During her virtual book tour, Jolene
will be awarding a $75 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card
to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the
form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit
her other tour stops and enter there, too.
Bio:
Jolene
Stockman is a multi-award winning author, speaker, and business owner. She is
also tangata whaitakiwātanga; an autistic person. Since her adult diagnosis,
she has gone public with her experience - its challenges and superpowers as a TEDx Talk. Her books let
you uncover your superpowers to design (and dominate!) your dream world.
Please
tell us a little bit about Total Blueprint for World Domination.
Total
Blueprint for World Domination is a motivational non-fiction book for young adults. Design your
dream world and make it happen! Bursting with full-color superheroes, boosted
with online learning, the new edition of Total Blueprint for World
Domination - illustrated takes you from this very second to your greatest
dreams. So, are you ready?
What do
you enjoy most about writing short stories?
Time is
a precious commodity! When I write non-fiction, I go straight for the juicy
stuff. I hate it when people bury the jewels in a heap of fluffy text. I
believe that words can change the world, and those words can be very few,
especially if they’re right on target! I love it when people describe my work
as concise: sometimes it only takes a few words to change the way you feel
about something. Like instead of saying “I have to tidy my desk” you can say;
“I choose to tidy my desk” to feel more empowered. Or instead of seeing
yourself as “oversensitive”, you can see yourself as “super sensitive”. A
little twist, a big difference!
Can you
give us a little insight into a few of your short stories – perhaps some of
your favorites?
My
books are super-short. They’re designed to be jam-packed with inspiring,
actionable content so people feel excited to jump into their life. My favorite
book is always the one in front of me! It really is like children really; you
love them all completely for the things that make them them.
What
genre are you inspired to write in the most? Why?
Motivational
non-fiction is my go-to. Even if I start out with blood, conflict, and drama,
it always ends up in the same place: a new world where anything is possible! I
think it’s because personally I’ve worked hard to
What
exciting story are you working on next?
Ooh, I
have another book in the blueprint series, a screenplay, and a heap of autism
presentations. One of the reasons being a writer is so cool, is that you can do
it online with a computer, or in the library on scraps of paper.
How do
you research markets for your work, perhaps as some advice for writers?
Keep in
mind the real reason you want to be a writer: is it to be famous? To be rich?
To connect with readers? To tell a story? Writing is a calling, but it is also
work – and knowing your reason for doing it, your powerful why, will keep you
working when it gets hard. When selling my writing, I look for markets that
relate to subjects I’m excited about. Publishing can be an achingly slow
process, so my advice is to be excited, but try not to care too much! Keep
writing. Submit work. Forget about it. Write more. Post it. Write more. Blog
it. Write more. Edit it, publish it, critique it. Write more and let it go.
It’s not about writing one perfect thing, it’s about keeping your flow going
and loving what you do.
The
media that I consume is very different to the work that I create. I love crime
fiction, heavy metal, Supernatural, Tarantino movies. But when I write? It’s
all fizzy sunshine! I think of myself as being dark and twisty. But when I
write, rainbows and cupcakes come out! I used to find it frustrating, but now I
just go with it. Sometimes it’s the dark makes the light possible.
As a
child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
When I
was a child, I couldn’t have dreamed of the incredible world we live in now. We
can connect with each other across time and space at the click of a button. I
always knew that my ultimate plan was to write books. My until-I-was-a-grown-up
plan was to find a way to write for a job, and I’ve been lucky to work in many
different industries: I’ve been a copywriter, a scriptwriter, a technical
writer, an educational writer. I love all the different ways that you can use
words to express ideas or support people and business. Imagine what children
now will grow up to be!
Anything
additional you want to share with the readers?
I so
appreciate your support! When you start writing, you picture holding your book
in your hands, seeing it at the library, and on shelves in bookstores. You
imagine all the things you’re excited about and when it happens it’s like
magic. But then it becomes clear: the best, most amazing part of being a writer
is the readers. It’s the connections, it’s knowing that your words are being
read and you’re making a difference. I live my dreams because of you and I so
appreciate everyone who reads and reviews my books, who host me on their blog,
and who remind me how powerful words are.
Links:
Thank you for being here today!
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