Happy Friday, everyone! Today I had a chance to get together with Daniel Alexander and find out a bit more about him and his book, Through the Crimson Mirror, a non-fiction, autobiography, self-help, parenting book. Check out his cover and description.
Do you know how concerned parents who are
looking for ways to better understand their children have read all the old
material and still can’t seem to get the right results? Teenage depression
continues to soar, more and more girls are having unwanted pregnancies and
abortions, drug and alcohol use continues to climb, in areas such as this,
x-parties are becoming more and more frequent; the list goes on and on.
What I do is show life from a child’s point of
view, which gives parents a more complete picture so they can better understand
their children, better understand their feelings and attitudes and give them a
better start to life.
I also show people who are facing difficulties
that they are not alone, which is often their greatest, unspoken fear.
I’m looking for parents, people who are facing
difficulties.
Okay, Daniel, thanks for being here! Let's get right to the interview. How would you describe your book in 20 words or less without using the
blurb?
A story that touches many people today. One of courage, learning,
growing, bravery.
Writing can be lonely. Did you have support at the beginning
and/or during your writing?
I have two great editors who helped me through most
of the process. I say they helped me through the process, because I didn’t pay
them. They offered to do it for free for me, so it really was just good old
fashioned help.
That is wonderful. A great support group is always a plus.
Do you read reviews written about
your book?
Yes! I encourage people to tell me the good and bad. The only way to
grow is to get honest feedback. Fortunately, most of it has been good so far.
I love reviews! It's so fun to interact with readers. So, do you write at a laptop/desktop or
do you write freehand?
A little bit of all of those. Most of the beginning of
my writing was done free hand. Then it moved to desktop, and sometimes I write
in coffee shops on my laptop.
What’s the hardest part of writing a book?
Starting. Without a doubt
that first word is the most challenging!
I have to agree. And you edit that first word so many times! So, why did you choose the genre you write in?
I choose this genre because
I want to make a difference.
That's admirable. I suppose we all have our different goals. I imagine it's nice to know you're helping people. Did you do any research before start or during of the writing of the
books?
Yes, lots of research. I love learning, so this was really cool for me.
I read many books to support what I said. In addition, I did many interviews
with a range of people including students, teachers, mental-health
professionals, people in prison, reformed alcoholics and drug addicts, and many
more.
Sounds like it was a long process and a lot of research involved for sure. Most authors are readers too. Which genres do you prefer to read?
Most non-fiction. But I tend to
write differently to what I read. I read very factual books, and wrote my book
more as a story with human interest. It’s a best of both, a story so it’s easy
to read, but it has all the facts.
I have to be honest, I don't really like dry, factual nonfiction. Your book sounds like something I could enjoy.
How important do you find the communication between you and your
readers? Do you reply to their messages or read their reviews?
Yes. I’ve
regularly chat with some of my fans. I’m not selling books to sell books, I’m
selling books to make a difference in people’s lives, so staying in touch is a
big thing for me.
Have you ever Googled yourself?
Yip. Who hasn’t…
:-) Your cover says this is book one. How many more books can we expect in this series?
There are three
books in the series in total. I spoke to people before publishing my book, and
because so many people are busy today, they’d rather have multiple shorter
books, than one long one. I took all their advice and split my original book
into three. Most people that have read the first did so in a night. So mission
accomplished.
Sounds like you've put all that research to good use with three books and written in a story manner. Congratulations on the books and I really do appreciate you taking the time to do this interview!
About Daniel Alexander:
I was born in Durban, South Africa.I was born in 1983, which means
I'll turn 30 in the year 2013 (which is the year in which I'm writing this
page). For many years, I worked as a programmer, but after suffering from
depression, I wrote my book and my story, and now work to try prevent more and
more people from slipping into depression and related illnesses. Most of that
is done via my book, and for local groups, I do talks. The speaking is
something that I wish to grow, and eventually want to become a professional
speaker.
Due to my research, experience and interviews, I am very knowledgeable
in a wide range of topics that us human-beings have to deal with, including:
communication, education, relationships, sex, mental-health, addiction and
more. In my local city, I have appeared on various radio stations a few times,
and been featured in a few newspapers and magazines, some of which are on my
media articles page.
Want to connect with Daniel Alexander? You can find him here:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/daniel.alexander.book
Want to buy Through the Crimson Mirror?
Kindle: www.amazon.com/dp/B00904HFTQ Or order from Daniel directly on his website.
Thank you readers for taking the time out of your day to learn more about this book. Happy reading and have a wonderful weekend!
~~ Chantel~~
Interesting author interview, Chantel. And congratulations to Daniel, certainly an interesting topic for parents today.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kimberly! Parenting is never an easy job!
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