Pump Up Your Book Chats with Dr. Jeri Fink

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OnlineJeriFink

Dr. Jeri Fink is an author, Family Therapist, and journalist, with over 19 books and hundreds of articles to her name. She writes adult and children’s fiction and nonfiction, and has appeared on television, radio, book events, seminars, workshops, and the internet. Dr. Fink’s work has been praised by community leaders, educators, reviewers, and critics around the country.

To find out more about Dr. Finkhttp://www.drjerifink.com

On Trees Cry For Rain

Q: Can you tell us why you wrote your book?

Years ago, I read about a group of people in New Mexico who followed traditional Jewish customs in their Catholic community – lighting candles on Friday night, refusing to eat pork and playing Christmas games with a four-sided spinning top. Local historians traced their ancestry back to Secret Jews who had fled the Spanish Inquisition. I was haunted by their experiences. What was it like to live a double life – going to church with your neighbors while secretly practicing Judaism – a crime punishable by death? How did it feel to risk everything for religious beliefs? What happens when people keep dangerous secrets – live schizoid existences that span generations? Lastly, what would they look like today? It took me four years of research, travel, interviews and writing to answer those questions.

Q: Which part of the book was the hardest to write?

The hardest part of the book was finding my “voice.” It took many rewrites until I figured out how to negotiate the structure that would highlight my characters and time shifts. Since I juxtapose the 15th century with the present, it involved a lot of “craft” to work out the particulars.

Q: Does your book have an underlying message that readers should know about?

There are many underlying messages. I wrote the book to be a “good read” on the surface, with many layers beneath for those readers interested in metaphor. Perhaps most significant is using “time” as a character – a living, flexible construct that moves fluidly within its own context. Time impacts on all the characters’ behavior, such as the need to correct wrongs committed in the past.

On Writing

Q: Do you remember when the writing bug hit?

I was eight years old and it was very late – long past my bedtime. Instead of sleeping, I aimed a flashlight on my notebook so I could write a new story. Then it hit me.

I was put on this planet to write.

I’ve done a lot of things since that moment. But I always knew what I was meant to do. That has never changed. I’m here to write.

Q: What’s the most frustrating thing about becoming a published author and what’s the most rewarding?

There’s no question about what frustrates me the most – the business! I have no problem organizing three hundred pages into logical parts, but setting up a marketing program is daunting. Contracts, publicity, promotion, and scheduling make me dizzy. While I store endless historical facts, psychological profiles and stories – using them when needed – I have trouble keeping track of who owns which rights.

I learned a long time ago that seeing my words in print – watching people read them – is incredibly exciting. However, the best part is the means, not the end. In other words, the most rewarding aspect of writing is the actual work, lost in my characters and their stories. Many people are amazed when I confess that I enjoy the edits and rewrites as well – I feel like an artist “painting” in words instead of oil.

Q: Do you have a writing tip you’d like to share?

Never stop reading, writing, learning, thinking and doing. It’s all part of the final book. If you worry about writer’s block, you’ll get it. Each pause in the narration leaves time to reflect, review what has happened and visualize where it’s headed. With that said, when I’m working on a novel I write every day – even if it’s only a few sentences – to maintain the flow consciously and subconsciously – so the story is ingrained in my daily life.

On Family and Home:

Q: Would you like to tell us about your home life? Where you live? Family? Pets?

I live on Long Island, in the suburbs of New York City. I take every opportunity to jump on the Long Island Railroad to hang out in Manhattan. My favorite form of entertainment is theater, and my favorite form of theater is Shakespeare. I never miss Shakespeare-in-the-Park during the summer. The performances are magical! Before or after theater is dinner in some of the best restaurants in the world. Nothing beats Korean BBQ at Kang Suh, dumplings from Nom Wah Tea Parlor, a sizzling ribeye from Del Frisco, “street” food from Spice Market or Belgian Chocolate from Leonidas. And that’s just the tip of the palette.

I have two dogs who are trained therapy Labradoodles (a mix of Labrador Retriever and Poodle). Gizmo (100 pounds) and Coco (30 pounds) have been featured in most of my children’s books. They always “join” me when I’m writing. Gizmo is a gentle giant; Coco is a silly, hyperactive “kid.” They’re like me in canine form.

Ricky, my husband, is both patient and supportive – used to me disappearing into the canyons of my home office. My children are scattered – living as close as one mile and as far as another state. We’re a close family though, and are always there for each other. We take turns having family dinners, where everyone is expected to bring their signature dish. Once a year, we open our house for a December Holiday Brunch – for 70-80 people – complete with bagels and a lot of laughing.

Q: Where’s your favorite place to write at home?

I write in two places – my home office and at my kitchen table (usually with a takeout order of sushi). Sometimes I travel with my laptop or carry hard copies for editing.

Q: What do you do to get away from it all?

Travel. I can’t get enough of it! My goal is to visit all seven continents on the planet. Right now, I’m only missing one – Australia. I’ve traveled all over the U.S. and the world. My favorite places are Sedona, Arizona; Manhattan, Israel and Antarctica. I recently discovered expedition travel (see the articles on my website at www.drjerifink.com or scribd.com), and can’t get enough of it. I’ve been on two expeditions – Antarctica and the Galapagos Islands, which are literally, worlds apart. I’m now planning my next expedition. Any suggestions?

On Childhood:

Q: Were you the kind of child who always had a book in her/his hand?

I read everything I could get my hands on (actually I still do, although time makes me more discriminating). I remember stumbling home from the library, arms filled with so many books I could hardly see around them. I loved animal stories, particularly about horses, and some of the modern classics by Steinbeck, Hemingway, Faulkner, and Michener. Mark Twain was one of my earliest muses. I cried with Anne Frank and Pearl S. Buck, and read every word Kurt Vonnegut wrote. Sometimes I would read a book and “cast it” with famous actors and actresses. These days, I make sure to read books written by some of my favorite contemporary authors, like Greg Iles, Naomi Regan, Jodi Picault, Harlan Coben, Nelson DeMille . . . the list goes on as long as authors are writing good books! My favorite journalist is Marge Mendel. Her work is awesome!

Q: Can you remember your favorite book?

No – there were way too many. When I was very young, I fell in love with Laura Ingalls Wilder, never forgetting the world she made so real. I went through phases – historical fiction, mysteries, science fiction, fantasy, biography – nothing was beyond my reach. In High School I was selected to join a group of students who studied the history curriculum through independent research under the guidance of a mentor. They wouldn’t let me choose fiction, so I studied biographies instead. I still remember those facts – and several people, like Andrew Jackson and Theodore Roosevelt, who reverberate in my imagination.

Q: Do you remember writing stories when you were a child?

By the time I was eight years old I had stacks of notebooks filled with stories. When I was in fifth grade, my teacher put photos on the board, and told us to write stories about them. I loved it! I filled pages and pages, telling stories. He got very angry and told me that I would fail if my story ran longer than two sides of a single paper. That was when I learned to write fast endings, squeezed into very tiny letters. I’ll never forget Mr. Tufel. It felt like writer abuse.

On Book Promotion:

Q: What was the first thing you did as far as promoting your book?

I got help from family members! Then I established a presence online – building my website at drjerifink.com and setting up pages on Face Book, Twitter, Authors Den, Amazon, Scribd.com, You Tube . . . it’s a long list. When that was set, I signed up for a two-month Virtual Book Tour with Pump Up Your Book.

Q: Are you familiar with the social networks and do you actively participate?

Promotion is all about being familiar with the social networks – whether you like it or not. I make sure I have an active, constantly updated presence.

Q: How do you think book promotion has changed over the years?

Book promotion used to be something provided by the publisher. Now, if you’re not Stephen King or James Patterson, book promotion is the responsibility of the author. Ironically, authors tend not to be good when it comes to promotion, marketing, and publicity. But we have no choice. It’s part of the package.

On Other Fun Stuff:

Q: If you had one wish, what would that be?

To continue writing novels.

Q: If you could be anywhere in the world other than where you are right now, where would that place be?

Enchantment Resort in Sedona, Arizona. It’s in the middle of Boynton Canyon, in red rock country – once a sacred place for the Indians. The experience is breathtaking – the trails plunge me into a world without words, that takes my imagination way beyond my own human limits.

Q: Your book has just been awarded a Pulitzer. Who would you thank?

My friends, my family, but most of all, Ricky, my husband – and all the beautiful places and people on this planet that gave me insight into the meaning of life.

Award-Winning Book Publicity Company Since 2007

VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR, BLOG TOUR & BOOK PUBLICITY ENDORSEMENTS: NICE THINGS PEOPLE SAY ABOUT PUMP UP YOUR BOOK

NEW! "Thank you Dorothy for a lovely tour! Thanks so much for the graphics and wonderful trailer!!"Avery Sterling, PRECIOUS BURDENS

"I just wanted to thank you for everything. You ARE the queen. Your are so personable and professional. Your graphics soared beyond. They are beautiful. It was a pleasure to work with you."Jude Hopkins, BABE IN THE WOODS

"THANK YOU for all of these graphics!!! That was a valuable added perk of working with you on the VBT! Thank you for all the work you put into those, and into the organization and follow-ups on the tour itself. It's been a pleasure working with you, Dorothy!"Allyson Rice, The Key to Circus-Mom Highway

"Oh, awesome!! Thank you so much! You ran such a lovely tour. Those images are great, I look forward to using them and will miss seeing the regular postings on Twitter ;-).
I really appreciate your steadfast and ongoing support. It means a lot!!"Palmer Pickering, MOON DEEDS

"Just wanted to send you a quick note to say thank you again for the amazing blog tour and to tell you that we will be adding the tour to Mark's author website in the next few days. We will of course be recommending your company to other authors we know. And when Mark's next book is out, we will use your services again." Kirsten Grenside on behalf of Mark Grenside, FALL OUT

"Thank you for all the great, creative, work you have done on behalf of my book. You are
a special lady, as a kind hearted woman and a professional."
Maria Andrade, DEFIANCE AND REDEMPTION

"Everyone did an excellent job. The blog pages were beautiful, and the trailer was so clever and funny. Thanks for sending these lovely "souvenirs" from my tour. I will be able to use all of these posts on Twitter. I enjoyed this so much and look forward to my next tour!"
Irene Woodbury, HONEYMOON ROULETTE

" I am delighted with the results of my recent tour with Pump Up Your Book. Dorothy is meticulous and professional, presents beautifully laid out pages, maintains constant contact with the client, and gives more than expected value for money. In a nutshell: you get what you pay for and more on top! I will certainly be using Dorothy’s services for my other Regency romance books.”
Arabella Sheraton, THE LORD BLACKWOOD REGENCY ROMANCE SERIES

"Thank you so much for The Shadow of Atlantis tour. I've really enjoyed all the posts and seeing my book being promoted. I will definitely come back to you with another of my titles!"
Wendy Leighton-Porter, THE SHADOW OF ATLANTIS

"Thank you so much for the great job on the book tour! Pump Up Your Book was a driving force in the launch of THE PILATE SCROLL!"
M.B. Lewis, THE PILATE SCROLL

"Thank you ever so much - it was a fun tour. I will continue singing your praises to my fellow authors. And grateful for the images, I will put them to continued use."
Kathleen Shaputis, HIS KILT DROPPED HERE

"I appreciate you and your hard work. Thank you for creating these awesome images for my book and allowing me to use them. I am very thankful to have them!"
Joni Ankerson, TO KILL OR BE KILLED

"Thank you for an Amazing Virtual Book Tour for Son of a Soldier! I really appreciate all the work you put into it!"
Aiken Brown, SON OF A SOLDIER

"Thanks so much for getting ANNA INCOGNITO out there and reviewed and shared with so many people. It was great to see it on so many twitter feeds!"
Laura Preble, ANNA INCOGNITO

"Thank you so much for such a fantastic tour! You did an amazing job getting it together so quickly, and I couldn’t have been happier!"
Lena Gregory, GRAVE CONSEQUENCES

"Thank you so much Dorothy! I appreciate your hard work. Love the graphics!"
Jennifer Chase, FLOWERS ON HER GRAVE

"This has been one of the best things I’ve done as an author. Not only am I getting the word out about my books but I’m learning about my own work and my readers along the way. I love it!"
Elysia Strife, A PROMISE IN ASH

"Today my blog tour ended, with another great review which made me end the tour with a big smile! What a fun way to end this incredible 4-week tour. I will surely miss it. I want to thank you for arranging it so well and for being there for me whenever I needed. Thank you!!!"

Miri Leshem-Pelly, SCRIBBLE & AUTHOR

"I think you did an excellent job last time, thank you!"
Shami Stovall, KNIGHTMARE ARCANIST

"Just wanted to thank you for the book tour. :) You did a great job. :)"
Suzanne M. Hurley, THE TEDDY BEAR EYE CLUB

"I just wanted to thank you for a wonderful virtual tour in August for Brimstone and Water. I was very happy with the amount of attention given to the book and to me. I am mentioning it to friends on line that haven't gone to the site yet to be sure and take a look. Thanks for all your work."
Sharon House, BRIMSTONE AND WATER

"Thank you for running my book promotion for BlackJack. I am so pleased with the reviews that came in and appreciated all you did. My sales have improved from being around 800,000 down to the 200,000 on Amazon and hopefully dropping still. I will definitely be contacting you for a promotion again."
Christine Donovan, BLACKJACK

"You’ve been a joy to work with, and I’d do another tour with you in a heartbeat. Overall, it was an excellent experience and a good value. I’ll be sure to look you up when it’s time to release my next book."
Michael Allan Scott, GREY DAZE

"Just wanted to thank you for putting together a great tour for You Won't Remember This. I think the author was pleasantly surprised and overall very pleased."
Bacon Press Books

"Dorothy, thanks so much for another great VBT!!! The Twitter-Party was a new feature this time that I particularly enjoyed. I will continue to recommend PUYB to my writer-friends, because you are simply the best!!!"
T.M. Wallace, WINTERGARDEN

"Thank you for a great blog tour for my “Depression and Your Child.”
I’m in the middle of my third book and will definitely call on you again when it’s time to market it."
Deborah Serani, DEPRESSION AND YOUR CHILD

"Your hard work and professionalism hasn't gone unnoticed. When I release my next novel(s), I will definitely use your service. I have already recommended you to several authors."
Ashley Fontainne, GROWL

"Thanks for a very good experience with Pump Up Your Book. Fighter Pilot's Daughter has sold out of the first printing (still available as POD on Rowman & Littlefield's site, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.). My editor at R & L says there's a very good chance the book will come out in paperback in the summer. He asked me "Did you hire a publicist or something?" I told him about you, and he was impressed."
Mary Lawlor, FIGHTER PILOT'S DAUGHTER

"You are amazing Dorothy and I love what you do to get the spirit of our books out to the world. Thank you!"
Lee Papa, TEMPLE OF ALL KNOWING

"I can't believe the response this book is getting! I am so very thrilled that she liked it!!! You are THE BEST, Dorothy, for hooking up this amazing tour with all these stunning reviews! This was the book I was going to keep under my bed forever and ever and now WOW. I can't believe this is happening. It's like a dream come true!"
Madeline Wynn, DAUGHTER OF THE FALLEN

"Just wanted to say I'm appreciating your tweets so much. This is really helping my book sales, and I'm telling writer friends about you."
Mary Lawlor, FIGHTER PILOT'S DAUGHTER

"Thank you SO much!!!! I had a blast on the tour and appreciate all the time the bloggers and reviewers spent promoting Ash to Steele:)"
Karen-Anne Stewart, ASH TO STEELE

"When it comes to looking for a virtual book tour coordinator, Dorothy Thompson of Pump Up Your Book Tours is simply the best. I have tried several virtual book tour coordinators and have even set up a book tour on my own, but none of them were as successful as my tours with Pump Up Your Book Tour, which has the combination of expertise and experience needed to get the author the results they need. On this latest tour, TWELVE TO MURDER made it up to number three on Amazon! Thank you, Dorothy!"
Lauren Carr, Best-Selling Mystery Author of Mac Faraday, and Lovers in Crime, Mysteries

"Thank you again for all of your help and support for my recent book tour. You were so supportive and responsive, and I enjoyed working with you. It was a great tour and I really enjoyed it, especially when my book hit the top 100 in the two subcategories! That was awesome! Thanks for "pumping up my book!""
Monique Roy, ACROSS GREAT DIVIDES

"Thank you for another amazing tour, Dorothy!! I loved the sites I had an opportunity to visit and the people I met along the way. I even made a few new friends and found wonderful supporters that I'll never forget - I promise! The exposure you gave my book was absolutely unbelievable, and I can't think of a better way to welcome and expose an author's new creation to the literary world. Happy New Year to all your readers and may your success continue to grow. "
Kaylin McFarren, BURIED THREADS

"Thank you for a great virtual book tour. I thought it went really well and it was great to have a wave of PR that flowed through the two month period of my book release. I'm working on my next book - and will definitely reach out to you when it comes time to market! You were a delight to work with and really made me feel looked after. As I've mentioned before, I just don't know how you do it all."
--Deborah Serani, DEPRESSION AND YOUR CHILD

"I just wanted to let you know how wonderful I felt my book blast went for Be Careful What You Wish For in the month of August. So many emails and contacts that I would never have gotten. The publicity was just phenomenal!"
--R.K. Avery, BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR

"Just wanted to touch base with you and extend a huge thank you for the wonderful and successful book blast you arranged for Love Vindicated for me. I was very happy with your services and will be passing your name and brand along to some writer friends with a stellar recommendation. Again thanks and I look forward to working with you again in the future."
--Lila Munro, LOVE VINDICATED

"Thank you so much for all your hard work in putting together the virtual book tour for The Sixth Power. I appreciate it so much."
--Carol Nicolas, THE SIXTH POWER

"Thank you SO MUCH for such a great blog tour!"
--Sandra D. Bricker, ALWAYS THE BAKER, FINALLY THE BRIDE

"Wow - you are absolutely fantastic. Can't believe how lucky I was to find you :)"
--Jo Sparkes, THE BIRR ELIXIR

"I just wanted to let you know that tonight Steven Manchester's Twelve Months became The Story Plant's first #1 Kindle bestseller. This couldn't have happened without you. Barb's cover is an absolute showstopper, Sue's copyediting boosted the overall work, Jackie's proofreading kept all of us honest, and Tracee Gleichner's blog tour started what has become an avalanche of great reviews."
-- Lou Aronica, STORY PLANT

"Blog tours have been the most effective promotion I’ve done. Dorothy Thompson and her company Pump Up Your Book are the greatest. I’ve spent money with other promotion companies that advertised packages then didn’t deliver the service they advertised, inflated their audience and reach and point blank falsely represented themselves. Dorothy has been a Godsend, and by far, her services are the best promotional endeavors I’ve invested in thus far."
-- Alicia Singleton, DARK SIDE OF VALOR

"I didn't realize that there is a place on amazon that you can see your stats for foreign sales; mine are really good and I believe it is your tweeting service. I think I might have found the key to successful self-publishing when I found Pump Up Your Books."
-- Suzanne Jenkins, PAM OF BABYLON SERIES

"Dorothy Thompson helped promote my book, Gringos in Paradise: Our Honduras Odyssey. Taking part in it was so much easier (and less expensive) than the travel schedule I was hving to keep doing on my own. She set up everything, coached me through my part, and I found my book and I promoted it all over the Internet. It definitely increased my book sales."
-- Malana Ashlie, GRINGOS IN PARADISE

"Dorothy was not only a lot of fun to work with but she helped me get the word out about my book. I would recommend her to both debut and experienced authors."
---Deborah Woehr, PROSPERITY: A GHOST STORY

“Dorothy is a firecracker promoter. She is skilled at finding the most visible placements in promoting your book with unmatched enthusiasm.She is creatively talented and a wonderful person to have on your team.”
--Kathy Holmes Eckardt, REAL WOMEN WEAR RED

“I invested in a three month virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Books promotions for my noir thriller, Moonlight Falls. Not only did the marketing campaign work wonders for spreading the word about the new novel, in the very last month, on the very last day of the tour, Moonlight Falls became an Amazon Kindle bestseller!”
–Vincent Zandri, MOONLIGHT FALLS and THE REMAINS

“I’m so pleased every day when I look at Google Alerts and see our titles all around the blogosphere, so thanks for that!”
–-World Ahead Media

“This has been a wonderful experience. Dorothy Thompson and her whole team are very committed to each author, take each author’s tour very seriously, and work towards maximum exposure in the right places. This is the best book promotion expenditure I’ve made in terms of return on investment. I highly recommend Pump Up Your Book Promotion.”
--Phyllis Zimbler Miller, MRS: LIEUTENANT

"I used Pump Up Your Book promotions a few months ago for my novel, Nephilim. My publisher is a great person, but when it comes to promotions, she encourages authors to do that on their own. Enter Dorothy Thompson at Pump Up Your Book. I had 8 reviews of the book and was featured as a guest author every day of the week at various websites during the month that I used her company. Amazing! She secured everything for me which was really nice and I didn't have to do anything but write a few blogs or answer interview questions. I would use Pump Up Your Book again in a heart beat!"
--Mary Ann Loesch, NEPHILIM

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Question of the Day

How do you make sales happen for you?

A lot of hard work! I sponsor a lot of on line parties, festivals and contests. Book sales don’t magically happen, believe me. An author has to work hard to earn her readers. And then she has to work hard to keep them by giving them something they’ll enjoy reading. I try hard to make my books worth a reader’s time.

-- Sheila Roberts, Author of Winter at the Beach