Pump Up Your Book Chats with Terry M. Drake

Terry’s email address is tdrake@livehappilyeverafter-now.com, his website address is www.livehappilyeverafter-now.com and his blog is also on this site, as well as more information about him and his book Live Happily, Ever After… Now! On twitter @terrymdrake or become a fan at Live Happily, Ever After Now! On facebook.

Thank you for this interview, Terry.  Do you remember writing stories as a child or did the writing bug come later?  Do you remember your first published piece?

I didn’t write stories as a child.  The writing bug didn’t come until much later for me, as I didn’t even realize I wanted to be a writer until just over a year ago.  My first published piece is Live Happily, Ever After… Now!

What do you consider as the most frustrating side of becoming a published author and what has been the most rewarding?

The most frustrating aspect is that being a writer is much more then just writing.  You have ideas that you want to put on paper, but it is more work then that, the editing, re-writes, text formatting, getting published, marketing, and on-and-on.

The most rewarding aspect is sticking with it and making my dream a reality.

Are you married or single and how do you combine the writing life with home life?  Do you have support?

I am married with 4 children, ranging in age from 3-16.  I also work 40+ hours-a-week, as a program director and 10 hours-a-week in private practice as hypnotherapy and life coach.  I am very busy, but I have lots of support, good time management skills and have created a healthy balance.

What do you like to do for fun when you’re not writing?  Where do you like to vacation?  Can you tell us briefly about this?

My wife and I, as well as the kids and especially our  3 year-old love the Finger Lakes in upstate New York.  We spend as much time there as possible and vacation at least one week a year and several weekend excursions throughout the year.

If you could be anywhere in the world for one hour right now, where would that place be and why?

Sitting on the beach in Maui, soaking it all in!  That would be a very relaxing and recharging hour!

Who is your biggest fan?

My Wife!  She’s very proud of me and my accomplishments and she tells everybody, it’s great.

Where’s your favorite place to write at home?

In our current home I don’t write, but my favorite place to write near home is at my office, in the evening or on the weekend.

Do you have any pets?

Yes, we have 2 dogs.  We have a yellow lab named Riley and a pomi-poo (part Pomeranian and part Poodle) named Puppins.  Our 3 year-old helped in the naming of Puppins.

Tell us a secret no one else knows.

This is a hard one, because I don’t really keep secrets.  Okay, how about I never once thought about becoming a writer as a child or even until a year ago.

What’s on your to do list today?

My to do list today includes, returning phone calls, reviewing files, some meetings, interviews,  picking my daughter up from day care and cooking dinner.

Now I’ve got a couple of fun questions for you.  If Tom Hanks, in the movie Cast Away, unearthed a copy of your book, how would that help him find a way off the island?

That’s an interesting question.  Well, it would help him develop the necessary mindset he needed to first mentally create and finally physically create his escape.  He would understand how to think about his situation, what he wanted to accomplish, the process his mind would use to develop his plan or hold him back, helping him to remain flexible and open to the possibilities to make it a successful journey, while enjoying the whole process.

You have a chance to appear on the hit talent show for authors, American Book Idol, with judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Kara Dioguardi and the newest addition, Ellen DeGeneres, to determine whether your book will make it to Hollywood and become a big screenplay where you’d make millions of dollars.  What would impress them more – your book cover, an excerpt or your author photo – and why?

My book cover!  The designer did a great job and we worked well together.  I am very proud and pleased with it, as I am the whole book, but a short excerpt wouldn’t do the book justice, nor would my photo.

You just got word that your book has received the 2010 NY Times Bestselling Book Award and you have to attend the ceremony to give an acceptance speech.  Anyone who’s anyone will be there and it’s your shot for stardom.  What would you say and who would you thank?

Well, I would do the normal and thank family, friends and influences.  I would especially thank my wife for her love and support.  I have a good story about Thomas Edison and his approach to adversity, which I would share:

Thomas Alva Edison is the most famous of American inventors, who holds 1,093 patents.  Included in his inventions are the phonograph, film projectors, motion picture cameras and improvement to the light bulb.  It has been reported that it took anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000 “failures” to achieve his success with the light bulb.  However, Edison did not view these as failures, he viewed them as experiments and he made modifications based on the feedback he received from each attempt.

I discovered an interesting story about Thomas Edison.  It relates to his ability to endure, what several people would refer to as “defeat” and “failure”, yet he never gave up.

In 1914, his factory in West Orange, New Jersey was destroyed by fire.  The damage exceeded $2 million and he only insured the building for $238,000, because it was built of concrete and believed to be fire proof.  Most of his life’s work went up in smoke, right in front of him.  Charles Edison, his 24 year old son, frantically found him during the fire’s height.  Edison was calmly watching the fire.  Charles stated that his heart ached for his father because at 67 he was no longer a young man.  When Edison saw Charles, he shouted, “Where’s your mother?” quickly adding, “Find her, she will never see anything like this as long as she lives.”  The next morning as Edison looked over the ruins he said, “There is great value in disaster.  All your mistakes are burned up.  Thank god you can start anew.”  Three weeks later he delivered the first phonograph!

“Your greatest weakness lies in giving up.  The most certain way to succeed is always try just one more time.”

- Thomas Edison 1847-1931

I would then ad, that this is how I strive to live my life and the attitude I keep, which has helped me get to this point, as well as kept me from giving up through all the re-writes, the re-formatting, the back and forth with the printers, and the time spent fine tuning Live Happily, Ever After… Now!

I would then end with, thanks!

I understand that you are touring with Pump Up Your Book Promotion in June and July via a virtual book tour.  Can you tell us all why you chose a virtual book tour to promote your book online?

Through my research into the marketing process it was the best way for me to get the publicity I needed, in a cost effective and timely manner, as well as leaving a lasting online footprint.

Thank you for this interview, Terry.  Good luck on your virtual book tour!

Thank you!  I would also like to add, that you can find more quotes and stories like the ones previously mentioned,  as well as the inspiration and formula you need to succeed in getting published and being successful in everything you choose to do in Live Happily, Ever After… Now! Visit www.livehappilyeverafter-now.com and learn more.

Terry will be on virtual book tour June 1 – July 30 ‘10. Visit his official tour page at Pump Up Your Book to find out more about his new self-help book, Live Happily, Ever After…Now!

Amazon is the best way to obtain your copy, although it will be available to order in your local bookstore.

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