Author of:  Return From the Void

Tell Us A Bit About Yourself... I live with my partner, daughter and two cats in a fairly modern apartment close to my local town. My view on life is pretty laid back I guess, and although I tend to keep myself constantly busy, I am busy with what I feel passionate about such as Hypnotherapy, NLP, Mind Mechanics and Stress Management. I also love reading philosophical literature (and yes, I am a huge fan of The Barefoot Doctor), walking in woodlands, self-expression through fashion, art and dance and morning meditations. As a rule I tend to 'walk the walk' and not just 'talk the talk', as I feel it is important for me to be as honest as I can with myself and others. Lately I have widened the opportunity for self-progression and awareness with the introduction of workshops and talks on this fascinating subject, as well as having proudly introduced my most recent clinic in Harley Streey, London, and co-hosting 'mid-day matters' on Marlow FM Radio Berkshire. All in all, I truly enjoy what I do and for me I am now living thr life that I could only have dreamed about living back in the days when I had self-limiting beliefs. I can honestly say I was a very different person back then.

What Is Your Book About? Return From the Void was written to help people who have recently faced adverse circumstances to create a safe space of self-awareness, expansion and empowerment within their lives. In short, it is based upon my own harrowing story, with extremely challenging experiences of loss, homelessness, debt, heartbreak and guilt that I faced during a particularly tough time in my life. It takes a very honest look at how we can sometimes make mistakes and how the consequences of our actions can suddenly build into a huge problem for us and does indeed question many areas that surround our lives via our pre-judgements and belief systems. With this in mind, I gently encourage the reader to take a journey of renewed possibility, perception and awareness, by looking at circumstances from an alternative and more empowering point of view, based not only on philosophical outlooks and experience, but on professional knowledge as a therapist also.  

Who Is It Aimed At? I would say that my book is aimed at people who have lived enough of life to have experienced some of the negative outcomes that adult responsibility and decisions can sometimes present. All in all 'Return From the Void' is an excellent book for self-progression at any age... However, I feel that the ages that would benefit the most from this book would be those from their early thirties onwards.

What Inspired You To Write It? It was down to my own personal experiences when during some extremely challenging circumstances there just didn't seem to be enough inforamtive guidance. Yes, there was a free counselling service and of course help from my local GP but for me that simply wasn't enough, nor was it what I was looking for at the time.

Instead I began to question hop I could empower myself in a healthy and productive way and this in turn lef to my intense interest in human excellence and the ability for the human mind to develop and overcome adversity. For many who have faced similar circumstances, the road could be very different. For instance some of us could easily be tempted to turn to drink, drugs, food or sex addiction as a comforting crutch when things get rough... and so the very thought of someone else having to do that or feeling as if there is no other alternative was just not an option I was prepared to accept.

What Would You Like Your Readers To Get From Your Book? I would love my readers to get whatever they are looking for from my book, even if it is from one chapter, paragraph or even sentence. Sometimes we just need a nudge in the right direction and that is all it takes, and at other times it takes a whole lot more.

When Did You First Realise That You Wanted To Write This Book? In fact this book started out as a therapeutic journal for me back in 2009. It wasn't really until I met a fellow author from Live It Publishing that I realised it was meant to be shared and the information within was to be expanded upon... In July 2011 'Return From the Void' was born! 

What Gave You The Push To Get Published? I guess is was finding the faith in my own ability to become an author that finally gave me the push I needed (and a certain lady called Liz Everett who gave me the biggest nudge of all). I think for most people, if we are writing about something that is of a personal nature, then there will always be certain reservations about what others may thing or do as a consequence. However, as my book is about finding your truth and living by it fearlessly, I could hardly tell you to walk your walk unless I was prepared to do it too! And so here I am.

Did You Have Any Difficulty In Getting Published? As luck would have it, no, I didn't have any difficulty getting published which was a lovely surprise. I also think that I had a slight advantage as half of my book was already written, so sending off a couple of chapters didn't send me into a blind panic.

What Hurdles Did You Face Whilst Writing & How Did You Overcome Them? I think the biggest hurdle as an author is the old chestnut - writer's block, as well as framing a good time to sit down and when you know you will not be disturbed. In my case, I just found out by trial and error and in most cases either early in the morning or the peacefulness of late nights were the best times to just relax and let the creativity and truth flow.

How Did It Feel Seeing Your Book In Real Life For The first Time? Funnily enough I actually felt quite numb. I remember hilding it in my hands and staring at it as if it had been written by someone else, with a strange sense of peaceful detachment.  After a few days however, I think it actually sunk in when I was asked to sign my book for someone for the first time, and then of course the message finally hit home! I felt a lovely surge of quiet confidence and pride.

Do You Have Any Tips For Our Budding Authors? If you are staring at a blank page right now with an idea in mind, then don't get bogged down with the concept or the bigger picture, as it will seem extremely large and dauntung, Instead, break it down into tiny pieces, just like a puzzle. Create a template for your ideas and scribble them onto a pad or whatever media you feel comfortable with. Next try and sum up your message, and how you feel about that message - what title comes to mind? If after that, you still don't have a clue on a title then don't sweat it... just go to the next stage and roughly get an idea of how many chapters you want - I chose 10 as a good, round number for instance. Then title your chapters from beginning to end, or work backwards if that is preferable to you. Finally start writing... you will find that once you have a heading for each charter it willl flow.

What's Next For You? Right now I am presenting my radio show and meeting some fascinating people at Marlow FM, as well as planningto present 'Return From the Void' workshops and talks for those who are interesed in finding their own truth, their way! I have also been busy creating downloadable CDs for peoploe who want to relax and de-stres on my website. On from there, I would love to write another book and introduce my latest findings from my research and experiences, as well as travel to the USA and up and down the United Kingdon giving motivational talks to those who are happy to listen.