Interview with writer Vishnu

Writer Vishnu, also known as Vishnu’s Virtues, joins me today to talk about his new non-fiction book, Does True Love Exist? 15 Simple Ideas for Finding Your Life Partner.

Bio:

Vishnu is a writer, author, and blogger behind the popular personal development blog Vishnu's Virtues. He is the author of 10 Sacred Laws of Healing a Broken Heart and Is God Listening? 

In addition to writing, Vishnu is a life coach who coaches individuals who are at rock bottom - helping them comeback to find their purpose and live their best lives. Prior to writing and coaching, Vishnu was a criminal defense and immigration lawyer.

Vishnu's writings have been featured on the Huffington Post, Mind Body Green and the Tiny Buddha blog.

Welcome, Vishnu. Please tell us about your current release.

My current book answers the question if true love exists and how to find your life partner. It’s a question that I started asking after a long-term relationship ended and I began my search for my own life partner. I figured I’d write about what worked and what didn’t work to guide others on their own journey.

What inspired you to write this book?

Having been raised in an eastern culture, I come at this from a different take. My first marriage was someone from the Indian community and we had many many things in common. I had grown up with the thinking that I would be with someone from my own culture and this person would be introduced to me by my family. Once this type of arrangement failed, I found myself in the deep waters of dating and meeting people for the first time in my life.

I started reading some books and articles, magazines and movies only to realize each had their own agenda. All the pop culture was focused on selling people stuff including weddings, diamond rings, houses and cars.

Also, in the world on Instagram, Facebook, reality television and the Bachelorette, people have totally forgotten what’s important and what matters when it comes to relationships. All this stuff seemed pretty basic to me but it looked so weird in popular culture and writing. I wanted to give my own perspective on this topic from my own experiences and observations.

What exciting story are you working on next?

If you write a book on dating, you have to finish with a book on happily ever after. I’m working on applying all the principles I wrote about in my book to find Ms. Right. Both in my life and in my writing, I hope my next book will be about finding love but much more importantly, finding the right kind of love in my life. I talk about how important it is to declutter your life of people who don’t belong in it and people who are incompatible for you in my current book. Only when you clear of your life of the people who don’t belong there, can you open your life and welcome in true love.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I first considered myself a writer when I started blogging. Blogging at my blog www.vishnusvirtues.com gave me the confidence to write and keep on writing. I actually enjoy writing in a blog community. I’ve met so many writers and people around the world through my writing. Although writing is solitary, blogging is more community-oriented.

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 hope to write full time one day. Today, I work in the social justice movement as a community organizer. In this job too, I can use my writing and ability to community to advance human rights and push back against injustices. I’ve seen how powerful writing and speaking your ideas can be.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

For me, publishing is most important. So, I may publish more quickly than other people and do less editing. I am more interested in getting something out in the world than working on something forever, perfecting it, but never releasing it. Hitting the publish button quicker than most is my writing quirk. I don’t aim at perfection. Instead, I focus on continued publication.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Hmmm, I wanted to be a teacher and mentioned that to my Indian parents. Their response was typical and hilarious. Oh, a lawyer then! Lawyers do a lot of writing. Their hearts were likely in the right place but the effects on my life were disastrous. I went to law school, practiced law and found out how much I didn’t like the practice of law. Luckily, I found similar work in the nonprofit world where I can use similar skills to help people.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

I’d encourage all the writers out there to keep writing. The world needs to hear our stories and our voices. Don’t just say that you want to write a book some day later in your life because that day will never come. With all the tools available in the modern world, we can publish our writing almost instantly and make an impact on the people who read our work. Even if you don’t write a book, you can always write a blog post! And several blog posts can be the foundation for your first book.

Links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Amazon

Thank you for being here today, Vishnu.

Interview with authors Susan Hyatt and Lina Lecaro

My special guest today is author Susan Hyatt. We’re talking about the new relationship, self-help book she co-wrote with Lina Lecaro, Never Mind the Rules – The Alternative Dating Guide for Girls Who Wanna Rock!

Bios:

Susan Hyatt is an American singer/songwriter, former UK talk show host and an NASM certified fitness trainer. Susan is currently enrolled in post-graduate studies in psychology for Master of Marriage and Family Therapy licensing.

She has written and recorded over 150 love songs and published 6 albums for her bands Pillbox, Stimulator, and most recently Sirens of Soho. Dozens of Susan’s songs have been licensed by international brands and TV shows such as Macy’s, Disney, The Bethenny Talk Show, Dawson’s Creek, NBC, and MTV, to name a few.

Susan spent ten years in London, where she hosted a music and lifestyle TV show called The Pulse. She conducted countless personal interviews. Her unique lifestyle of touring, recording, writing, hosting, and training left little time or room to find a suitable life partner.

At age 43, feeling hopeless and addicted to self-help books, she was ready for a change. Susan decided to focus her energy on finding a husband. Having gone through dozens of failed relationships with what turned out to be gay men, married men, and crack addicts, she was like millions of other middle-aged women who were alone, and/or divorced and scared of the horrific “dating scene.” Fast forward five years later, and Susan Hyatt is now a wife, step mom, musician, and runs her own business.

Susan is devoted to empowering women. You could hear her anthemic theme song “Calling All My Girls” daily on the syndicated talk show Bethenny (produced by Ellen De Generes) on the Fox Network. She also trains and motivates women to get in shape through her fitness business and workout DVD Susan Hyatt’s Rockstar Workout. (An Amazon Bestseller).

Lina Lecaro is a published author, journalist, photographer, and web radio personality based in Los Angeles, California. She has been likened to an LA version of both the Candace Bushnell Sex and the City writer/character Carrie Bradshaw and The Village Voice’s sassy scribe Michael Musto.

As the LA Weekly’s nightlife/entertainment columnist (via her first print column, “The Night Ranger” and her current one “Lina in LA”) Lecaro has been LA’s resident expert on the city’s nightlife, music, entertainment, and pop culture for over two decades. As well as authoring her book, Los Angeles’s Best Dive Bars - Drinking & Diving in the City of Angels (Ig Publishing, 2010), she has contributed to several popular Los Angeles city guides and “where to” publications. These include Fodor’s Travel Guides and The Underground Guide to LA.

Lina has written for numerous blogs as well as her own, including the Weekly’s sex, music and arts blog. She has also contributed to countless online and print publications including Playboy, Rolling Stone, LA Times, Los Angeles Magazine, Flaunt, Paper, Billboard, Vice (Noisey), Paste, LAist, Thrillist, Medium, Consequence of Sound, LNTV, and Flavorwire, to name a few. Before she was 21 years old, Lina started snagging bylines while simultaneously earning her BA in Journalism from California State University, Northridge.

In 2013, Lina’s long-term marriage to her high school sweetheart ended. Thrust into the exciting yet intimidating new world of dating as a single mom, Lina joined Susan Hyatt to co-write Never Mind the Rules as a woman’s how-to-guide, a guide she herself wished existed. She’s been “drinking her own Kool-Aid,” testing Never Mind the Rules’ techniques and principles on a daily basis. Essentially “living” the book, as she and Hyatt wrote it and adapting her advice based on what worked and didn’t work for her. Even after encountering some less than honorable fellows during this process, she remains a passionate advocate of men, romance and relationships. She hopes to pass along this faithful optimism to her daughter as she grows up.

Welcome Susan, please tell us about your current release.

Never Mind the Rules is your alternative to the barrage of cookie-cutter self-help relationship books geared towards a set of rules that are intended to work for ‘everyone.’ This is a frank, honest, sexy and racy dating guide that helps you write YOUR own rules by getting REAL with yourself. It is written with a unique rock n’ roll angle that music fans can enjoy.

While doing the research for Never Mind the Rules, we interviewed reputable therapists, rock star chicks, housewives, journalists, polyamorous couples, swingers, and best-selling author Neil Straus (who wrote the controversial book The Game) who turned out to be a huge inspiration; and lastly even men we dated (gay & straight)!

We reveal personal dating horror stories, successful dating stories, wild and romantic anecdotes, and the world of sexual fetishes. We hope you will laugh and cry with us like we do when we watch Sex & The City, Girls, or Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce.

We navigate dating in a tech-centric world including: online dating, social networking, and texting. We provide a step-by-step guide for you to create your perfect online profile. You will learn how to create your own vision board and write a successful business plan for love. Included are a variety of quizzes and mantras to help you. Our aim is to make you feel as though you are part of a non-judgmental secret girls “club” of sorts, just like you have with your own personal BFFs.

What inspired you to write this book?

I was inspired to write this book for many reasons.

I always had so much drama in my love life. I seemed to go from one disastrous relationship to the next. I would tell my girlfriends my weekly crazy stories and everyone kept telling me to write a book. I would be cracking up laughing at my own misfortune and the ridiculous men I would encounter. So I thought that it was a great idea.

I also have been avid reader of self-help books. Whenever I felt my love life was unmanageable I would turn to books to provide me with answers. So when I finally got married at age 43, and picked the right guy, I wanted to tell the world how I went from the least likely person to be married to the girl with the best marriage ever! I had to share what I had learned. If I could just help one woman with her love life then it would be worth it. I truly feel that Never Mind the Rules is your one stop shop for dating. Lina and I brainstormed and wrote about everything we had learned on our journey.

Excerpt from Never Mind the Rules:

Chapter 2 - Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Romances – That Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Rock ‘n’ roll is about having a badass attitude, great sex, and uninhibited expression. These are ideas we want you to explore as you learn about yourself and what you want from a relationship. Most love songs come from real life, and some of the greatest stuff ever written was inspired by amazing, often tumultuous, rollercoaster romances. Some songs are simply about pure and true adoration. Some are dirty, hot, and wild. Some are sad. Some are angry AND nutty! The music-love connection goes beyond specific compositions or tracks. After all, there is no bigger inspiration than that “crazy little thing called love.”

Think about your love life and the soundtrack that brings it all back. The song playing at the dance or party during your first kiss… or in the car during your first sex encounter. The pop hit that always seemed to be on when you dated that one special boyfriend (and still brings back that warm feeling in your gut when it comes on classic rock stations today). For a lot of us, there’s a certain song that just gets us sweaty or teary every time… its lyrics simply and rather eerily describing our entire relationship and the feelings involved. It’s like we could have written every damn word!

Being a “rockstar” at love is more than just having a rule-breaker spirit. It goes beyond having swagger or sex appeal. Sometimes being a badass is, in fact, about allowing yourself to be vulnerable and putting yourself and your feelings out there. It is ok to screw up. You will make mistakes and you will learn from them with our help. Some of the most successful people in business have made the biggest mistakes in love.

We want you to find your number one fan, the one who will be loyal no matter what! Now imagine yourself fearless, like a rock band taking the stage in an arena filled with thousands of screaming fans, and maybe a few critics too. Let’s set the tone here, and get the rhythm rolling by taking a look at some of our favorite odes to love, music, artists, and the types of relationships that inspired them. Read on and rock on….

What exciting story are you working on next?

I definitely am planning on writing more books. I’m currently enrolled in Graduate School, and in the process of getting my Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy. I look forward to writing more books as a licensed psychologist.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I was always a writer. I was the Editor in Chief for my High School’s first magazine, I wrote for the UCLA’s Daily Bruin and I was a journalist and TV host for a live music chat show called The Pulse in London. I have written stories for several blogs, including best selling author Neil Strauss’ (The Game) website.

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 have my own vocal coaching business in Nashville, and I am going to graduate school. Writing is a passion of mine, so everything flows naturally. I don’t make time, it just happens. I have to write, otherwise I will be tortured with my thoughts and ideas. You always find the time when you care about something.

My co-author Lina Lecaro is a full-time writer, she has been the LA Weekly’s nightlife/entertainment columnist for over two decades. She is also the author of the Los Angeles‘s Best Dive Bars - Drinking & Diving in the City of Angels.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

My writing is a direct reflection of my personality. I’m direct and no nonsense. I love reading stuff that makes you go “ wait what did she say??” I love shock rockers like Marilyn Manson so I think sometimes my stories sound crude and uncouth. Lina is the total opposite. Her writing is colorful and fun and that’s what makes us great writing partners.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I always wanted to be a Rockstar. I definitely got a taste of it. My band Stimulator was the support act for my childhood heroes Duran Duran. I got to play Madison Square Garden and we had some success. But soon I realized that a real rockstar is a person who lives an authentic and enriching life with someone they deeply love. I was just looking for love and I thought I had to be famous to get it!

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

Yes, read the book! You will laugh, you may cry, you will walk away learning something I guarantee it. And if you have a dating story that tops mine, please get in touch with me so I can include you in our next edition.

Links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Amazon

Thanks for being here today, Susan.

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Interview with non-fiction writer Wendy Brown

Writer Wendy Brown is my guest today. She’s written an educational self-help book on relationships called, The Six Passions of the Red-hot Lover: Find out which one is yours.

Bio:

Wendy Brown is an individual and couples’ therapist who estimates she has done over 35,000 hours of therapy and discussed love in most of them. She is in private practice in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Her first book, Why Love Succeeds or Fails won the National Indie Excellence Award for a relationship book in 2014.

Welcome, Wendy. Please tell us about your current release.

The Six Passions of the Red-hot Lover asks if you know what type of lover you are. If you are a Red-hot Lover, you probably figure you could star in a great love story. You may very well be capable of mind-blowing sex; you might even do wild and crazy things in the name of love.

Passion is described as either a powerful, barely controllable feeling that can overtake you at times, or a delicate, intuitive sense much like an artisan has for his/her craft. It can produce drama with emotions ranging between despair and rapture. Passion can also cause you to do things that are wild and crazy in the name of love.

There are six passions; these are the drivers of passion for Red-hot Lovers:

Heartbreak: You don’t understand how or why someone totally loves you and then loses that love. The script that goes with this passion is the Lovesick Lover, a person who is so worried about rejection that he/she almost invites it.

Challenge: You need to find someone who ticks all your boxes and has the tenacity to pursue you. The Prince/Princess is the role for playing hard to get.

Pursuit: It’s important for you to tap into your deepest feelings to determine if you should go after a particular lover, whether or not this makes sense to anyone else. This passion produces the script called the Lover’s Fool; you could make a fool out of yourself or others.

Gallantry: You strive to do everything in your power to rescue your lover from a life without your love and protection. The accompanying role here is the White Knight.

Vindication: Having felt a perfect love and then something went wrong, you desperately want it restored. This passion produces the script called the Black Knight, which is all about rejecting disenfranchisement.

Attention: You thrive on the spotlight, having your innermost wants and needs understood and met. The role that goes with this passion is the Drama King/Queen whose worst fear is being invisible.

You can figure out which passion is yours by taking the tests for each one.

As you can see, there are a lot of overtones in the passions and the scripts from the medieval courtly love period. In the book, the author interviews Ron, a high school teacher and self-proclaimed Red-hot Lover. He tells many stories about the courtly lovers to illustrate his points. There are also current day examples of Red-hot Lovers, like Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, Princess Diana and Jackie Kennedy Onassis.

Red-hot Lovers are often criticized as high maintenance. Passion can be finicky and difficult; it may even fizzle out.

But, there are people who adore Red-hot Lovers. After all, Red-hot Lovers are the people who are capable of going to any lengths for love. When they’re on, you can feel their passion in the air, see it in them and forever in the world it feels like a force the lovers and everyone else must reckon with. They just might be the quintessential great lovers of all time.

What inspired you to write this book?

My first book, Why Love Succeeds or Fails includes descriptions of four types of lovers: Gripping Dramatist, Passionate Adventurer, Sensible Compromiser and Joyful Diversionist. I decided to go into some depth about each type individually. I started with the Gripping Dramatist and re-named it the Red-hot Lover.

As an individual and couples’ therapist, I fundamentally believe that we need a clear and easy way to understand love and lovers. So, when you meet someone online or in person, after a few minutes you can say to yourself ‘Aha, a Red-hot Lover, just like me.’ That just might save you a lot of stumbling around, getting things wrong and wearing out the relationship.

Excerpt from The Six Passions of the Red-hot Lover:

This is the generic Red-hot Lover Script. There are additional more detailed scripts for those who have one of the passions.

When I fall in love, I have the lofty, regal feeling of being in the right. I have to admit that I spend a lot of time in my life doing what feels right and true to me. I tap into my inner sense of what is and isn’t warranted by the love I feel. When it comes to love, I have the passion of a craftsman/woman and a gifted lover. My beloved generally feels very connected to me as I thoroughly revel in the angst, drama and chaos that fill my life and make me feel fully alive and thriving. I need my lover on board, ready to explore all of that with me, at the edge of his/her seat in the excitement of it all.

I have to say, to a great extent, passion is my guide and my governor. It allows me to run the full gamut from being a vulnerable candle in the wind to a super-charged rapturous lover.

My passion does make it difficult for me to get and maintain a perspective on a given situation. Typically, I’m too busy attending to my emotions which constitute my driving force. I do realize that this means I can’t see clearly or fully; I miss a lot because of that. But I love being guided by my passion so much that I really can’t see myself changing.

My perfect state is being passionately in love. It makes me feel like royalty that has arrived. I am so pleased and proud that I feel like I could burst into a million glorious pieces.

What exciting story are you working on next?

My next project is writing about my second type of lover: the Passionate Adventurer. I suspect I may rename that one as well once I start working on it.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

All through school, I was told I should be a writer. When I finished my undergrad degree in English and went on to grad school, I stopped writing and didn’t start again for decades. When I look back, I think I’ve always considered myself to be a writer.

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?

No, I don’t write full-time; I am an individual and couples therapist in private practice. My work day involves seeing people who have quality of life or clinical issues and want to grow and change. I regularly deal with grief, heartbreak, conflict, love and joy. That’s my full-time job. I write whenever I have a chance. If one of my clients cancels an appointment, I write. If I feel inspired wherever I am, I jot down notes. If I have a writing deadline and no time to write during the day, I write during the night.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

Have you heard of people who decorate a room by starting with one item that catches their fancy? I once saw someone inspired by a green apple. That’s how I research. I become intrigued by something and then everything flows from there. With ‘The Six Passions of the Red-hot Lover’, I started with my initial concept of the Gripping Dramatist, which intuitively led me to look up the beginnings of Valentine’s Day and peoples’ associations with the color red. From there, I looked into the Courts of Love in medieval Europe.

As I research, I write. So, I’ll do a paragraph on something, a chapter on something else. Then I start to pull it together and see what kind of shape it naturally takes. Of course, I have to critique it for content, form, etc. which I generally do three times. Pretty much, I do three complete re-writes.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Writing was my first love. At about the age of twelve I remember reading about mental illness and deciding that I had to figure out how peoples’ minds work. I used to really enjoy character analysis in English literature because it brought the two together.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

Yes, I was writing The Six Passions of the Red-hot Lover during the campaign for the Presidency in the USA. I was very busy and didn’t read much about it. Then, when Donald Trump was declared the winner, I read everything I could. I was trying to understand how and why he won. It was then that I realized he is a Red-hot Lover.

And President Trump is extraordinary. Your average Red-hot Lover has one passion; he appears to have three. By my estimation, his passions include pursuit, vindication, and attention.

Links:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Book page

Thanks for being here today, Wendy!

Interview with non-fiction writer A. William Benitez

Non-fiction writer A. William Benitez is back on Reviews and Interviews. This time he's talking about his newest book, Relationship: Notes on Love, Mutual Respect,Boundaries, Marriage, and Divorce.

During this virtual book tour, Bill will be awarding 1 lucky commenter a $50 Amazon gift card. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit his other tour stops and enter there, too!

Welcome, Bill. Please tell us a little bit about yourself.

For more than 30 years I have operated one-person businesses. Twelve years of my life were spent managing federally-assisted housing programs for local government.

I established a small publishing company to publish the books and a monthly newsletter and did consulting and public speaking on housing related topics for agencies and organizations in cities across the country. I wrote and published nine guidebooks on the subject of housing rehabilitation.

When the federal housing programs dried up I owned and operated a woodworking business for over twenty years, first in Tampa, Florida and then in Austin, Texas. During these years I began writing books about my experiences.

In 2007 I established my present publishing company, Positive Imaging, LLC. To date I have published sixteen paperback books and over a half dozen e-books.

My computer experience dates back almost twenty years and began in response to poor technical support for our computer. I used home study to acquire A+ and Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer Certifications.

I was born and raised in Tampa, Florida and moved to Austin, Texas in 1986, where I now live with my wife, Barbara Frances.

Please tell us about your current release.

When I decided to write this book on relationship, my wife Barbara was surprised and cautioned me by saying that she would not dare write such a book because it was such a varied topic with so many nuances. That scared me because she is certainly more qualified to write about relationship than I am. I hesitated for a while but then I jumped in.

I have written about relationship before but was not satisfied with the results but now, for some unknown reason, I felt ready to tackle this huge topic and feel good about this book. I don’t see myself as an expert on relationship but I definitely have a lot to share that may be helpful to others.

The book contains ten chapters including What is Love, What is A Good Relationship, Fostering and Nurturing Relationships, Harming Relationships, Mutual Respect, Boundaries, Marriage, Breakups and Divorce, Helpful Tips, Final Thoughts, plus a Preface and an Introduction.

What inspired you to write this book?

I was inspired to write this book some fifteen years ago when my wife and I were asked to talk to a group about our marriage experience. They wanted to know how we managed to get along so well. We made the presentation and everyone enjoyed it and there were many questions. I felt it would be a good subject for a book and I tried to do it several times but was dissatisfied with the outcome. Finally this year it came together and I wrote it.

Excerpt:

Mutual Respect

After several conversations about respect I realized there might be some confusion regarding its exact meaning. It seemed like a good idea to address that confusion and settle on a clear definition of respect before writing this chapter. This turned out to be a task that was much easier said than done. It seemed that mutual respect would be an “I’ll know it when I see it topic,” and that just wasn’t good enough. I thought about it for a while and decided that I needed to look back to my past and do a little research before coming up with a meaning with which I was comfortable.

My first lessons in respect came from my father who commanded respect from everyone who knew him. He strongly believed that you never allowed anyone to take advantage of you or your family. He told me that, if anyone did attempt to take advantage or put you down, the immediate response had to hurt enough to ensure they would never do it again. Few people tried to take advantage of him, and no one did it twice. That may be a form of respect, but it seemed to cross over into fear and it didn’t seem a good lesson for mutual respect in intimate relationships.

As I looked back, many situations with family, friends, acquaintances, flirtations, and partners came to mind. Some were pleasant and definitely reflected mutual respect while others not so much. It was obvious there were many times when I could have been more respectful and brought about a better outcome. Even though no one can change the past, it can be a source of valuable lessons and helped to write a definition of mutual respect to share with others.

All those experiences over the years gave me many ideas about respect and by adding a small amount of research I realized that mutual respect had various meanings. Based on all of this effort I was able to develop a definition and when this book mentions respect it is based on that specific definition. I couldn’t come up with a short definition so here is a list that defines respect for my partner and others.

Regard your partner with consideration, appreciation, and acceptance just as she is, not as you believe she should be.

Accept and value your partner’s point of view even if it differs from yours.

Honor your partner’s right to privacy by not intruding, interfering, or spying.

What exciting story are you working on next?

I’m not working on a book right now even though I have several topic ideas. I have decided to focus on marketing my existing books for the rest of the year.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

When the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials asked me to write a book on housing I felt certain that I was a writer. This was when I first started writing and their request helped my confidence.

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 don’t write full time because I have a full time job as the IT Manager for a Hyatt Hotel. I write mostly in the afternoons, evenings, and on weekends. Since I love to write it’s not difficult to make time for it. What is difficult is to make time for marketing which is definitely not as enjoyable but just as necessary.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I’m fortunate that I can write even with interruptions. I can be in the middle of something and stop and then come back to the same place and move right on. It’s a real blessing.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be an artist. I did well in art classes in school but I never developed it. I do have good design skills and design my own covers and handle some myself using Photoshop.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

I hope that many of them will comment as I enjoy sharing with others and it would be a unique opportunity to discuss this subject.

All the information in this book is based on my first-hand experiences, a small amount of research, and discussions with other couples. I sincerely hope that you will find it of real value in your own relationships. If you have any questions or comments, please contact me at: bill@positive-imaging.com

Thanks, Bill! Readers, don't forget about the giveaway! Use the form below to enter.

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Interview with biographer Malachi Stewart

Today's guest is Malachi Stewart. He's doing a virtual book tour for his personal biography, Journey to Malachi.

At the bottom of the interview is a rafflecopter entry form to enter to win a signed copy of the book.

Bio: 
Malachi Jeremiah Stewart is an ancient vessel housed in a modern body. In 2011, he was entrusted to lead Prophetic Streams Ministries in Philadelphia, PA as a unique tributary of Kingdom life, by declaring the finished work of Christ and dispensing the ‘unforced rhythms of grace.’

Currently, Malachi is pursuing a degree in Religion and Christian Counseling at Liberty University and seeks to work in full time ministry, both at locally and globally. He serves as Youth Advisor & Trainer to Dominion’s Prophetic & Apostolic Coalition Trans-Continental (D'PACT), Youth L.E.A.D. and Youth in Ministry (YIM) organizations, training high school and college students in the areas of evangelism, spiritual devotion, biblical instruction, and Papa prayer. He leads IGNITE! a youth evangelistic outreach in the capitol region, including DC-Maryland-Virginia. As a visionary leader and prophetic flame, he has a strong desire for souls to be saved, families to be restored, and for nations to be reconciled with Christ.

Welcome, Malachi. Please tell us about your current release.

Readers of Journey to Malachi will embark upon a biographical journey through my life as I face the perils of abuse and the tribulations of its many after effects. Through hopelessness and despair I invite readers to join me for the moments that bring great sorrow and the moments that bring great joy. Journey to Malachi is a celebration of the purpose behind our deepest pains.

What inspired you to write this book?

When I was a small boy and my sexual abuse started I was extremely confused and deeply hurt. Since that moment I never felt like there was another person who understood my inner struggles and so my problems made me feel isolated. When I started writing I wrote the book to my inner child. I told the stories I knew he could relate to and I gave him the honesty he deserved. I also gave him the love, support, and spiritual wisdom he would need to survive and overcome his journey to healing and hope.

Excerpt:

After the rape I totally suppressed any feelings I had the same way I had done years ago when the molestation occurred. I knew that I didn’t have the strength to risk exposure and tell any adult what happened. To tell any of my peers, who knew my secret would cause me to feel weak and foolish. A huge part of me really believed that the molestation and the rape were my fault. To most people that probably doesn’t make sense, and in retrospect it doesn’t honestly make any sense to me either but at the time that feeling was so very real to me. I kept wondering how I could have been so stupid. How could I have put myself in that position of vulnerability? The easiest way to cope with what happened was to pretend that it didn’t. Somehow I managed to move forward and by the time I graduated high school I had a pretty good control over my sexual urges and was doing my best to abstain from sinful activities all together. I was deeply involved with the church and had been serving as a youth leader. I was getting my first real taste of ministry as I planned revivals and watched the labor of my hands manifest into powerful moves of God. It felt so good to be living what I believed. A part of me, however knew that it was temporary. How long did I really expect to go through life with my heart separate from the lifestyle that I was living?

 My survival mechanism in the church realm was that I embraced the legalism, which caused my youthfulness to be abandoned. Following all of the doctrinal rules of my denomination and reciting religious dogma made me feel like I had changed. Changing physical things gave me the façade of deliverance. It is for this reason why I understand how the woman the bible describes as being caught in the act of adultery must have felt when they brought her to the Messiah’s feet. She knew the law and knew she was wrong. Her accusers were many and worse of all they were justified. She was indeed guilty as charged. It would have been convenient for Jesus to introduce her to religion and have her to repent and wear a long dress, cover her hair, remove her jewelry and do everything else that would make her feel whole and worthy. Yet he extended grace to her and removed her accusers, releasing her to “sin no more”. Receiving that’s grace was the hardest thing the woman had probably ever done in her life. It is easy to change the external with legalistic practices that produce tangible results but it’s hard to receive grace and allow Christ to transform the internal in the fullness of time. If only I knew that then I would have saved myself years of settling for a ‘form of godliness’! My façade was intact but unfortunately in time all facades fade. Mine was fading faster than I knew.  

What exciting story are you working on next?

I am working on a book called Daddy that illuminates how our experiences with our natural fathers are reflected in how we perceive and relate to God as our heavenly father.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I considered myself a writer at my first book signing. Even after publishing and holding the book in my hands for the first time, it wasn’t until I was seeing strangers purchase my book that I felt like an official writer. Truth be told, I feel I am more of a storyteller. I feel that my destiny it to share the truths that are applicable to us all by telling stories that bring healing, hope and happiness to the darkness that can comprise reality.

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 am a full-time student and transitioning into full-time ministry. I write whenever I can find time. Fortunately, I am able to write large amounts quickly but unfortunately rarely have the time to devote to writing. I suspect this will change as I become more prominent as an author.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

When I am writing I cannot use a pen and paper! I have to type and everything must be completely silent. I do my best writing early in the morning and where I am surrounded by nature and beauty.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Interestingly, the first thing I ever wanted to be was a writer. Of course, I found out that other occupations make more money so quickly opted for the more logical and lucrative career path. I never felt I could be successful as a writer. Recently, I decided to choose passion over prosperity, but I hope one day the twain will become one.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

I just want the readers to know that my purpose for sharing the intimate details of my life was so that it could inspire, comfort, and cause healing for someone else. This book was certainly written with my readers in mind so as you begin to take my journey, be encouraged in your own.

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