Author: Marissa DeCuir

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

From two experts on the psychology of behavior change comes “A Mindful Year,” an inspirational guide, urging and inciting readers to reconnect with themselves.

Releasing on paperback on Sept. 15 from Blackstone Publishing, “A Mindful Year” is a conversation between two friends and colleagues Dr. Aria Campbell-Danesh and Dr. Seth J. Gillihan, discussing tried-and-true practices for alleviating stress and anxiety.

It has never been easier to disconnect from ourselves amid daily demands and distractions. By integrating cognitive behavioral science and mindfulness practices, “A Mindful Year” is a practical guide to help people reconnect and re-ground themselves in what matters most.

With daily calls to action, Campbell-Danesh and Gillihan compassionately invite readers to break unhealthy habits, practice self-kindness and ask all of us: What would you try today if you didn’t fear making mistakes?

“A Mindful Year”
365 Ways to Find Connection and the Sacred in Everyday Life
Dr. Aria Campbell-Danesh and Seth J. Gillihan, PhD | September 10, 2019
Blackstone Publishing | Spirituality
Hardcover | ISBN 978-1982501839 | $26.99
Paperback | ISBN 978-1094091181 | $16.99
Ebook | ASIN B07PHMCGXJ | $9.99

DR. ARIA CAMPBELL-DANESH: Dr. Aria Campbell-Danesh, DClinPsy, CPsychol, is a doctor in clinical psychology and an expert in the fields of behavior change and long-term health (dr-aria.com). A mindfulness specialist and creator of the FIT Method, he works internationally with clients on their mindset, exercise, and nutrition. He is regularly featured in popular lifestyle publications such as Men’s Health, Women’s Health and Marie Claire. Dr. Aria is an Associate Fellow with the British Psychological Society and Senior Associate Member of the Royal Society of Medicine.

SETH J. GILLIHAN, PHD: Seth J. Gillihan, PhD, is a licensed psychologist and Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychology in the Psychiatry Department at the University of Pennsylvania. He divides his professional time between psychotherapy practice, writing books and blog posts, and hosting conversations on living more fully for the Think Act Be podcast. His previous books include The CBT Deck; The CBT Deck for Anxiety, Rumination, & Worry; Retrain Your Brain: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in 7 Weeks and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Made Simple. Dr. Gillihan specializes in mindfulness-based cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety, depression, and related conditions. He lives outside of Philadelphia, PA, with his wife and three children.

In an interview, Dr. Aria Campbell-Danesh and Dr. Seth J. Gillihan can discuss:

• The importance of taking responsibility for our own happiness
• Reconnecting with our deepest values and letting our actions flow from them
• How to make time for mindfulness in our daily lives – their book features 365 practices drawn from mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy
• Their transatlantic relationship as friends and colleagues and how that shaped “A Mindful Year”
• The many ways that focusing on our senses can ground us in the present
• Practices for bringing awareness to our bodies
• How to let go of the unhelpful stories we tell ourselves
• Ways to strengthen and deepen our closest relationships
• What it means to practice self-kindness
• Developing gratitude even amid life’s challenges
• The imperative of service
• Moving through our worries
• Opening to life as it unfolds
• How to build emotional resilience
• How to survive and thrive during times of uncertainty and difficulty
• Why the brain is programmed to be negative and how to overcome this

An Interview with Dr. Aria Campbell-Danesh and Dr. Seth J. Gillihan

What is mindfulness, and why is it important?

Seth: To me, mindfulness means coming home. It’s coming home to the present—to the only moment that is ever really ours. It means coming home to ourselves and allowing ourselves to be just as we are. And it’s coming home to our reality, and the people who fill it. Through this homecoming we can find ease even when things are really hard, because we release unnecessary resistance to life as it is. 

There are many different meditation practices out there, so why is mindfulness particularly useful in alleviating anxiety and reconnecting with ourselves? 

Seth: Anxiety is about the future, and mindful awareness brings us into the present. When we center our attention on the present, we can step out of anxious preoccupation with the uncertainty that lies ahead. We also find ourselves there, in the present. That’s the only time and place we truly exist: our bodies, our breath, our sensations, our spirit. The truth of who we are is always in the now. 

Aria: When we’re feeling anxious, we’re living in our heads and fusing with negative thoughts about the future. Mindfulness grounds the mind in present-moment reality and allows us to see that just because we have a thought, doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily true. 

Mindfulness also involves acceptance of the ‘now.’ On a profound level, this includes accepting and reconnecting with who we are. Accepting ourselves doesn’t mean that we think that we’re perfect human beings. Accepting ourselves equates to being okay with who we are. We can see both our strengths and our flaws. We can sit with our quirks and our idiosyncrasies. With this acceptance comes a deeper sense of appreciation and ease.

Aria: The simplest definition of mindfulness is awareness. But awareness of what? Of our experience. Both our inner experience, such as our thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations, and our outer experience, including where we are and what’s happening around us. 

Mindfulness is important because it involves living in the present moment, right now, rather than ruminating about the past or worrying about the future. When we cultivate mindful awareness, we tend to be happier and have greater access to clarity, understanding, creativity and wisdom.

What separates “A Mindful Year” from other books on mindfulness?

Seth: This book offers daily applications of mindful awareness, based on a year of exchanges between two psychologists who are dear friends. As such, it provides the reader with 365 ways to apply the principles of mindfulness, and to hear from the writers about how they found these practices useful in their own lives.

Aria: There are naked photos of the authors scattered throughout the book. Only joking! In all seriousness, I believe it’s our personal friendship that especially distinguishes “A Mindful Year.” Writing every day to each other as close friends means that at the heart of our entries lives love, respect, humor and compassion. Over the course of the year I laughed and cried while writing and reading the messages to one another. I think the readers pick up on this authenticity and can relate the entries to their own lives.   

What are some challenges people face when first learning to practice mindfulness? How do they overcome those obstacles? 

Seth: The most common challenge is probably misunderstandings about what mindfulness is. Popular depictions of it first of all equate it with meditation, when mindfulness is really something we can bring to every moment of our experience. It’s also often tied to the trappings of religion and portrayed as something “extra” that we might add to life. But really it’s the simplest thing—being really and truly in our lives—and it’s available to all, regardless of religious or spiritual commitments. 

Aria: Judgement. We judge ourselves, we judge our thoughts, our emotions and our self-worth. The tricky part is that our minds have evolved with a negativity bias. This tendency to assume the worst is wonderfully effective from a survival point of view, but less helpful when it comes to happiness. The positive news is that the obstacle is the way. Mindfulness involves becoming aware of our judgments, and our tendency to buy into them. A mindful approach draws on qualities such as compassion, kindness, and curiosity. It offers a practical route to letting go of the attachment to judgments about ourselves and others. This is a daily practice, but one of the most worthy endeavors in life.

How did your backgrounds in clinical psychology influence “A Mindful Year?” 

Seth: Having worked with hundreds of patients provided me with invaluable perspective on the kinds of challenges all of us face, and creative solutions that so many people find to manage them. My clinical work was also a tremendous source of inspiration, having seen the strength and grace so many individuals bring to their often gut-wrenching difficulties. 

Aria: As a clinical psychologist you’re privileged to hear some of the most private and intimate thoughts and feelings of others. Something that has continually struck me over the years is that we’re all connected: we all face challenges in life, we’re all hard on ourselves, we’re all heartbroken at some point, we’re all trying our best. One of my personal goals in life is to empower people to bring the best out of themselves. I hope that Seth and I are able to do that with “A Mindful Year.”

While you are colleagues, you’re also friends. How did you decide you wanted to partner together on “A Mindful Year?” How did your friendship impact the way you approached writing this book together? Would the advice and concepts in this book be different if it wasn’t a collaboration? 

Seth: Aria and I knew we wanted to write a book together, because we both love writing and we wanted to blend our voices in a shared project. We chose this format as a way to do what we had discussed together for years: To find a means of discovering greater connection in our everyday lives. We knew it was possible to find deep connection to what we value most but found that it often eluded us. This collaboration was our attempt to foster more moments of mindful connection. It would have been a very different book if we hadn’t been such close friends. It wouldn’t have been as personal, as I think many of the things we shared required a deep level of trust. The tone would have been different, too—perhaps more clinical or academic, rather than warm and intimate. 

Aria: Over six years ago, Seth and I stood on a hill in the English countryside and as the light grew longer, we openly talked about what we cared about most: family, friends, and making a positive difference in the world, no matter how small. We wondered whether it was possible to maintain and strengthen our connections to the people and the passions closest to our hearts—especially during times of difficulty, distraction, and discontent. Writing this book became the vehicle to find out. At the outset of writing to one another, we both expressed how important it was to honor our friendship and therefore to approach the collaboration with honesty and authenticity. Because we care deeply for one another, we were committed to helping the other person to reconnect and reawaken to the present moment, with warmth, encouragement and compassion. As a result, the book is down-to-earth and relational: it’s real and so captures the multi-textured reality of life, with all its loveliness, ugliness, suffering and joy.

In your book you ask readers, what would you try today if you didn’t fear making mistakes? What’s your answer to that question?

Seth: I would live in line with the truth of who I am, which is what I strive to do now. That means worrying less about whether others will approve of my choices and focusing on where I believe I’m being led. It’s also meant being willing to risk making mistakes and recognizing that my job is to do my best, not to ensure success. 

Aria: I’d probably allow my own light to shine more, if that makes sense. I gain a deep sense of joy from helping others to live more freely and confidently. However, I tend to hold back and shift the focus of attention from myself to others. At the base of these habits are fears of being judged, losing humility, and being seen as different or as an ‘outsider.’ To borrow a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson that features in “A Mindful Year:” “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”

Marissa DeCuir

A former award-winning journalist with national exposure, Marissa now oversees the day-to-day operation of the Books Forward author branding and book marketing firm, along with our indie publishing support sister company Books Fluent.

Born and bred in Louisiana, currently living in New Orleans, she has lived and developed a strong base for our company and authors in Chicago and Nashville. Her journalism work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. She is now interviewed by media on best practices for book marketing.

booksforward.com/about-us/marissa-decuir/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

San Miguel de Allende, Mexico –– The 1985–1991 policies of perestroika and glasnost marked a new age of openness and transparency in the USSR, leading to an increased mutual curiosity between ordinary Americans and Russians. Beginning with his first trip behind the Iron Curtain, Frank Thoms sought to engage in empathic conversations with everyone he met. Yet he understood he would be inside one of the most inaccessible countries on the planet. In the classroom, he forged close relationships with his students and colleagues. On the streets and in flats, he opened his heart to Russians, and they opened theirs to him.

Thoms went to the Soviet Union seeking to find common ground with its citizens — not to judge but to learn, not to bring America to them, but to be an American with them. As a result, he gained the trust and confidence of the people he befriended — and discovered much about himself.

Behind the Red Veil: An American inside Gorbachev’s Russia (SparkPress, Sept. 15, 2020) recounts Thoms’s quest to understand Russian culture through the eyes of its people. He spent his first twenty-five years as a teacher in New England pursuing an understanding of Marxism, Russian history, and Soviet Communism. He ventured to the USSR for the first time in October 1985 — Mikhail Gorbachev’s first year as general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Over the course of six additional trips, Thoms was twice selected as a US–Soviet exchange teacher of English in Leningrad (St. Petersburg). And twice on his own, he taught English in Moscow and Alma-Ata (Almaty), Kazakhstan. In 1994, in the aftermath of Gorbachev’s resignation, he took his final journey to the new Russia.

Praise for the author…

“An insightful perspective of an American educator’s experience within the Soviet education system. Thoms manages to write his story with warmth and wisdom. A delightful read.”
–Pavel Kozhevnikov, Lecturer, Russian Language and Cultures, University of Colorado

“Frank Thoms’s Behind the Red Veil is not only a souvenir from the USSR but also to a great extent an insight into what Russian schools feel deep inside. When Frank appeared at my school, he did not feel, look, or smell like a teacher. His teaching and learning was the Klondike of new experience, both for him and me.”
–Mikhail Baushev, former teacher at School Nº185

“Behind the Red Veil: An American inside Gorbachev’s Russia”
Frank Thoms | September 15, 2020 | SparkPress | Memoir
Paperback | ISBN: 978-1684630554 | $16.95

About The Author

FRANK THOMS: After forty years as a teacher and twelve as a consultant and keynote speaker, Frank Thoms became a writer, publishing four books: Teaching from the Middle of the Room: Inviting Students to Learn with Stetson Press, (2010), and three books with Rowman & Littlefield, Teaching That Matters: Engaging Minds, Improving Schools (2015); Exciting Classrooms: Practical Information to Ensure Student Success (2015); and Listening is Learning: Conversations between 20th and 21st Century Teachers (2019). He spent the majority of his teaching career with eighth graders in public and private schools in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. He coached soccer and hockey, directed an educational consortium, had his own darkroom, wrote op-eds, led bike tours, rebuilt his VW engine, played volleyball and softball, and served as an educational consultant. For the past nine years, he has lived with his wife in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where he continues to write, joined a philosophy group, mentors university students, and is a member of a book group. He is also on the faculty of the San Miguel Writers’ Conference and Literary Festival and serves as its Ambassador-at-Large.

In an interview, Frank Thoms can discuss:

• What Gorbachev’s policies meant for Americans who wanted to learn about the “culture of the enemy”
• His experiences as a teacher living and working in the USSR
• Why he sought common ground with his students and colleagues, as opposed to trying to Americanize them
• What major obstacles impeded his efforts to understand Russians and their culture
• What surprised him the most about life in the USSR
• What his friends, colleagues, and students ultimately taught him both about Russia and himself

An Interview with Frank Thoms

You have spent decades as an educator and have written multiple books on pedagogy. Your latest book, a memoir on teaching in Gorbachev’s Russia, has a clear appeal to fellow educators, but it also benefits the general reader. What message do you hope these readers take away from this book?

Russians are people who live with the hopes and dreams of all of us. Throughout the book, readers will feel the yearnings of my Russian friends’ wanting to come out from under the ubiquitous cloak of the Communist system and to be able to have choices in their lives. And they wanted to be listened to.

What did you learn about Russian culture during the time you spent living and working in the USSR?

Russians are kind, combative; generous, unpredictable; hopeful, depressed; loving, fearful; honest, deceptive; open, secretive. By invoking the matryoshka metaphor––Russian nesting dolls––I searched for the inner layers of Russian life behind the red veil. In the public sphere, they would focus on doing the bidding of those in authority. But in their flats––cocoons behind the red veil––people lived away from the Soviet veneer, the drab of daily life. We submerged into the moment, shared common understandings, and cultivated a mutual trust.

What did you learn about yourself during that time?

That my insatiable curiosity took me to places I probably should not have gone. That when being myself it endeared me to my students but could cause anxiety among my colleagues. That I could be me without pretense, which kept me from succumbing to others’ expectations. That when choosing to listen it provided me opportunities for growth and self-understanding. Like when I listened to Kazakh sixteen-year-olds share their thoughts about reincarnation.

When you returned to Russia in 1994 following the dissolution of the USSR, what had changed?

Except for upgraded hotels, new Finnish Intourist busses, Western billboards, and numerous foreign cars, I came back to a familiar country. It had the same shortages in shops, its tired busses, dirty back streets, people in drab colors, bábushkas in headscarves, and frustrated citizens with the profusion of old bureaucracies. As the Soviet Union had imported the old Russia, the new Russia was perpetuating former Soviet times.

How did your experiences in Russia shape your ideas regarding transcultural communications?

Be yourself. Come ready to blend with those with whom you meet. Be with them on their terms. When things don’t work out, stay within, wait, and let matters happen as they happen. As a foreigner, you are not in charge, not for one moment!

Do you have any advice for Americans who are trying to learn from other cultures in this current climate, in 2020?

In this time, people are longing for other lands, to travel to unknowns. Having to stay home, however, gives us time to venture virtually. The best way, in this author’s opinion, is reading good books––to escape, if you will, to other worlds, to other peoples. A book allows us to absorb other cultures, build visions inside our heads, collect emotions in our hearts at our own time and pace––and to set sights for traveling when time allows.

Marissa DeCuir

A former award-winning journalist with national exposure, Marissa now oversees the day-to-day operation of the Books Forward author branding and book marketing firm, along with our indie publishing support sister company Books Fluent.

Born and bred in Louisiana, currently living in New Orleans, she has lived and developed a strong base for our company and authors in Chicago and Nashville. Her journalism work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. She is now interviewed by media on best practices for book marketing.

booksforward.com/about-us/marissa-decuir/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

SOUTH BEND, IN – Imagine if you found out that someone you loved had a dark past. That happened to author Gabrielle Robinson, as she tried to reconcile the grandfather she knew with his complex past in her memoir Api’s Berlin Diaries (She Writes Press, September 15, 2020).

After her mother’s death, Robinson found two diaries her grandfather had kept while serving as doctor during the fall of Berlin 1945. He recorded his daily struggle to survive in the ruined city and attempted to do what little he could for the wounded and dying without water, light, and medications. But then the diaries revealed something that had never been mentioned in her family, and it hit Robinson like a punch to the gut: Api, her beloved grandfather, had been a Nazi.

In this clear-eyed memoir, Robinson juxtaposes her grandfather’s harrowing account of his experiences during the war with her memories of his loving protection years afterward, and raises thoughtful questions about the political responsibility we all carry as individuals. Moving and provocative, Api’s Berlin Diaries offers a firsthand and personal perspective on the far-reaching aftershocks of the Third Reich — and the author’s own inconvenient past.

“Robinson’s honesty, courage, and intelligence are crucial in coming to grips with questions of individual responsibility and collective guilt.” ― Helen Fremont, author of The Escape Artist and After Long Silence

“Api’s Berlin Diaries: My Quest to Understand My Grandfather’s Nazi Past”
Gabrielle Robinson | September 15, 2020 |She Writes Press | Memoir | Paperback | 978-1647420031 | $16.95 | Kindle | B0837LV4K4 | $9.95

Praise for Api’s Berlin Diaries

“As a record of post-war tribulation, Api’s Berlin Diaries is a poignant social history; as a search for an elusive, multifaceted grandfather, it’s a fascinating labyrinth.” — 5-star Foreword Clarion Review

“A fascinating and admirably honest account of a woman’s journey to reconcile her love for her grandfather with his membership of the Nazi party. The quotes from his diaries provide a valuable insight into the tumult and agonies of daily life for Germans during WWII. This is a moving and thoughtful book, and a must-read for anyone interested in the German experience during WWII and the legacy of collective guilt.” — Ariana Neumann, author of When Time Stopped

“Gabrielle Robinson has written a riveting account of the journey of discovery she made in order to come to terms with a much-loved grandfather whom she discovered long after his death to have been a card-carrying member of the Nazi Party. Using his unpublished diaries she exposes the mental torture he went through as a doctor, living all alone in the ruins of Berlin following German defeat in May 1945, a stock Prussian faced with the ghastly reality of monstrous German crimes in which he played no part and which he can’t quite bring himself to admit. It is the story of so many Germans then, possibly even the majority.” — Giles MacDonogh, British historian, and author of After the Reich

About The Author

GABRIELLE ROBINSON tells stories about people that reveal their personal situation within its historical context. One reason for her fascination with the intersection of the personal and historical stems from her own experience. Born in Berlin in 1942, her father’s fighter plane was shot down over England in 1943; after her family was bombed out twice, they fled Berlin in 1945, the beginning of a string of migrations that ended in the US. Gabrielle holds an MA from Columbia University and a PhD from the University of London. She has taught at the University of Illinois, at Indiana University South Bend, and abroad, and has won a number of awards for her writing and community engagement. Gabrielle is now settled in South Bend, Indiana, with her husband Mike Keen, a sociologist turned sustainable neighborhood developer, and their cat Max. Her favorite leisure time reading is about animals and trees. Learn more about Gabrielle and Api’s Berlin Diaries at https://www.gabriellerobinson.com/.

An Interview with GABRIELLE ROBINSON

Was there a specific moment where you thought “I need to turn this experience into a book?”

There were two such moments. The first when I discovered the diaries with their day by day account of life in Berlin 1945. The second when the diaries revealed that my beloved grandfather had been a member of the Nazi party.

What lessons did you take away from writing this memoir?

So many, although they come more as questions than definitive answers. What it is like living in a totalitarian regime. How people cope in desperate and violent circumstances. How love, faith, and writing helped my grandfather survive. The importance of our early experiences in shaping our outlook and attitudes.

How did your previous historically focused titles and your professorial experience influence writing this memoir?

Already as a student I found the excitement of research when I discovered an unpublished play. Since then, by luck and hard work, I have gained a better understanding of history, and, yes, made more discoveries by reading, talking to people, and more reading. Just recently as I was writing about Studebaker workers from the South who met Jim Crow in the north, I was given the minutes of the first African American housing project in Indiana. And now my grandfather’s diaries literally fell into my hands and led to the current book.

In this memoir, you balance history and personal legacy beautifully. Why is this story important to you? What do you hope readers will take away from it?

For me personally, it was as if my grandfather was there talking to me across the decades and it confirmed how much I have learnt and absorbed from him. For the reader, I think the story works first of all on an immediate emotional and dramatic level. Then it also invites questions about the political responsibility we all carry. In the end I hope readers come away not with any easy answers but with an appreciation of what binds us all together.

Do you have any advice from people hoping to tackle a book with tough subject matter?

Memoir writing has many challenges, but I believe the rewards predominate. It gives us an exciting opportunity to re-evaluate and re-invent ourselves and see our lives in a broader historical context. “Memoir is the only second chance you get in life.” Lauren Slater, author of Prozac Diary and Lying. A Metaphorical Memoir.

Marissa DeCuir

A former award-winning journalist with national exposure, Marissa now oversees the day-to-day operation of the Books Forward author branding and book marketing firm, along with our indie publishing support sister company Books Fluent.

Born and bred in Louisiana, currently living in New Orleans, she has lived and developed a strong base for our company and authors in Chicago and Nashville. Her journalism work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. She is now interviewed by media on best practices for book marketing.

booksforward.com/about-us/marissa-decuir/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CHICAGO – From two-time Moth StorySLAM winner Margaret Davis Ghielmetti comes “Brave(ish): A Memoir of a Recovering Perfectionist” (Sept. 15, 2020, She Writes Press).

As the wife of an international luxury hotel executive, Margaret Davis Ghielmetti lived on four continents and traveled to nearly 50 countries, confronted with opportunities for personal growth that challenged her assumptions about her life and her place in the world.

Part cross-cultural travel memoir and part midlife coming-of-age story, “Brave(ish)” follows the globetrotting author’s internal and external journeys – around the globe and back home, both literally, spiritually and emotionally.

She discovers that – if she is ever going to express herself fully and make her creative dreams come true – she needs to stop living others’ lives and choose to put her own life first.

With humor and humility, Ghielmetti reminds us that it’s never too late to reconnect with our own authentic selves – if we are willing to let go of the old roles and rules we thought kept us safe.

“Brave(ish): A Memoir of a Recovering Perfectionist”
Margaret Davis Ghielmetti | September 15, 2020 | She Writes Press | Memoir
Paperback | 978-1-63152-747-0 | $16.95
Ebook | 978-1-63152-748-7 | $9.95

About Margaret Davis Ghielmetti

Margaret Davis Ghielmetti is the author of “Brave(ish): A Memoir of a Recovering Perfectionist” (Sept. 15, 2020, She Writes Press). She has lived on four continents and has visited nearly 50 countries. She is a Live Lit Storyteller who has won two StorySLAMs with The Moth. She wrote and performed a solo show, “Fierce,” about re-discovering her creative expression, and is passionate about sharing the beauty of the world through her photos. Nothing delights her more than genuine connection. She and her Swiss-born husband, Patrick, can be found in Chicago when they’re not out exploring. For more, visit www.margaretghielmetti.com

In an interview, Margaret Davis Ghielmetti can discuss:

• Life lessons she learned as an intrepid international traveler to nearly 50 countries – and as a long-time expatriate re-creating her life anew on four continents
• How she learned to let go of roles and rules she thought kept her safe
• How asking for help (and accepting it) assisted her on her journey as a recovering perfectionist
• How midlife (and beyond) can be a transformative time, offering the possibility of setting personal boundaries and reconnecting with our authentic selves
• The benefits of exposure to other countries and cultures, especially now

An Interview with Margaret Davis Ghielmetti

Your book is called “Brave(ish): A Memoir of a Recovering Perfectionist.” What exactly is a recovering perfectionist?

A perfectionist believes there are no gray areas and drives herself to do everything “just right” – ideally without help and by yesterday (at the latest!) A recovering perfectionist recognizes that one of her greatest strengths is also a shortcoming – and struggles to let go of the behaviors she thought kept her safe (but which instead keep her small).

Toward the beginning of “Brave(ish),” you discuss The Davis Family Handbook, a set of rules that guided your behavior and decisions throughout most of your life. How has your relationship to them evolved?

The Handbook rules I listed are ones my parents inherited and then passed on to my brothers and me. They are part of my moral compass today, but I overused them for much of my life. I didn’t realize there could be nuances and gradations. I had to learn to live not solely in “black or white” but also in gray! Some of the most touching comments I’ve received from readers are how my book made them think about their own Family Handbook: the rules in it, and how these rules (often unspoken) have ruled their lives. I’ve had friends say, “It was just one word: SILENCE.” Or, “Whatever you do, don’t talk about x, y, z.”

I’ve included Questions for Discussion in the back of the book as I’d really like to inspire conversations around the rules each of us may once have accepted unconditionally, but from which we now want some detachment – or total freedom.

My relationship to the rules in The Handbook evolved once I had gained the perspective that I had followed them blindly for decades. Only then was I able to see the kernel of wisdom within each one, and to take them as suggestions. I now have the ability to choose, but I will admit that – under stress – I still lean into the rule of Just Do It. I’m definitely someone whose comfort zone is action. Plus, I suffer from FOMO: Fear of Missing Out. I’ve learned to occasionally Not Do It, but this is still very challenging for me!

Are there any mottos that you live by now?

Each January, my husband and I choose a “motto.” It’s not a resolution, but a short phrase to inspire us. Mine have included “Be here now” (when my mom was dying and I wanted to stay present for and with her) and “Sit. Stay” (when I was struggling to finish my book and needed to keep my butt in chair). When my husband suggested “Me, First” (for me!) it changed our marriage: I could see him putting his money where his mouth was in declaring that he wanted the best for me (even though he recognized the cost to him would be my no longer putting his life first).

Your book is peppered with transformational moments, some where you had to learn to ask for help and some where you had to let go of control. What was the most challenging part of learning those life lessons?

The most challenging part was – and is – having the courage to let go of what worked in the past (or at least what I thought had worked). At first, I was terrified, “Who will I be if I’m no longer The Perfect Wife, Daughter, Traveler, Expatriate? If I don’t offer that value to others, will they still love me? If I’m not there for them 24/7 and 1,000%, will they abandon me?” But I remind myself constantly of the wisdom that “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results.” If I want to have a different life, I need to choose to show up differently and to act differently. I am still definitely a work in progress, but then who isn’t?

How did you overcome “imposter syndrome” – and what advice do you have for others experiencing this?

What helped me get past the fear that I was pretending to be something I didn’t yet believe I was? “Fake it ‘til you make it.” When people asked me what I did, I started to respond, “I am a writer.” “I am a storyteller.” “I am an artist.” Each time I said it, I half-expected the questioner to snort with laughter and say, “No, you’re not! I’m sure you’re a good wife, friend and daughter, but those other things? Nah.” News flash: no one said that – ever. Instead, strangers routinely responded, “Wow, cool!” and old friends smiled – genuinely delighted to support my true self emerging from behind the many masks I’d worn for decades.

Can you tell us about your spiritual journey?

My spiritual journey has been a surprise and a gift. I was not raised in a religious home, so when I finally was driven to my knees in desperation, calling out for help from a deity I was raised to NOT believe in, I was shocked and touched that my calls for help were answered (and still are). I have an understanding now of grace. And I believe that the door to faith was always open to me (once I no longer envisioned myself as my higher power!)

You’ve lived on four continents and visited almost 50 countries – but how did this start? What sparked your wanderlust, and where was your first international excursion?

My mother used to say that I was born with one foot rooted in my hometown and one foot out in the world, exploring. I was always wondering about the lives of others, whether as a child peering out from the back seat of the family station wagon driving across Illinois farmland, or as a young woman traveling by train across Europe after college. My very first international excursion was to London with my parents as a 10-year old. I was excited to experience new things (and equally excited to scribble notes in my little Travel Journal.)

Can you discuss the importance of exposure to and understanding of other countries and cultures?

When I interact with people not from my immediate circle, I inevitably find that – yes – we are different, but also the same: every human needs food and shelter and wants love and happiness. When I learn what makes each place unique, I am richer for it.

This might be an obvious question, but we have to ask: what is your favorite place that you’ve visited and why?

One favorite place to return to is my hometown, Evanston, Illinois. Those are my trees and my lakefront, with Chicago shimmering in the distance like the Emerald City. Another favorite is my husband’s home country of Switzerland: it’s just so danged pretty (and it’s still a shock to me as a Flatlander from the Midwest: are those Alps for real?).

As for where we’ve lived, I’ve gotten joy from each place, but Singapore was a favorite, as – just for starters – Singaporeans are smart with a sassy sense of humor . . . the Botanic Gardens, museums, symphony, food and airport are world-class . . . there’s a fabulous indie bookstore in an Art Deco neighborhood. Singapore is also where we moved once I’d already started to find my own voice, so I spent more of my time there doing things I love (and less on chores that no one had expected of me – but me!).

Is it true that you wrote a book when you were 10 years old and later ripped it to shreds?

Yep, my earliest work was a novel about a tomboy with hazel eyes and brown hair (hmmm…wonder who that was?) She runs away from home to tame wild horses in the wilds – of Wisconsin! Once I realized there was a fatal plot flaw, I didn’t fix it – but instead tore that tiny manuscript (written on notebook paper with a Bic pen) into a million pieces. Even at ten, I was a mini-perfectionist.

How did you rediscover your creative voice, compelling you to write a book later in life?

I rediscovered my creative voice out of necessity: my mother, who was one of my best friends, had fallen gravely ill and I was spending most days helping to care for her. Most evenings, I was exhausted and sad and I needed something – anything – that wasn’t pre-grieving her death. I stumbled upon “Improvisation for Adults” at Chicago’s Second City: the fun of “Yes, And” riffing with scene partners was a lifeline. Next, I took up storytelling and fell in love with sharing my adventures (and mis-adventures) with audiences, basking in their laughter and their sighs. Writing and performing my solo show, “Fierce,” about “growing up with my mom” over the years allowed me to honor her after her passing. Once I discovered Instagram, I was overjoyed to post my photos from near and far, sharing details of the beauty of our world that way.

Then, after the 2016 elections, I was motivated to push back against the political climate of “the other is bad” as that has not been my experience! I started writing a book of travel tales but – as the book evolved – it became clear that I was, in fact, writing a memoir. I had feared it was too late for me to become an author, so it was a great relief to me to realize that you can’t actually write a memoir without having lived some life. Better late than never on my author dreams!

Writing is so often a solitary experience, but you also have quite a performing background, having won the Moth StorySLAM twice and taken improv classes at Second City in Chicago. Did performing change your approach to writing at all?

Storytelling has influenced my writing significantly. For hours (and days) before I tell a personal, true story on stage, I rehearse out loud: it’s how I make sure my words “ring true.”

Performing my solo show challenged me to stand in the spotlight in all my raw vulnerability, so I tried to bring that to my memoir, too.

When I was writing “Brave(ish)” – sitting alone in front of my laptop every day, all day – I kept reminding myself why I was writing this memoir: to share hope with and inspire readers. That kept me feeling connected – and connection is essential to me as an artist.

Luckily, too, while I can be very social, I’m an introvert at heart: I like time to myself, so solitary is not a dirty word for me.

Marissa DeCuir

A former award-winning journalist with national exposure, Marissa now oversees the day-to-day operation of the Books Forward author branding and book marketing firm, along with our indie publishing support sister company Books Fluent.

Born and bred in Louisiana, currently living in New Orleans, she has lived and developed a strong base for our company and authors in Chicago and Nashville. Her journalism work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. She is now interviewed by media on best practices for book marketing.

booksforward.com/about-us/marissa-decuir/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Sappenfield traces women’s stories across generations in “Lyrics for Rock Stars”

VAIL, Colorado– Tracing the complex unfolding of generations throughout history, paying particular attention to women’s stories, and children who are often wise beyond their years, Heather Mateus Sappenfield brings dynamic characters to life in a bold collection of stories.

“Lyrics for Rock Stars” (V Press LC, Sept. 21, 2020) is a collection of seventeen stories―some historical, some contemporary—all set in the West. Involving skiers, ranchers, cyclists, suffragettes, tourists, super models, dead pigs, burro racers, religious beet farmers, immigrant miners, scorned lovers, penitent centenarians, and musicians, these stories are as varied as the region’s landscape. Funny, poignant, and resonant, each tale explores how society’s values clash with our individual desires, and the ways we weave our lives through these opposing forces. This collection will make you cry. It will make you laugh out loud. Above all, it traces hope through the long unfolding of generations and time.

Each story is compelling in its own right, and together, they rise in harmonic commentary on the West’s past and present, on its women who populate both, each straining desperately to find her own song.

“An exploration of the inner lives of marriage and mountain towns, the stories in Lyrics for Rock Stars rise like the foothills to meet the peaks…Sappenfield knows the modern West.”
—Nicole Magistro, owner, Bookworm of Edwards & 2015 judge, Kirkus Prize for Fiction

“Lyrics for Rock Stars”
Heather Mateus Sappenfield | Sept. 21, 2020 | V Press LC | Short Stories; Literary
Paperback | 978-1-7330488-5-9 | $17.97

About The Author

HEATHER MATEUS SAPPENFIELD: Heather Mateus Sappenfield’s writing explores the adventures that fill life, often in the Rocky Mountain landscape that has been her lifelong home. She’s fascinated by the many selves each of us becomes in our varied roles throughout the day (some we like, some we do not), and her writing often delves into the internal adventure of juggling those multiple selves. Among the many accolades her fiction has received are the Danahy Fiction Prize, the Arthur Edelstein Prize and three Pushcart Prize nominations. Her work has also been recognized as a finalist for the Flannery O’Connor Award, the Kraken Prize, and the Colorado Book Awards. “Lyrics for Rock Stars” is her first short story collection. To learn more about her life and work, visit: https://heathermateussappenfield.com.

In an interview, Heather Mateus Sappenfield can discuss:

• How she adapts her fiction writing to particular audiences and niche genres
• Why the Rocky Mountain landscape and its history play such an important role in her storytelling, and how living in Vail has influenced her writing in unexpected ways
• Her approach to writing women characters throughout history—how they’ve been treated, yet also how they’ve chosen to perpetuate certain roles themselves
• Why—in a life filled with adventure—writing is her bravest pursuit
• How her literary career defies boundaries

An Interview with Heather Mateus Sappenfield

1. Where did the idea for this collection come from? How long have you been working on these stories?

All of the stories have roots in my life, yet each one quickly and thoroughly sprouts into fiction. I wrote the first one, “Coloring Beyond the Lines,” after leaving my high school teaching position to stay home with my daughter, taking my first wobbling steps toward becoming a serious writer as she took hers. After several near misses with editors at magazines, I headed to Pacific University’s MFA in Writing program to hone my craft; seven of the collection’s stories came from there. Just before graduating, “Empty Feast” was runner up for an award, then “Indian Prayer” won the Danahy Fiction Prize, and I thought, Well, I’m a real author now, but being an author isn’t about writing to the end of a story, or awards; like raising a child, it’s about patiently beckoning and allowing it to unfold into its greatest potential. Post-MFA, I continued writing short stories, eventually entering the collection in some contests, where it was a finalist over and over. Until one day, around my daughter’s twentieth birthday, their overarching themes—the way they spoke beyond themselves—finally became clear to me— surprising me, honestly, and allowing me to fully understand that body of work. And then it won!

2. Your stories trace through historical time periods as well as modern day settings. What connections do you see between the past and the present?

We are creatures woven into legacies—familial, cultural, historical—and, whether we realize it or not, acknowledge it or not, our actions are guided by these threads. I feel life’s greatest adventures, the ones that require the most courage—lie in recognizing how these histories affect us, and then in having the fortitude to accept or reject them according to our personal truths, which often leads to conflict with society, others, ourselves. For this reason the settings of my stories usually have as much influence as any character.

3. Why was it important to you to weave hopeful themes throughout this collection?

I don’t write for catharsis, or to create art, rather to forge a bond with a reader. Foundational to this connection is an implicit agreement that is present in each story’s first words, in how its characters and settings are brought to life, in how their conflicts play out. This relationship invites a reader to lift, from how I arrange mere letters on a page, an emotional investment in a character, and from this to then glean insight into their own lives. It’s beautiful magic. The word “hope” literally means to want something to happen or be true, and I believe most of us hope, at the least, that an inkling of grace waits at the far side of struggle. Providing this in return is my gift to readers.

4. Can you describe your fascination with the many selves each of us becomes in our varied roles throughout the day, and how your writing delves into the internal adventure of juggling those multiple selves?

Imagine someone brushing her teeth, staring at, yet not actually seeing, her reflection in the bathroom mirror as she contemplates the hectic day ahead. See her kiss her husband—whom she’s had a spat with—goodbye, a peck on the cheek, maybe. See her smile and wave to her neighbor as she drives away, then honk at and tailgate the car that pulls out in front of her, then enter her school, smooth her skirt, and greet her class of kindergartners. Most of us similarly pinball between multiple roles each day—a slow, complex erosion of personal integrity—and the how and why of it fascinates me, especially the narratives we create for ourselves, about ourselves, to justify and align them.

5. What can readers expect to see from you in the future? Do you have any other projects in the works?

When a story comes to me—it usually arrives in near entirety—and there’s usually a voice that determines its narration, characterization, scope. The River Between Hearts, the story of an eleven-year-old girl discovering a terrified Mexican classmate hiding in her tree fort because her family has been deported, needed to be told from a child’s perspective, thus as middle-grade fiction. The novel was recently the runner-up for the Kraken Prize at Fitzroy Books and will be released in spring 2022.

On a completely different note, I’ve just finished Spoonfuls, a humorous adult novel in which a 38-year-old woman trapped in adolescence, and an 83-year-old woman trapped in aging, meet in a moment of desperation. The unlikely friendship they forge leads to a race, a journey, and a quest. Above all, their bond guides them both beyond the lives they’ve been conditioned to believe define who they are, to the selves they were truly destined to become. It’s a book that traces the evolving ways women have been shaped by American history and culture, yet even more by their own concepts of themselves. I’m currently deciding if I want to enter it in a contest or seek an agent.

Marissa DeCuir

A former award-winning journalist with national exposure, Marissa now oversees the day-to-day operation of the Books Forward author branding and book marketing firm, along with our indie publishing support sister company Books Fluent.

Born and bred in Louisiana, currently living in New Orleans, she has lived and developed a strong base for our company and authors in Chicago and Nashville. Her journalism work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. She is now interviewed by media on best practices for book marketing.

booksforward.com/about-us/marissa-decuir/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

ASHEVILLE, North Carolina – Anne Reeder Heck’s new memoir offers both guidance and solace for those seeking healing and ready to explore paths of forgiveness and spirituality. A Fierce Belief in Miracles: My Journey from Rape to Healing and Wholeness (She Writes Press, Sept. 22, 2020) is a powerful and uplifting story of determination and trust. It’s for anyone who believes in—or questions—the existence of miracles

A Fierce Belief in Miracles recounts the experience of Heck, who at age 26 was enjoying a morning bicycle ride in northern Virginia when she was stopped by a man asking for directions. She was violently beaten and raped. Heck is tenacious in her pursuit to heal the pain permeating her body after the rape, and she devotes herself to a healing quest that opens her to the transformative power of intention, intuition and trust. Her prayers for strength are synchronistically answered with a DNA match and identification of her rapist 14 years after the crime.

Featured on the front page of The Washington Post and by Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America, Heck shares her story to offer hope and support to others navigating their way to wholeness. Gail Straub, award-winning author and co-founder of Empowerment Institute calls Heck’s work “a courageous and generous account of one woman’s healing journey and a testament to resilience of the human spirit.” In this inspiring story, readers will witness the beauty that emerges from darkness, the goodness that is born of ill-guided acts, and the perfection of all that transpires on this path we call life.

A Fierce Belief in Miracles: My Journey from Rape to Healing and Wholeness

Anne Reeder Heck | September 22, 2020 | She Writes Press
Paperback ISBN: 978-1631527494 | $16.95
Ebook ISBN: B083BBSQ5X | $8.99
232 pages | Memoir

About The Author

Anne Reeder Heck’s life and livelihood are brimming with miracles. As a seasoned facilitator of spiritual circles for women, a certified Healing Touch practitioner, and an ordained interfaith minister, Anne is devoted to inspiring and guiding others to trust themselves, open to their intuitive guidance, and experience the magic of life through ceremony, positive intention and a creative, curious spirit.

Anne’s life training has been diverse and compelling. In addition to graduating with honors in chemistry and receiving her MAT, Anne is trained in spiritual dowsing, conscious languaging, women’s rites of passage, and transformational speaking. She is a self-taught artist, specializing in doll making, fiber arts and watercolor. She has trained in and/or participated in over seventy different healing modalities and is grateful to have studied with a multitude of wise and generous teachers.

Anne lives in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains with her husband of 26 years and her sweet retriever pup. She can often be found hiking nearby trails or meditatively turning her pedals on the Blue Ridge Parkway. When she’s not outdoors, Anne is passionately speaking, facilitating workshops, mentoring, writing or making art. To learn more about Anne’s offerings, or to see photos of her healing dolls, visit her at www.anneheck.com.

In an interview, Anne Reeder Heck can discuss:

• How she came to believe in miracles
• Actionable steps assault survivors can take to help their journey to healing and wholeness
• How traumas open us to the miraculous
• Spiritual and emotional aspects of healing
• The importance of listening to that still small voice of intuition
• The use of dolls in healing
• The challenges of writing about her assault

An Interview with Anne Reeder Heck

What inspired you to write A Fierce Belief in Miracles?

I spent years browsing libraries and later the Internet to find a true story of someone who had navigated their way to wholeness after rape—a story that could give me hope in what sometimes seemed a hopeless search. I wanted to read about those who’d been broken open and had come to discover their inner strength, their authentic voice and an understanding that our traumas are a precious part of our life experience. My book tells that story. What’s more, I consider my story nothing short of miraculous, and one that needs to be shared.

Who is the primary audience for this book?

While the reader audience includes survivors of sexual violence, the book will appeal to anyone who’s seeking deep healing and is ready to explore the paths of forgiveness and spirituality.

What can readers hope to learn from this book?

My intention in writing this book was to offer hope to those on a healing path. I share teachings that I’ve found invaluable and introduce the reader to some alternative paths of addressing the traumas in their life. While I can’t predict what a reader may take from this book, I know there are plenty of powerful messages available to those who are open.

What was the most challenging part of writing A Fierce Belief in Miracles?

The writing and extensive editing process were grueling. I hadn’t anticipated how emotionally draining this would be. What I learned is that writing about trauma can be re-traumatizing. I had thought that it could be healing, but for me that wasn’t the case. Writing and editing required great self-compassion and self-care.

A large part of your healing was directed by the making of dolls. Can you tell us more about that?

Yes. For seven years, I devoted myself to making dolls – medicine dolls you might call them – as part of my healing. By placing my emotion outside of myself, I could see it/myself from new perspectives, have a better idea of what I needed, and alter the course to find a new place of balance. The doll series clearly depicts a path of moving from pain and fear to freedom, vitality, strength, and wisdom.

Every journey to healing is unique, but are there actionable steps assault survivors can take?

I don’t have a prescription for healing, but I share in my book many things that were valuable as part of my own journey. For example, a big turning point for me happened in the writing of my victim impact statement, when I was forced to consider the impact the rape had on my life. While I don’t condone acts of violence, and the healing process was both painful and daunting for me, I also realized this experience taught me many things: the power of my thoughts, the deep connectedness to all life, and the positive influence we get to have through our reverence for all life and through holding an open heart.

Did you always believe in miracles? How did you come to believe in them? Can you remember the specific moment?

As a youngster, I was pragmatic and realistic on the exterior and a mystic and dreamer on the interior. In chapter 11 of my book, a chapter titled “Possibility,” I write: “miracles—transformations that could not be explained by science—were a concept I warmed to cautiously. My mind required a rational basis or personal experience to give credence to something beyond reason. However, the faint and timid whisper of my heart fiercely believed in miracles. It was this heart whisper that began to speak to me in my despairing moments during the years I sought healing. It was this quiet voice that encouraged me to stay open to possibility.”

I consciously chose to stay curious, to be expectant about what may come. It was partly a mind game to keep me focused positively, but truly, I wanted a faith in miracles, to experience proof of miracles in my own life. My transformative moments as concerns this are described in my book. They were nothing short of miraculous. This is partly why I needed to write this story.

How important is forgiveness to the healing process?

My experience is not going to be the same as that of others, but forgiveness was an essential part of my healing. Any anger or judgment I had about the rapist or the experience of rape hurt me more than it hurt anyone else. When we forgive and find peace this helps us, and it also heals others. It’s a compassionate gift to all people to let go of our anger and open our hearts to love.

What does it mean for you to live openly as a survivor of assault?

Terry committed a crime against me that was horrendous and hurtful in so many ways. I couldn’t cover that up and move forward knowing that it could happen to someone else. From day one, I did all I could to identify my assailant. It didn’t matter what that required of me; I simply needed to speak the truth, and be open about my experience. At this point in my journey, the rape doesn’t define me. My healing journey defines me. This is the piece that I’m inspired to share with others – that healing is available to us, and not just healing, but miracles. Yes, miracles.

Endorsements for “A Fierce Belief in Miracles”

“In A Fierce Belief in Miracles, Anne has explored in depth her healing path so that others can navigate their trials with greater ease and inspiration. Pay attention to the teachings offered in this book and you will be supported in new and unexpected ways on your own path to healing.”
~ Lynne Twist, Co-Founder, The Pachamama Alliance; Founder, The Soul of Money Institute; best-selling author, The Soul of Money

“A Fierce Belief in Miracles is a courageous and generous account of one woman’s healing journey. A testament to resilience of the human spirit, Anne Heck’s story traces the trauma of rape all the way to a place of hard earned equanimity. Her unconventional path offers hope and wisdom to any trauma survivor. And Anne’s willingness to share her story with unflinching honesty is a powerful signal in a world where too many women know the trauma of rape.”
~ Gail Straub, Co-Founder, Empowerment Institute and award-winning author, Empowerment and Returning to My Mother’s House

“This beautifully written page-turner about a cyclist with a passion for exploring wilderness trails gently guides readers through her violation of rape into a courageous and creative healing journey of self-discovery. The unexpected potentials and guides she meets⎯both inner and outer⎯embolden this indomitable traveler to befriend her fear, anger, resistance, and pain, and eventually enjoy her rewards of trust and spiritual meaning. Wise and breathtakingly honest, this inspiring story will bring hope to those who suffer the after-effects of trauma and long to liberate their captive truths into consciousness.”
~ Jean Benedict Raffa, Ed.D, author of The Bridge to Wholeness, Dream Theatres of the Soul, Healing the Sacred Divide, and The Soul’s Twins.

“A Fierce Belief in Miracles is the compelling and moving story of Anne Heck’s quest to understand and transform the scrambled pieces of her heart and soul in the aftermath of sexual violence. Through her fearless exploration of healing modalities over two decades and her determination to embrace the arduous journey and its mysteries, she bestows a gift of hope. Heck’s story of her path to meaning, truth, and transformative integration is an important contribution to the growing body of literature on sexual violence — its complex impact on individuals and society.”
~ Nancy Venable Raine, author of After Silence: Rape an My Journey Back

“Anne gives us the courage to trust that the unconventional path to healing might just be the greatest gift of our lives.”
~ Amy B. Scher, author of This Is How I Save My Life and How To Heal Yourself When No One Else Can

Marissa DeCuir

A former award-winning journalist with national exposure, Marissa now oversees the day-to-day operation of the Books Forward author branding and book marketing firm, along with our indie publishing support sister company Books Fluent.

Born and bred in Louisiana, currently living in New Orleans, she has lived and developed a strong base for our company and authors in Chicago and Nashville. Her journalism work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. She is now interviewed by media on best practices for book marketing.

booksforward.com/about-us/marissa-decuir/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

KIRKLAND, WA – Award-winning author Dori Jones Yang spent eight years as a foreign correspondent for BusinessWeek covering China, where she interviewed local citizens, fell in love, and witnessed a tumultuous period that shook the world. In her new memoir, When the Red Gates Opened: A Memoir of China’s Reawakening (September 22, 2020, She Writes Press), Yang brings to life this transformative time in history and in her personal life.

When Beijing opened its doors in the 1980s, it shocked the world by allowing private enterprise and free markets. Dori was among the first American correspondents to cover China under Deng Xiaoping, who dared to defy Maoist doctrine to try to catch up with richer nations. Despite her natural reserve, Dori used her fluency in Mandarin to get to know the ordinary people she met—people embracing opportunities that had once been unimaginable.

Soon, Dori fell for a Chinese man who had fled China with his family in 1949 and only recently returned. Together, they found the relatives his parents had left behind, who were just starting to hope for a better future. This euphoria—shared by American businesses and Chinese citizens alike—reached its peak in May 1989, when a million peaceful protestors filled Tiananmen Square, demanding democracy. Dori lived that hope, as well as the despair that followed when the army opened fire. After Tiananmen, dejected and sure that the era of promising possibilities was over, she returned to America—only to watch as China resumed its growth.

“I wanted to show the country close-up, at the dawn of its rise to power, focusing on ordinary people and the way their lives changed,” says the author. “Understanding China’s motivations and dreams during that era could be key to understanding what is going on today.” Written at a time when China’s rapid rise is setting off alarm bells in Washington, When the Red Gates Opened offers insight into the daring policies that started it all.

“When the Red Gates Opened: A Memoir of China’s Reawakening”

Dori Jones Yang | September 22, 2020 | She Writes Press
Paperback | ISBN: 978-1631527517 | Price: $16.95
Memoir

An experienced journalist, author, and speaker, Dori Jones Yang has written seven previous books, including a best-selling business book about Starbucks and two award-winning novels about Chinese children in America. When the Red Gates Opened is her first memoir. Educated in history at Princeton and in international studies at Johns Hopkins, Dori worked for eight years in the 1980s as a foreign correspondent for BusinessWeek, covering China during its pivotal years. From her current base near Seattle, she also worked as West Coast technology correspondent for U.S. News and World Report. Fluent in Mandarin Chinese, she has traveled throughout China over forty years and spoken about her books across the United States.

More details are available on her website, https://dorijonesyang.com/.

Praise for When the Red Gates Opened

“Dori Jones Yang’s memoir is an enthralling account of her love affair with China that’s replete with drama, disappointment, progress, and hope.” — 4-star Foreword Clarion Review

“Dori Jones Yang has given us two wonderful, East-West coming-of-age stories for the price of one: China’s metamorphosis from poor Communist backwater to quasi-capitalist powerhouse, and her own journey from rookie reporter in the male-dominated world of business journalism to respected foreign correspondent. Both tales come with their share of great leaps forward and troubling setbacks. This chronicle of her two love affairs―with China and with a very special Chinese man―and her steely determination to succeed not only as a professional, but as a colleague, wife, mother, and stepmother, make for an inspirational and rewarding read.” ― Scott D. Seligman, author of The Third Degree: The Triple Murder That Shook Washington and Changed American Criminal Justice

“Captivating! At the onset of China’s embrace of a new openness, the author lands her dream job as a correspondent in Hong Kong covering China for a leading business journal. A pioneering female foreign correspondent, she captures the story of a young gal finding her way―as a journalist and as a woman. Her evolution intersects with dynamic world events, resulting in a mesmerizing tale of personal struggle, vibrant history, and real guts. A remarkable story!”― Marianne Lile, author of Stepmother: A Memoir

“Dori Jones Yang enfolds us in her frank personal story and the saga of a China just opening its gates to the ‘outside world’ . . . Americans of Yang’s generation in the China field are sure to be swept by nostalgia and vivid reminiscence. Younger readers will see today’s China more clearly after they ingest this saga of opportunity, challenge, frustration, reward, and tenacious love. As America’s relations with China stumble today, looking back to the decade of Yang’s encounter with China is more important than ever.” ― Robert A. Kapp, former president, US-China Business Council

“When the Red Gates Opened is a riveting, insightful, personal account of a pivotal moment in history: the critical years when China, after alternately starving and stifling its population for decades, began moving toward a more open, market-oriented economy . . . Dori Jones Yang, among the handful of foreign correspondents then who spoke fluent Mandarin, set out to find out for herself, talking to hundreds of people in China and Hong Kong. Today, as China increasingly flexes its muscles on the world stage, this book provides a nuanced understanding of the challenges and promises presented by a complex global power that thinks and operates in ways so different from us.” ― Leslie Helm, author of Yokohama Yankee, My Family’s Five Generations as Outsiders in Japan

“This is a beautifully crafted, intimately written memoir of a young woman from Ohio who became a true rarity―a female foreign correspondent covering the vast economic changes in China in the 1980s. Dori’s journey is one you will want to take yourself.” ― Bruce Nussbaum, author of Creative Intelligence

“Dori Jones Yang beautifully conveys her deep respect for China and its culture―through experiences that included falling in love with a Chinese man and his extended family, as well as navigating issues of marriage and motherhood as a working woman in the 1980s. She gives us a rare inside look into China from the 1980s to today as she comes to squarely stand in two cultures―both American and Chinese.” ― Juliet Cutler, author of Among the Maasai

“Foreign correspondent and memoirist Dori Jones Yang offers a charming cross-cultural love story that fascinates as it educates. When the Red Gates Opened offers intimate and original insights into China, a country often misunderstood, once stumbling to open to the outside―and now a world superpower. On her journey, we, too, find promise, disillusion, and hope.” ― Brenda Peterson, author of Your Life is a Book: How to Craft and Publish Your Memoir

“In this intimate memoir, Dori Jones Yang takes a close-up look at the emergence of China in the 1980s, from backward country to world power. Beijing bureau chief for BusinessWeek, Dori was an eyewitness to the start of this historic transformation, and she tells the story with insight and verve. She also shares her own personal odyssey, from Ohio to Princeton to Beijing, including the loving embrace of the Chinese man she met on an airplane and married two years later.” — Stephen B. Shepard, former editor-in-chief, BusinessWeek

“With refreshing candor, riveting detail and sharp insights, this beautifully told memoir breaks the mold of ‘Western journalist-discovers-China.’ Dori Jones Yang’s wonderfully personal journey allows one to view this vastly different culture and increasingly powerful country as she did—with open eyes and heart, without prejudgment. I could not put this book down.” — Helen Zia, Last Boat out of Shanghai: The Epic Story of the Chinese who Fled Mao’s Revolution

“Dori Jones Yang writes particularly eloquently about the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown; it marked the endpoint for China of a golden decade of economic reform and freedom while for her it was a betrayal by a country she had come to love and admire. This deeply personal book interweaves her desires for professional success, love, and motherhood and may inspire young women striving to balance these aspirations in their own lives.” — Judith Shapiro, co-author of Son of the Revolution and of China Goes Green: Coercive Environmentalism for a Troubled Planet

“Like all superb memoirs, Dori Jones Yang’s is not only a candid reflection of her own character and experience, but an eyewitness account of an epic time in history. Her sensitive observations and skillful writing bring the yin-yang dualities of her life into a gratifying if sometimes hard-fought balance, to deliver a story that is sweeping yet intimate, ambitious yet humble, serious yet engaging.” — Claire Chao, author of Remembering Shanghai: A Memoir of Socialites, Scholars and Scoundrels

“This book is about two transitions—Dori Jones Yang’s from student to Hong Kong bureau chief for BusinessWeek, and China’s from central planning to an open, market economy. Beautifully written, it portrays the victories and setbacks of both ‘awakenings.’” — Shanta Devarajan, Professor of the Practice of International Development, Georgetown University and former acting World Bank Group chief economist

In an interview, DORI JONES YANG can discuss:

• Her career as a journalist and how she became a foreign correspondent
• The highs and lows of U.S.-China relations and the current negative attitudes toward China
• Her experience seeing China through the eyes of an American journalist and the inside perspective she gained through her relationships
• The “up-close” and fresh look at China her memoir offers
• How looking at the past can provide insight and hope for the future
• These formative years for China as a country and her own personal life, and the parallels between the two
• The challenges she faced writing a memoir as a journalist
• Writing fiction versus her memoir, and the common threads through her written work

An Interview with DORI JONES YANG

1. Can you tell us a little bit about your career and how you became a foreign correspondent during this time?

Sure! Growing up in Ohio, I loved writing and foreign languages. My first journalism job was at my local newspaper, and I was hooked. I knew nothing about Asia until after college, when I spent two years in Singapore studying Chinese. By stroke of good luck, I finished grad school (in international studies) just as the U.S. and China established diplomatic relations. Few Americans knew much about China, so that put me in a great spot to become a foreign correspondent.

2. How has the relationship between the U.S. and China changed since your time as a correspondent?

In the 1980s, China was emerging from thirty years of isolation, so many Americans were eager to visit and do business there. Although China was poor and backward, it was a time of hope and possibility. Few imagined China could grow so quickly and rise to become a modern power. In recent years, many American leaders have become nervous about China’s advancing technological expertise, fearing that its rise could mean our downfall. The spirit of mutual respect and cooperation has badly eroded. As the election approaches, I fear that both parties will treat China as a convenient diversion or punching bag.

3. What is “missing” from many Americans’ understanding of China?

When you live in another country, you realize that it encompasses a wide range of individuals—not just the government. A few of my American friends think “China is evil”—based on Beijing’s policies toward Muslims, or Hong Kong, or the Internet. “China” is more than its current president, just as the United States is more than Donald Trump. A new generation of Chinese has grown up in a modern society, able to travel and study abroad; they have created the largest consumer market in the world, and they will become leaders someday. A U.S. policy of belligerence and confrontation toward China would be self-destructive.

4. These were incredibly formative years for China but also you personally. What parallels do you see between the two during this time?

As a Communist leader, Deng Xiaoping defied the odds when he allowed capitalism in China, and I was defying the odds, too. As a young woman in the male-dominated world of business journalism, alone in a foreign bureau, I was learning my way by trial and error. So was Deng. I faced some personal dilemmas that seemed unsolvable, as did the future of Hong Kong when Britain and China began discussions. A true dilemma, I learned, is not a choice between right and wrong. It’s between two options that are equally compelling—or equally hazardous.

5. As a journalist you had notes and articles to pull from to look back on this time— what was most challenging in writing this memoir?

What’s hardest about writing a memoir is the need to shine a light on your insecurities and reflect on your decisions. It forces you to be honest. It also demands you rethink your fraught relationships and decide how much to include. If someone might be hurt by a revelation, do you have a good reason to include it? I had to decide what were the major themes and include only as much as was needed to tell that story.

6. What do you hope readers gain from When the Red Gates Opened?

Why should any of us look behind the next hill, or across the border, into the warm living rooms of ordinary people who don’t look or talk as we do? If we cross those thresholds and listen in the language of people we too often misunderstand, we can see the world through their eyes and open our minds. If more of us from all countries committed to cross-cultural understanding, we’d increase the chance for world peace, which could benefit all.

Marissa DeCuir

A former award-winning journalist with national exposure, Marissa now oversees the day-to-day operation of the Books Forward author branding and book marketing firm, along with our indie publishing support sister company Books Fluent.

Born and bred in Louisiana, currently living in New Orleans, she has lived and developed a strong base for our company and authors in Chicago and Nashville. Her journalism work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. She is now interviewed by media on best practices for book marketing.

booksforward.com/about-us/marissa-decuir/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

LOS ANGELES – The mysteries that lie within a rural Oregon town are bubbling to the surface — right on time for reporter Caitlin Bergman. In “Sins of the Mother,” (Sept. 8, 2020, Crooked Lane), the story of lauded thriller author August Norman’s headstrong heroine continues, leading both her and readers to a radical cult that has town members agitated and close to their boiling point.

Caitlin doesn’t talk about her mother; in fact, she’s been telling everyone that she’s dead. So when the law enforcement head of Coos County contacts Caitlin to identify her mother’s remains, the journalist heads north to gather details of her estranged mother’s life. Caught between the feuding of the white supremicist Larsens and Daughters of God cult members — and with the identity of her real father hanging just out of her grasp — Caitlin must unravel the town’s secrets before the fiery prophesied end of days arrives.

Will Caitlin find the answers she’s looking for? First, she’ll need to make it out of Oregon alive.

With charismatic villains and complex relationships in tow, Norman’s latest addition to Caitlin’s story is a vibrant and exhilirating ride into the heart of crime fiction. In addition to boasting a compelling female protagonist and intense page-turning drama, the author has crafted a thrilling mystery that will have readers on the edge of their seats — until the very end.

“Smart, scrappy, and not afraid to punch you in the gut — just like its fierce heroine.” — Rick Treon

Early praise for “Sins of the Mother”

“Do not miss August Norman’s latest thrilling mystery, Sins of the Mother. With kinesthetic language and plot-winding twists, gifted writer Norman strikes the perfect balance between snark and serious, which kept me glued in place and gobbling pages. Bravo on an excellent story – can’t wait to see what is in store next from this true wizard of prose!”
— Maureen Connolly, author of “Lovely Little Things”

“Caitlin Bergman, a feisty and earthy female protagonist, launches headlong into another ripping adventure. But it’s more than that. Caitlin must also suffer for the crimes of her mother and somehow forgive her. The answers lie in the religious cult that sucked in her mother and all her secrets. This is a terrific sequel that I highly recommend.”
— Carl Vonderau, author of “Murderabilia,”
winner of Left Coast Crime 2020 Best Debut Mystery

“ ‘Sins of the Mother’ is smart, scrappy, and not afraid to punch you in the gut — just like its fierce heroine. August Norman provides an action-packed, emotional thrill ride that’ll leave you breathlessly waiting for the next Caitlin Bergman novel.”
— Rick Treon, award-winning author of “Let the Guilty Pay”

“In ‘Sins of the Mother,’ August Norman has not only crafted an exceptionally likeable protagonist in journalist Caitlin Bergman, whose toughness, charm and sense of humor win you over from the start, but has created an entire cast of magnetic characters. Even the villains have unlimited charisma. Unraveling the mysteries of a cult in the backwoods of Oregon, and in the process hunting for the truth of Caitlin’s parentage, is as heart warming as it is devastating, and as suspenseful as it is thrilling.”
— David Albertyn, author of “Undercard”

“Caitlin Bergman is one of the most intriguing and richly imagined heroines in thriller fiction. August Norman builds on his debut novel triumph with ‘Sins of the Mother,’ as Caitlin uncovers decades-old secrets in an Oregon logging town and the cult that haunts it. Loaded with twists and emotional punches, Norman’s vibrant and gripping story will make readers eager for more.”
— Glen Erik Hamilton, Anthony Award-winning author of “Past Crimes”

“Sins of the Mother: A Caitlin Bergman Novel”
August Norman | Sept. 8, 2020 | Crooked Lane
Crime Thriller | Ebook | 9781643854366 | $12.99

About the Author

Originally from central Indiana, thriller and mystery author August Norman has called Los Angeles home for two decades, writing for and/or appearing in movies, television, stage productions, web series, and even, commercial advertising. A lover and champion of crime fiction, Norman is an active member of the Mystery Writers of America, the International Thriller Writers, the Sisters in Crime (National and LA), and regularly attends the Santa Barbara Writer’s Conference. In addition, August is a founding member and regular performer with LA’s longest running improv comedy show, “Opening Night: The Improvised Musical!” For more information, visit augustnorman.com.

In an interview, August Norman can discuss:

• His background in screenwriting and how he utilizes it in his novels
• The research and creativity behind crafting a cult from scratch
• The book’s themes on parenting and how, as a new parent, he examined and differentiates between what’s considered good vs. bad parenting — and all the gray areas in between
• The book’s setting and how it lent itself to the cult themes and plot
• As a male author, creating a series with a strong female protagonist and the importance of honoring the portrayals of the opposite sex
• Exploring cognitive dissonance and how conspiracy theorists, cults, climate change deniers are still prevalent throughout society
• The concepts of hive mind and groupthink and how individuals use those to confirm or deny beliefs — despite evidence of fact

An interview with AUGUST NORMAN

1. This is the second novel that follows heroine Caitlin Bergman. How soon into crafting the first book did you know her story would continue?

Even before Caitlin made her debut in “Come and Get Me,” I’d worked the character into a screenplay and another novel. As an investigative journalist, Caitlin gets to explore the issues I care about, whether that’s battling white supremacists, breaking up a cult, or dating in her 40s. The journalists I know work hard in dangerous places to bring the world basic facts, often for little pay and less respect. Like them, Caitlin is obsessed with getting the true story behind the legends, even at the expense of her own safety.

2. What are some of the challenges you faced with writing the second book in a series? Were there things that came easier throughout the process?

One wonderful challenge I faced writing “Sins of the Mother” was honoring the expectations of the first book’s readers. With a debut, you get to say, “Here are my characters; this is what they do.” While plotting the second installment, readers from my publishing team to Goodreads followers wanted to know who would come back, how Caitlin would grow, and what horrible junk food she’d eat this time. I made sure to honor that relationship with the reader while taking Caitlin in a new direction.

3. Most of the book is set in Oregon. What drew you to choosing the setting in the Pacific Northwest?

To tell this story, I needed somewhere in America that you could hide a cult within miles of the broader society. I also wanted a setting where the locals feared the end of their traditions because of a liberal shift in ideals, and would be willing to fight to ensure their ways of life. Oregon’s lush forests, rocky coasts, inland plains, tribal lands, federal preserve, and wild-country-feel all bash heads daily with the new Bohemia tech sector billionaire playgrounds of Portland, Silicon Valley, and Seattle. Caitlin is searching for her past in a state that’s dealing with its own growing pains. In “Sins of the Mother,” the area’s small government “Don’t Tread On Me” mentality allows white supremacists to flourish in the same proximity as a reclusive cult. It’s only a matter of time before the two fight for their ideals, no matter the cost.

4. You recently became a father, and the book definitely focuses on parental themes. Was that coincidental? And are there things you learned about parenthood from writing a book centering so much on that theme?

In the lead-up to my entrance into parentage, I did a lot of soul-searching on what I believe makes a good parent and what constitutes family. Whether related by blood, chosen through adoption, or selected from a pool of friends, I think the closest families are born through love and sacrifice, rather than biology. As unnatural as it may seem, sometimes the best thing a parent can do is realize they don’t have the skills to guide their children through life and leave them with someone more qualified. Having never met her birth mother, raised by a single adoptive father, and now childless in her early forties, Caitlin explores her own family’s tree, ultimately seeing another side of her perceived abandonment and the sacrifices and openness needed to truly love.

5. You have a background in screenwriting. How has that experience helped you with writing novels? Or has it made things more difficult?

Coming up through screenwriting, I hope I can claim a few skills that help me as a novelist. I gravitate toward short, cinematic scenes in my chapters, understanding that readers fill in much of the setting with their own shorthand. I also try to create characters that actors from well-known stars to five-lines-and-under would line up to audition for. Who wouldn’t want to play an aging cult leader, past his prime and looking for a way out? A devout, female lawyer that represents a cult in greater society but becomes her true self in the privacy of their woodland compound? A violent white supremacist hell-bent on saving his daughter from those people? Finally, many authors come to their work with a my-way-or-the-highway sensibility that can leave them stuck when their publishers ask for edits or complete page one rewrites of art that took them years to complete. Screenwriters, subject to deadlines and notes from all levels, have to be able to move fast and adapt, while keeping their original concepts intact. So far, these skills have all helped bring Caitlin Bergman to the page.

Marissa DeCuir

A former award-winning journalist with national exposure, Marissa now oversees the day-to-day operation of the Books Forward author branding and book marketing firm, along with our indie publishing support sister company Books Fluent.

Born and bred in Louisiana, currently living in New Orleans, she has lived and developed a strong base for our company and authors in Chicago and Nashville. Her journalism work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. She is now interviewed by media on best practices for book marketing.

booksforward.com/about-us/marissa-decuir/