymore than you when I was new in this business. But instead of focusing on that statement as a negative beacon to a long road ahead consider it the motivation and drive for understanding that your life is going to be different from those around you and because of that, harder at times than most. It’s the hard that makes it great however. It is the hard that makes it a challenge and in the end, it’s the struggle that validates the story others will share when they look to you and say, “Wow, they did it!”

Remember as the author Jeff Olson says, “success is a process…not the destination.” You are going to have to first stop weighing success as the finish line but instead see it as the entire race, the whole of the journey. It is then you will start to appreciate and begin enjoying the road instead of dreading the labor that comes with building a success filled future. If you spent a lifetime sharing your art and selling the passion of your soul, that at the end of the day would justify a life spent as an artist and prove you worthy of the gifts God has bestowed upon you.

            The Bible reminds us that every good and every perfect gift is from above. Understanding this will help pave the way for future success in relation to your gifts. We don’t write books to make money or to purposely become rich and famous. To take that attitude is to set oneself up for immediate and daily failure. When you don’t become successful in relation to dollar amount, you feel less inspired to be your best. If you instead measured your existence with relation to your gifts as a further extension of your life, and learn to apply it and offer it up to the world on a daily basis, to become inspiration, example and motivation for others, then your life will become more enriched. And yes, in time, your life will generate value and that value always becomes monetary. But there are stages you must understand and if you do grasp them, in relation to my journey and the journey of others, then you will be better prepared to offer yourself a living sacrifice to the world.

This concept goes hand-in-hand with the pay-it-forward mentality. Can you imagine a world where artists didn’t offer themselves freely, or chose not to write poetry, sing songs or paint pictures because there was no monetary value? What kind of world would this become if people based their existence solely on a monetary figure? You as an artist—as an author—have reason, substance and purpose. You have responsibility to share your gifts, your passions, and your experiences with the world. It is by your effort to venture into the uncharted waters, reach the pinnacle of the highest mountain, go face-to-face with Goliath, or challenge the enemy at the gate and not yield when faced with great adversity that you set the example for the world. You are more than the book (or books) you wrote. You are more than the book (or books) you will write. You are everything about the struggle, the perseverance, and the reward. Your book (or books) is only one aspect of who you are. Identifying the other qualities and characteristics, which help pave the way for others to keep pressing forward, is what solidifies your purpose in relation that gift. Paulo Coelho, author of The Alchemist, said once, “We who fight for our dream suffer far more when it doesn’t work out, because we cannot fall back on the old excuse: ‘Oh well, I didn’t really want it anyway.’ We do want it and know that we have staked everything on it and the path of the personal calling is no easier than any other path, except that our whole heart is in this journey. Then, we warriors of light must be prepared to have patience in difficult times and to know that the Universe is conspiring in our favor, even though we may not understand how.” I must have read those words a thousand different times on the course of my journey and especially during the course of preparing this book. They are a powerful reminder of the purpose we are required to fulfill for the sake of the soul of humanity.

You are writing the story of your life, by living the story of your life. My hope is that this book—the experiences shared, the examples given and the people you meet will help you find your place, not as a mere author, but as a herald for all those who dare to dream. You are a writer, a poet, a teacher, a mentor, a counselor, inspiration, guidance and a direct representative of hope. You are after all—an artist—a blessed child of God who is not afraid to offer your soul to the betterment of the world. And if you didn’t believe you could accomplish your dreams before today…let this testament of my life, the methods given, the courage and inspiration shared by your peers, and the blessings of Almighty God grant you the wisdom and understanding to become all you were meant to become.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

"The Story Behind the Story"--July 12th, 2009

"The Story Behind the Story, an Author Interviewed" Q & A session is my new measure to help the world of independent authors and publishers. If you have released your own book and are looking for ways to promote your efforts, your book and your soul as the creator of your work, contact me HERE to book your online interview on this blog, "Drawing Stories...With Words."
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...Introducing, author Andrew Cort...



Q. What is the title of your book?
A. Return to Meaning: The American Psyche in Search of its Soul

Q. What genre is your book? Who is your audience?
A. Religion/Spirituality/Philosophy/Culture

Q. In 150 words or less, tell us what your book is about.
A.
"Return to Meaning" demonstrates the underlying Unity of our western traditions, which all teach the path of spiritual evolution, and it shows how our refusal to recognize this common purpose has led to unnecessary hatred, bigotry, and a tragic sense that life is adversarial, absurd, and meaningless. The book helps restore respect for all religions, as well as restoring a deep sense of sacred meaning in our contemporary secular lives.

Q. Apart from being an author, who are you in relation to your gifts?
A.
A long-time student of the traditions (western & eastern), a holistic doctor, a teacher adn an attorney.

Q. Of all the stories you could have written...why did you choose to write this particular book?
A.
I wrote this book because the deepest wound to the human soul comes from our lack of appreciation for higher levels of Being and meaning, and this undercurrent of alienation and emptiness is at the root of all our difficulties and miseries as a civilization.

Q. Apart from writing stories, in which direction do you see your career heading adn what will you bring to the literary world outside producing new stories?
A. I hope to continue writing books and articles, present seminary and workshops and perhaps host a cable TV talk show for writers, artists, musicians, and socially advanced scientists and politicians.

Q. Who would you say is your literary mentor?
A. There are far too many to name without leaving many out.

Q. What has been your greatest innter struggle to overcome with relation to your literary career?
A. Actually, I love writing and I love philosophy and theology and history. My biggest struggle has been to make time or all the necesities of life.

Q. What words would you like to leave the world when you are gone?
A. Life is not meaningless, there is only one God, there is only one path 'home' and all the great religious traditions know about this path, and all teh great traditions are True. You simply must work very hard to listen.



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