Interview with Sheri Kaye Hoff, author of Keys to Living Joyfully
Dorothy Thompson
February 08, 2009
She is also the author of the new book, Keys to Living Joyfully, an inspirational book on experiencing joy, peace, passion and energy in daily life. It is designed to demonstrate the powerful roles of thoughts, action, and faith. The book is a merging of Sheri Kay Hoff´s spiritual life and lifelong interests in leadership and motivation.
We interviewed Sheri to find out about her new book and her life as a published author.
Thank you for this interview, Sheri. Can you tell us briefly what your latest book, Keys to Living Joyfully, is all about?
My book, Keys to Living Joyfully, is based on the idea that everyone can live an inspired, joyful life. When your heart, mind, and actions align with your spiritual life, joy and happiness flow into your life and spill over onto the people that you love and touch. I describe how I moved from loss to joy, and I discuss the importance of cultivating a joyful heart, working while inspired, viewing time as an ally, living abundantly and embracing life. There are pages with thought provoking questions throughout each chapter and at the end of each chapter. The reader is encouraged to self-assess and to begin to work out solutions and ideas for his or her life. The approach I use is very gentle and loving. My spiritual life is based on a Christian faith perspective. The book is non-denominational and is more spiritual than religious.
Can you tell us what (or who) was the inspiration behind your book?
When I was 17, my 15-year-old brother died tragically. This altered the path of my life. I was scheduled to attend an east coast college and I could not bear to leave my parents when they were grieving. For years after my brother´s death, I felt numb and thought I did not deserve to be truly happy ever again. Gradually, I healed, but still struggled with on and off depression. I married my husband and gave birth to three beautiful children. I worked in a career that I loved; yet, I did not truly enjoy my success. I read hundreds of books on leadership and motivation. When I went deeper into my spiritual life, I experienced a way to merge my personal leadership skills and my spirituality. My life clicked into place. I became truly happy, and I felt so free. I, then, had a deep desire to share my keys with others. I hoped that people would be inspired to tap their sources of joy. This desire created my book idea. I have been receiving personal stories from my readers telling me that their hearts have been touched. Each person seems to have a different part of the book that is most meaningful. I feel so blessed and grateful.
Is this your first published book and if so, can you tell us your experiences in finding a publisher for it?
This is my first published book. I thought, at first, that I would try to sign with a publisher, but then I felt that I needed to get my book out to my audience right away. I did a lot of research on self-publishing and looked at several options. Createspace.com offered the services I wanted.
How has Createspace been to work with?
Createspace is very easy to work with provided you already have your cover completed and your book formatted. I hired a graphic designer to create my book cover, and I formatted the interior myself. The way that Createspace works is that an author uploads everything and orders books to sell or give away. Interested readers are then able to order their copies through Amazon or Createspace.com. The quality of the books are very high and I carry very little inventory.
Do you have an agent?
I do not have an agent, though I may consider it in the future. I plan to write many books and want to focus mainly on the writing and leave the other details to someone else.
Can you tell us how long it took you to write your book and also how long it took from the time Createspace sent the contract and the time it was released?
From the time, I decided to write seriously on Keys to Living Joyfully, I wrote the book in five and a half weeks and published within five months. The book seemed to write itself. Words poured out and I was inspired the entire time that I spent writing. I never felt strained when I worked on the writing process of the book.
Do you have any words of inspiration from other writers who would like to be wearing your shoes?
In today´s world, if you have a dream to become published, you have a great opportunity to self-publish. I chose to self-publish because I wanted my book on the market fast. I wanted my life-coaching clients to be able to purchase and use it immediately. I also felt that my message needed to be heard. The bottom line is that your writing needs to be great and on target for the people that you want to reach. If you have that, you can make it happen, whether you self-publish or land a contract. I would also add that it is important to mastermind with a few great people. I did that with Michele Caron (she wrote the foreword for the book), a couple of close mentors (business and personal), and my graphic designer. When everyone agreed that the book was a high quality creation, I knew that I had something great to offer the public.
I understand that you are touring with Pump Up Your Book Promotion in March via virtual book tour. Can you tell us all why you chose a virtual book tour to promote your book online?
I chose a virtual book tour to promote my book because I realized that value of synergy. I do quite a bit of online promoting, but I knew that if I could have the opportunity to partner with Dorothy Thompson and have readers, authors, and critics see more and learn more about my beautiful book, I would have a unique level of exposure. My daily goal is to inspire people and a virtual book tour helps me towards my goal. More people will have a chance to have their hearts touched and maybe a new opportunity to grow.
What´s next for you?
I do have another book in process. It is a life and career guide for people suffering from tragic events and post traumatic stress disorder. It is very difficult to recover from an unexpected tragic event. Many people do not ever fully recover. We know this, in part, from studies that were conducted with Holocaust survivors. I strongly believe that people should not only be able to recover, but live triumphant, successful, and beautiful lives. I am a personal example of someone who suffered from PTSD and then went on to live a successful and happy life.
I also write poetry continuously and may come out with a book of inspirational poems.
Thank you for this interview, Sheri. Can you tell us how we can find out more about you and your new book?
You can purchase my book on Amazon and you can find me at www.lifeisjoyful.org. You may also email me at coachsheri@lifeisjoyful.org if you would like to purchase a signed copy.
Print
Email
