-- Conscious Living Event --
World of Writing --
May 7 - 11
IFAT Entsorga 2012
Location: Muich Germany
Info: www.ifat.de/en
World of Writing --
It is time for another Q&A World of Writing interview ! Today we have the pleasure of featuring:
Nicky Van Valkenburgh is the author of Train Your Brain, Transform Your Life:
Conquer Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in 60 Days, Without Ritalin – which
was was voted Best Self Improvement Book
of 2011 by the Mom’s Choice Awards and “Best Motivational Book” by Reader’s
Favorites Awards.
Nicky is a motivational writer with 20 years’ experience
writing for various publications, and is currently a contributing writer for Upstate Parent, Low Country Parent and Palmetto Parent magazines, which are
published in South Carolina, with a circulation of a quarter million people. Nicky
is kept busy with her work as the Director of www.TrainYourBrainTransformYourLife.com
- based in South Carolina, USA - where people can find a 60-day brain training
program for ADHD.
Q: Nicky, what was your path to
publication?
A: When my first child
was born, I realized that wanted to work at home. I wanted to write about self-help,
nutrition or natural health. I started looking online, and met a psychologist
who had written motivational books, We started emailing each other, and I asked
him if there was anything that I could do for him. He asked me to look at his
notes and turn them into a book. Ultimately, he mailed me 700 pages of notes
and I turned it into a book in two months. I became his official
ghostwriter. After that, I developed a website to sell the psychologist’s
products online as an affiliate. Eventually, I decided to write my own book and
venture out to create my own platform.
Q: How did you get started as a writer?
Q: How did you get started as a writer?
A: My first job was
working as a movie reviewer. I did that for about five years, and then I got
married and started a family. When my son was born, I had to re-invent
myself in order to work from home. I took a writing course from the Institute
for Children’s Literature. It’s a year-long correspondence course where you’re
assigned to a published author who becomes your mentor. You have ten
assignments, you complete them one at a time, and mail them
Q: What are the biggest surprises you’ve encountered in your career as a writer?
Q: What are the biggest surprises you’ve encountered in your career as a writer?
A: I learned a lot by
going to the library and reading every single book that I could find on
self-publishing and writing a book.
Q: What is your proudest
writer moment?
A: I was beaming when I
won my first book award. Funny story—I received an email, and I figured
it was a rejection letter. But I opened it, and it was from one of the judges,
Dr Bob Rose. He is a retired psychology professor and Huffington Post columnist. Dr Rose asked me to
be on his radio show, Rewiring the Brain. I was so excited that I almost
jumped out of my skin!
Q: What’s the best advice you were given about writing?
Q: What’s the best advice you were given about writing?
A: Don’t be afraid to
inject your personality into your writing. My writing coach told me that after
she read the first chapter of my book. She asked me to go back and re-write it.
She told me to share my personal experience. I felt like my personal
story was embarrassing. It made me cringe, but my coach was correct—opening
up and sharing my personality helps my readers identify with me. It makes me
venerable but it also shows that I have walked in their shoes.
Q: What is your most
embarrassing writer moment?
A: Sharing my personal
story of having Attention Deficit Disorder. My parents read my book and were
shocked that I’d taken Ritalin. They had no idea!
Q: What business
challenges have you faced as a writer?
A: Online marketers have
ripped me off; the services I chose were over-promised and under-delivered. One
guru promised to write the Foreword for my book, but when the time came, he
told me to write it myself and he’d maybe consider it. Not exactly what he
promised! Here I’d plunked down $2,500 for his course. Next time, I hope that I
will be wiser!
Find Dave and Lillian Brummet, excerpts from their books, information about their radio program, newsletter, blog, and more at: www.brummet.ca
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