Interview with Linda Seger, author of Spiritual Steps on the Road to Success
Title: Spiritual Steps on the Road to Success
Author: Linda Seger, Th.D.
Release Date: September 8, 2015
Publisher: Haven Books
Genre: Religion & Spirituality
Format: Ebook/Paperback
ORDER INFORMATION
Spiritual Steps on the Road to Success is available for order at
Q: Welcome to The Writer's Life, Linda Seger. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how long you’ve been writing?
A: I started writing when I was 10 after reading Nancy Drew books for several years. I thought I wanted to be a detective, but then had an epiphany at age 10 when I realized I didn't really want to be a detective but wanted to write Nancy Drew-type books. I never did write mysteries, but loved to write all sorts of other stories and books. I wrote my first novel when I was 13 (a modernization of Little Women - spent 3 months writing a few pages every day after school, bound it up with a blue ribbon and my friend read it and said she cried when the one sister died - of a horse-back riding accident.) I wrote short stories all through high school, essays and poems in college and graduate school, and my first non-fiction book came out when I was in my 40's. I fell in love with writing non-fiction books. Recently I have written some short stories just for fun.
Q: Can you please tell us about your book and why you wrote it?
A: Spiritual Steps on the Road to Success was motivated by the experiences I had and challenges I confronted when I became successful in my business as a script consultant, seminar leader in the area of screenwriting, and author of 9 books on screenwriting. I discovered the spiritual issues with success are quite different the the ones I confronted when struggling to find my way in a career. In spite of 3 M.A. degrees and a Th.D. in Drama and Theology (sometimes considered the least marketable degree one could have), I wasn't getting hired. I finally began my own business in 1981 - it started out as a last resort and then I learned I loved being an entrepreneur. I was the first script consultant - I made up the job. The business began to be successful in 1985, and then I began traveling internationally, teaching screenwriting and consulting, in 1988. All these experiences inform the book.
Q: What were some of the biggest challenges you faced writing it?
A: I was determined to go deeply into my own experience, but also I wanted to interview other spiritual people from the areas of art, science, and business as well as talk to people from all over the world to see if their spiritual challenges when successful echoed with mine. I was excited to find an aborigine from Australia, a scientist from England, businessmen from Singapore to round out the interviews. It wasn't easy finding all these people.
Q: Do you have a press kit and what do you include in it? Does this press kit appear online and, if so, can you provide a link to where we can see it?
A: The information about my book is on my website of www.spiritualstepsbook.com/media.
Q: Have you either spoken to groups of people about your book or appeared on radio or TV? What are your upcoming plans for doing so?
A: Yes. I have spoken to church groups and university groups about the book. I'll be talking at Colorado College on January 26th for their Alumni Association. I'll be on KVOR radio in Colorado Springs and possibly KRCC. I was on the Sarah Zink Plaid for Women radio show. I have been on television as a guest a number of times for other books (including CNN Power Lunch, The Bill O'Reilly Show, All Things Considered, etc.) but not yet for this book. Two feature articles have been written about me and the book: The Ute Pass Courier, the newspaper that represents the mountain area outside of Colorado Springs where I live, featured me and my career. The Colorado Springs Gazette did an article about me and my book in their Faith and Values section.
Q: Do you have an agent and, if so, would you mind sharing who he/she is? If not, have you ever had an agent or do you even feel it’s necessary to have one?
I have had 5 agents - 2 were very good and unfortunately, they retired.
I wish it weren't necessary to have one, since they don't seem to have a high success rate with the projects they take on. But I think you need an agent, if you can get one. The difficulty is finding an agent who can sell your book and will work hard at it and who understands your own writer's voice and your readership. It is a need but it would be great if it weren't so essential.
The whole book selling business is still a mystery to me after 13. The frustration is not in the writing; it's everything else after the book is written. I don't think I'm alone in this. Like many authors, I am frustrated with the slow process of selling and the little publicity publishers do when they publish a book. Many of us authors are burdened with the marketing that falls on our shoulders even though we are not experts in this area. More and more, authors are asked to come up with very complete a marketing plan by the people who are supposed to be expert at marketing - such as agents and publishers.
Our eyes glaze over. We stare at the wall. We spend weeks asking advice from friends and colleagues who then tell us things like, "You should be on the Oprah show," forgetting that Oprah no longer has a show, nor is it an easy matter to get on any of those type of shows. We all have an idea of those who should be interested in us from agents to TV and radio hosts - but the reality is that marketing has us pulling out our hair and pleading to have the time to simply write.
I love the writing discipline - the search for the right word, the process of going more deeply into feelings and ideas, and being committed to not skimming the surface. I want to write The Truth and even though it's difficult, it's always pleasurable for me.
We give our babies to the world - and wish the world embraced them like we do - as good parents of their Sweet Presence. We love our books and want the world to love them also.
Q: Did you, your agent or publisher prepare a media blitz before the book came out and would you like to tell us about it?
A: Nope. I guess they should have.
Q: Do you plan subsequent books?
A: I have 7 proposals with my agent. Nothing really keeps me from forging ahead. I write because I have to and because I have many ideas I want to explore. I am working with a small independent publisher in Colorado Springs (Haven Books) and we plan to revise several books this year - From Script to Screen and When Women Call the Shots - both related to the film industry, and a 2016 edition of Jesus Rode a Donkey: why millions of Christians are Democrats. I also have several books which are almost completed which Haven Books, or another publisher, will publish in the future.
Q: Thank you for your interview, Linda Seger. Would you like to tell my readers where they can find you on the web and how everyone can buy your book?
A: www.spiritualstepsbook.com and www.lindaseger.com. The books are on amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and at some bookstores, perhaps Barnes and Noble.
Dr. Linda Seger has a background in both drama and theology. She has focused her career as an international script consultant, seminar leader in the area of screenwriting, and author of books on screenwriting. In the last eight years, she has also been writing books on spirituality. Her two newest, in their second editions, are Jesus Rode a Donkey: Why Millions of Christians Are Democrats, which is a kind and non-polarizing look at how spirituality and politics intersect, and the highly acclaimed, Spiritual Steps on the Road to Success: Gaining the Goal Without Losing Your Soul. Wm. Paul Young (author of The Shack) says: As an elder in the art of life, Linda Seger brings a wealth of experience and wisdom to help us understand true success and how to navigate its adventures. She is the author of 12 books, 9 on screenwriting and 3 on spirituality. Her web site is www.lindaseger.com.
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So much respect for Linda's wisdom, as I can clearly see it comes from years of experience. Thanks for posting this.
ReplyDeleteSo much respect for Linda's wisdom, as I can clearly see it comes from years of experience. Thanks for posting this.
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