In The Lime Light #AuthorInterview – When Kindness and Inspiration Unite
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Today’s Lime Light is with someone (I Hope) you already know very well, Erika Kind from http://www.erikakind.com, a blog where Kindness and Inspiration, Spirituality and Harmony Unite. Erika was born in Vienna but grew up in another part of Austria and in the Principality of Liechtenstein (within the Swiss Alps) where she still lives. In 1998 she moved with her little family to the States and spent there a bit more than a year. She is a part-time working mom and running a Practice for Aromatherapy and Self-Development and next to being a singer and author. Oh, and she has had a tortoise for 32 years….now if that doesn’t intrigue you to keep reading, Im not sure what will!
Erika: First of all, I thank you for inviting me to this interview, Morgan. I appreciate it very much because there is a lot of work behind. It is so kind of you to provide so many of us a platform to spread a bit more about us and about what we are doing. (Thank You Erika. Its a Blessing and a Joy to Share these Inspiring stories with everyone) But let’s get to your questions:
Please Introduce us to your Blog? I started my blog because it was set up by my publisher in order to promote my book. I had no idea what blogging was about before and I even distanced myself from social media as far as possible. I had never thought that it became one of my greatest blessings!
What is it all about? With one word: Inspiration! Whatever I write shall strike a chord within the reader. It shall make them hear a bit more of their own melody. Tragedies, destinies, challenges, daily life, disappointments, traumas make us forget about our own song. My blog shall make people hum it again automatically and over time even work on the composition consciously and joyfully to make it a musical.
What sorts of posts do you lean towards? I have a clear schedule in order for my readers to know each day what to expect and to expect something every day.
Each Monday I write a longer post about something we encounter in our daily lives. I want to give another and/or a different view on those experiences. There is always a positive and encouraging message I share with those posts.
Tuesday is the day when I post a love poem. I wanted to dedicate one day deliberately to romance. I call it Romantic Tuesday. It wasn’t my intention to make it a challenge but meanwhile many friends joined in naturally and it is such a joy to share romantic feelings all over the place together.
From Monday to Friday I post one of my own quotes. Those quotes come to my mind through writing, through what I perceive during the day, or through the conversations with my community. On Wednesday I always post a guest quote of a fellow blogger.
Also from Monday to Friday I post a song. Just what I feel like, what I just heard, or what fits a certain situation.
I also love to post spontaneously in between when I have some time. Then I share information about other bloggers, what goes through my heart and mind or I talk about happenings in my life or surrounding.
What Inspires and stirs your creativity? How can you make yourself see your light better? When you explain others their light. (Ha, that would make a lovely quote again…lol.) I want to make others feel their power and that inspires me immensely to activate my own power. Only when I feel what I write about I fill my posts with soul. So writing about the beauty of life inspires me to see the beauty in life. Encouraging others means that I must feel motivated in first place. I have come where I am today because I wanted to help others to overcome their limits. That forced me to overcome my own fears and limits and also led to my breakthrough 8 years ago.
What inspires me to the topics I write about is most of all what happens in my life, the interaction with my friends here on WordPress, and also what I read in other people’s posts. We are inspiring each other all the time through sharing a part of ourselves in our posts.
Erika was Generous enough to share one of her Inspirations with us, in the form of a Poem:
The Vow
On this day I promise you
To never leave your side
To be your inspiration
To be your healing light
Where you may go you can be sure
That I will always follow
We share it all – the smile, the bliss
The challenge and the sorrow
I will be loving you each day
As if it was day one
I want to show you how much I
Am proud that I’m your own
In me you’ll find the back you need
When things around get rough
I will take care of your old scars
Will heal them with my love
With me beside you be aware
That you will smile a lot
I want to show you how you’re loved
In you I see THE gift from God
Together we will do great things
That only love makes happen
United power and light we’ll spread
The Aponi and her Sachem
On this day I promise you
To never leave your side
Not even when I close my eyes
For this last but longest night
Its so obvious through these beautiful words those things you find easy to write about. Conversely, what do you find difficult to write about? Writing about myself… haha! Thank God, I promote a message and not my person! But back to your question, Morgan. What can be really difficult is when it comes to other people’s personal tough life situations. Nobody can judge how another one feels about a situation. I hope that I have the sensitivity to touch the core but still not hurt someone. Whatever we are in right now is not where we are supposed to remain and for sure one day it will all look more colorful again. But when you are in the midst of a turmoil it is always hard and that has to be taken serious. I think being taken serious regarding a problem or regarding the way someone is dealing with it already helps to build up a new strength.
What Message, if any, do you hope to Share through your blog/posts? See the miracle in you. ( I LOVE THAT!) Feel the power you are. You have come here to expand yourself and make yourself visible through what you give of yourself. It is meant to be that you are here. You are unique and what you have to share is unique. Don’t be afraid to give share the gift of you. If you don’t do it, nobody does. You matter!
How has your blog helped you as a writer/Indie Author? What things have you learned along the way that you never anticipated? Regarding my activity as an author: My inspiration (here we are again) grew immensely through what I read and again wrote. This year I published a quote book with a selection of 101 quotes like I post them 5 days a week. It would not have happened without my blog. Also the network to promote my book(s) has become very supportive.
Regarding blogging: I had never expected to find real friends that way. I believe that we meet everybody for a reason and that we are meant to meet certain people in our lives. Modern technology helps to get in touch with those people a lot easier these times… no matter where they are right now. I am thankful that I already met many of my blogger friends. I can confirm that each one of them is the way they also appeared on their blogs or in our conversations. I made friends for life here. At this point I want to thank you all for granting me your friendship! To me the blogging world is an example of how the real world should be. We are interested in all others do. The differences are not separating but actually the connecting link.
This is why I invited Erika to talk with us today, because she’s amazing…isn’t she? Ok…now…Tell us about your book(s): From 2010 until today I published 5 books.
Wie das Leben schreibt… – a poem book with English and German poems (only available over me)
I’m Free– the German version
Enjoy Life! – a collection of English poems
I’m Free – the English version
101 KIND Quotes – Quotes about life and beyond
What Inspired you to write your books? It was the insight that fear (and all the limitations it brings) is only a conviction we are used to but not a truth. I realized that it was not my fears which limited me but I myself who reduced me to my fears. In that particular moment I saw myself in my past and my future. I saw what I forbid myself due to my beliefs, what was on the other side which was still waiting for me, and I saw myself standing between both. I understood clearly that it was my decision to take that step and not a permission I needed to get from anyone. I simply realized that nothing and no one could keep me from being who I wanted to be – unless I let them. This insight changed my life instantly. I wanted to share this feeling of power and liberation in order to make others see that feeling free and happy is not a gift but an attitude which brings you to all the places you have already seen in your visions. There is always a way. You only need to believe in it and take steps towards it – no matter what it is! The result was my book I’m Free – Awareness of Who You Are by Discovering Who You Are Not!
From what Point of View do you prefer to write? Is there a reason? When I read my first book of Wayne Dyer I experienced something very interesting. I only needed to open the book and I felt embraced and connected to a well of love. This opened me up even more for all the wonderful insights I read in that book. It made me feel good… good about myself. It encouraged me so much that I felt ready to start living what I felt as a deep truth.
It is my intention to ignite the reader’s inner flame in order to make them feel the power and loving force. It makes them change their lives because they changed their feeling about themselves.
Do you painstakingly plot out your story; are you a discovery writer or a bit of both? Why? I am someone who needs to be organized and who wants to have a good overview. First I think about what message I want to give the reader. Then I break it down into headlines (chapters) and bring them into an order. That is my starting point. During writing on the chapters I get deeper into the subject and automatically add more chapters when they come to my mind. That way I don’t need to write the whole book from start to end but can pick the chapter title I feel most inspired to write about just then.
Share an insight or secret about your book(s). The insight is the secret!
I write about what I discovered and I provide lots of examples from my life but also from others I witnessed for a better and deeper understanding. A phenomenon is that while I am writing on the chapters, life is sending me exactly the situations which match the chapters – not always very nice experiences. But that way I can add another profound example. It seems as if life wants to make sure that I really know what I write about… lol!
What do you feel is your best advice to share with other aspiring authors? Don’t block your flow with writing what you believe the audience wants to read. Write what you want to share and let it flow the way you feel it. Then your words are filled with your heart’s energy. That is what makes your book YOUR book and what spreads the magic about your writing.
And now to the part we already know you would rather humbly bow out on, but we’re all fascinated, honestly…so do please tell us a little about YOU:
If you had to describe yourself to someone who has never met you, what might you say? Be aware: I laugh often and loud… 
