Questionnaire Interview about my Book

Questionnaire Interview about my Book that was rejected because of the genre by the editor of a website I shall not name.

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Tell us a bit about yourself.

I was born in London and brought up in an orphanage, despite having two living parents. Subjected to mental and physical cruelty, the trauma left me with twelve years of almost total amnesia. Six marriages later (four official), I chose to ‘take stock’ and began a process of questioning everything in my world. No, this is not a book about my childhood – it’s about mindfulness and deep thinking.

What’s ‘On The Other Hand’ about?

The best description of ‘On The Other Hand: The Little Anthology of Big Questions’ is in the blurb:-

 “A straight from the shoulder look at life in which the author asks some awkward questions that we might prefer to swat away like an annoying fly. Questions like: Who am I? What is this life really about? What is the mind? Why do we resist change? These are the questions we lock away in a tall tower like some inconvenient relative whose ‘lost her marbles’ and become an embarrassment to the family. Perhaps you’ve been asking ‘comfortable’ questions and avoiding the hard-hitting ones, preferring to hide away from them and pretending that they don’t exist. We hope that someone, somewhere, will put it all right for us. They won’t!

This book is not for the faint of heart as it brings you face to face with yourself … but not the one you see when you look in the mirror. If you’ve locked yourself up in protective custody and thrown away the key, this book could well pick the lock and let you out again. There’s something wonderful waiting to be discovered if we care to take a look. If you’re prepared to be brutally honest when thinking about the questions raised in this book and to be your own harshest critic, then pop over to the cash desk or place it in your basket online and, go for it. You’re not alone and help is always available … far closer than you can imagine.”

Where did you get the idea for your book?

Following a profound experience my take on life changed dramatically. The more I thought about the world the more I realised I’d been living in an illusion. With this realisation, accepting the ‘face value’ world I’d once thought of as the norm was no longer an option. I began to think on a deeper level – questioning everything and soon realised that the questions are more important than the answers. One thing led to another and I saw what the title and cover image of my book should be; I just knew what to put between the pages.

Why did you decide to self-publish?

It gives me full control over my book. I’m still interested in finding an agent or publisher but I wanted to set things in motion, as it were.

Imagine your ideal reader: which authors do they enjoy?

Books by great thinkers and plain speakers such as Jiddu Krishnamurti and Alan Watts. However, these are not my main target audience. I wish to reach those who are frustrated with life, but have not given up on it because they believe there’s a deeper meaning. In other words, they’re just beginning their ‘spiritual’ journey.

If you had to sum up your book in a ‘Hollywood pitch’ (eg Julian Barnes meets Jodi Picoult), how would you describe it?

‘Beds of Nails and Other Comfortable Places.’

 

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