As I continue to host the BK Walker Books Authors Promoting Authors virtual blog tour, today I welcome author Kim Upstone.
Welcome, Kim!
Please tell us about your current release.
All I Want Is … Everything, A Guide to Love, Peace and Happiness is a map to follow, a journey to find your everything. It's an opportunity to learn to live each day of your life as a gift, no matter the circumstances. Learning to create for yourself the vision of who you want to be and then living that vision each day.
I wanted everything and from the outside it appeared that I had everything: a loving husband and two beautiful healthy children and strong faith. A great house and all the things that go along with it. But even with all of those things I still felt something was missing. There was piece to the puzzle missing. If I could locate that missing part I would then be complete and happy.
My search led me in many different directions, mostly outside of myself for the answers. It wasn’t until, out of desperation, I asked for guidance and received it that I learned all the answers were all within me waiting to be discovered.
All I Want Is Everything, A Guide to Love, Peace and Happiness is my journey to find my everything. What I found was so much more than I could have ever hoped for. What I have created is a guide for readers to follow. The answers to the questions will lead you to your answers, “your everything”. You can then discover the secrets hidden safely, waiting inside for you to choose to bring them into the light.
What inspired you to write this book?
This book began as a letter to my children. Many years ago, when they were very young, I had embarked on a journey to find “my everything”. When they both began asking questions about why we are different in our thinking and attitude than others, I realized that they had lived almost their entire life in the light from what I learned.
They were raised differently and my relationship with my husband is different than most, in addition to the fact that we understand our place in the world and the way we live has served us all very well through pain and loss and even success. We know who we are and who we strive to be, we have a map to keep us on course and understand our great value to ourselves and the world, but do not compare ourselves to others, so our ego is not involved.
I was told by an angel while on my journey that I needed to go where there was no trail and leave a path. Until I wrote the letter to my children it did not dawn on me that the trail was my original journey and the path may be writing books for others to share and learn from my experience.
What exciting story are you working on next?
All I Want Is … Everything is the first of a series of four books. I understood from the beginning that there would be four books. They are somewhat sequential, building on the foundation you build with the first book and working your way through the last.
The first book is all about us, who we want to be, defining what “our everything” is and creating a map to guide us through life. The second will be about relationships. The third is about raising children and the fourth is about being successful and remaining bright in your spirit while having abundance present.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I think everyone who writes, published or unpublished is a writer. So I guess I have always felt I was a writer. I feel sad when people say they could never write. I believe that everyone has a story to tell, whether it is fiction or non-fiction. Just write your book tell your story, and once it is written decide what you want to do with it. Even if you or your family are the only ones that ever read it you will have left a piece of yourself. I believe in the end that is all we really have to give to the world, a small piece of ourselves. So all you people out there who think writing is some magical gift – it is not. Pick up a pen and give it a try!
Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I do write full time. I have two favorite writing times at 4:00am or 7:00pm. I seem to write more productively when I am tired and have not had caffeine. I think everyone who writes for a living knows that writing is a very small part of the job. I do a lot of speaking engagements, coaching clients, work on marketing and PR, do radio and tv interviews. So writing a book is the easy part.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
The way I write my books is somewhat unique. I write with notebook paper and a pen, but I write the width of the paper across the lines from edge to edge. I also instruct all my readers when journaling to do the same. I think for conventional thinkers it puts you a bit uncomfortable and forces you to think outside the box slightly. When writing from emotion it feels better than writing on a computer or on the lines.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a nurse. I am very compassionate by nature and I thought they got to walk around and comfort people all day. When I found out all it entailed I realized I was not gifted with the innate skills to do the job. Since my dad was a business entrepreneur I thought that would nice.
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I would love people to understand their importance in the world and what a gift we have been given to be here. Each of us was put here for a reason and if you truly believe that then suddenly everyone has value. Each of us needs to seek out for ourselves, in whatever way works best for us, that purpose and passion that lies within us. To find the answers to allow us to have our “everything” and inspires us to live our life with passion. To take the time to work on those things that you decide are most important to you.
Thank you for your time with today's Q&A, Kim. Best of luck with your writing.
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