Happy New Year 2013!
I am so excited about this new year and sense there are many wonder full adventures and experiences awaiting us all!
Speaking of new experiences...I was thrilled and honored when I received an invitation to contribute to a book blog chain called "2013 - THE NEXT BIG THING" - a series of self-interviews by/with authors about what they've been working on. Though I have been writing for many years, "Divine Arrows" is the first book that I've published. Many gratitudes go out to my new friend and Cherokee sister MariJo Moore, author of several native & spiritual books including her most recent release called "Bear Quotes". Thanks so much MariJo for the introduction and invitation! I LOVED "Bear Quotes" and look forward to reading all of your books!
You can read more about MariJo and her newest book here - http://marijomoore.blogspot.com/
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And now, for my "2013 - THE NEXT BIG THING" Interview -
Q: So Grace, please tell us what is the name of your book?
A: Divine Arrows
Q: Can you give us a one-sentence synopsis of your book?
A: There are no coincidences in life, only synchronicities…
It is the story of my own personal odyssey, infused with poetry and insights that cross time and space. A SPIRIT oriented book deeply rooted in a healing quest that began for me in 1969 when my brother was killed in Vietnam; the resulting journey is an amazing, healing reflection found by following this road map (arrow) of spirit (divine)…
Q: Where did the idea for the book come from?
A: The poetry came first and stemmed from my dreams over a span of a few years which started happening about 8 years ago. Mind you, I did not start out to write a book though I soon had a book full of this dream poetry. When the ‘idea’ first came to me that I should publish this poetry, I pondered how to best introduce it. I thought, ok, well if I am to introduce my poetry, perhaps I should introduce myself first…so really it all started with the question, “Who am I?” (Funny, how doors open when you ask the right questions because as I sat pen to paper, the words just flowed like they were waiting to be written). My native self would say that guidance can be thought of as an ‘arrow’ and when arrows point to a higher path that one trusts and follows, they become “divine arrows”. This story line of my dreams, poetry, life experiences and higher vision ultimately became my book title as well.
Q: What genre does your book fall under?
A: Spiritual/Metaphysical/Poetry
Q: Which actors, if any, would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
A: Drew Barrymore comes to mind immediately, to play me. She is light and fluffy and fun; though it took me 50+ years to achieve this “hollow bone”, I aspire to her acting qualifications! Christopher Walken would have to be my muse, the one who’s voice is always talking in my head…he is zany and you just cannot put a name or face on spiritual guidance anyway as it is SO from the other side, just like him...
Q: Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
A: I self- published the book in May of 2012 with the help of an easy to use web interface at www.Create Space.com. Books are in stock and available for purchase (and signing!) from myself via this website and at Amazon.com where Kindle versions can be downloaded as well.
Q: How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
A: I guess you could say the first draft of the entire manuscript started back in 2009 and just flowed from there. All in all, it was probably a 3 year labor of love. It’s creation never ceased to amaze me along the way as it was purely guided from SPIRIT; when the last sentence came through and I dotted that final dot, I smiled big, for I knew it was done…just the way it was meant to be. But who knew??
Q: What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
A: One book in particular comes to mind called “The Noticer” by Andy Andrews. The image on the cover is that of an old suitcase and the words underneath it say it all: “Sometimes all a person needs is a little perspective”. I read somewhere once that the reason we need spiritual teachers is because the eye cannot see itself, it needs a reflection. When our reflections are shared with others, we open them up to the possibility of another perspective being shared as well.
Q: Who or what inspired you to write this book?
A: My muse inspired me to write the poetry…SPIRIT inspired me to share it – the rest just came when I decided to do it. It really is an alchemic work of heart written from a place of pure passionate spirit – one that is fed with heavenly spring water from an endless, unknown/well-known place where our muses all dance and tapestries of inspiration are woven …
Q: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
A: I’ve been told that people really enjoy the format, as it is very different from anything out there; not surprising as my guidance was not of this physical realm! The book starts out with an Introduction that walks you through my past, giving you a glimpse into my life and sharing with you who I am and how I got here. The mid- section of the book is called “Awakenings” and details the most profound “dream” that I’ve ever had … (tease, which has to do with witnessing a certain very famous person crossing over, in real life AND in my dream). The end section is called “Soul Retrieval” followed by “Ponderings” – a very personal sharing of my own soul retrieval experience and musings (ponderings) from Planet Walken…ha.
Woven in between these chapters are 37 distinct pieces of dream poetry, each preceded by a page that I like to refer to as “spirit food for thought” which gives the reader a little something more to think about; not only relative to what I am writing but perhaps reflective of what is happening in the readers life as well. Knowing there are no coincidences, I go back and forth sharing these synchronicites that can neither be explained nor denied. Knowing we are all connected in this great web of life, I often wonder if the poetry of my dreams holds messages of SPIRIT for someone other than myself … so I share them now, with you and with love…Aho!
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A very special THANK YOU to TRACY CROSBY for the most DIVINE artwork for my book cover! Tracy effortlessly listened to my ideas and created the image right before my very eyes which translated perfectly; capturing exactly what I had envisioned for my book cover. <3
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Thank you again to MariJo Moore for introducting me! If you’d like to read more about her and her own spirit oriented books, please visit her website here: www.marijomoore.com **
Likewise, please check out these other wonder full authors who talk about their new works as “2013, THE NEXT BIG THING” blog travels on…
**** JIM PATHFINDER EWING is not only my teacher, Cherokee brother and good friend but an award-winning journalist, author and organic farmer who lives in Lena, Miss., with his lovely wife Annette. Known for his books on energy medicine and eco-spirituality, he is the author of six books (Findhorn Press). His latest is "Conscious Food: Sustainable Growing, Spiritual Eating" - in bookstores now. He is a 2013 James Beard Award Nominee for his writing on food and the environment.
Check out Jim's blog here: Postcards From A Green Planet - http://jimpathfinder.tumblr.com/ For more on his books, see his webpage: www.blueskywaters.com
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TRACE A DEMEYER is an award-winning journalist-author, blogger and publisher who's new book is called "Two Worlds: Lost Children of the Indian Adoption Projects"; co-authored with Patricia Busbee who is also an adoptee. [ISBN: 978-1479318285]. Check out Trace's blog here: http://www.bluehandbooks.blogspot.com/
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DENISE LOW - "Natural Theologies: Essays about Literature of the Middle Plains" (Omaha: The Backwaters Press). This book is the first critical study of contemporary Mid-Plains literature. Denise Low, former Kansas poet laureate, shows how the region’s writers inherit a Frontier legacy from Indigenous and American settler communities. Check out Denise's blog here: http://deniselow.blogspot.com http://www.deniselow.com
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With gratitude to my self-publishing portal, please check out the other new releases at www.CreateSpace.com. ~*~