For many of us, there was one book that affected us deeply at a very impressionable time in our lives, adolescence. This book both signaled the autumn of our innocence and spoke to us profoundly about the hopes and disillusionments of life to come. That book is Catcher in the Rye. Considered one of the best novels every written, the story of its reclusive yet genius author, J.D. Salinger, is still shrouded in mystery. Many people don't realize that Catcher in the Rye was the one and only novel Salinger ever published, that he lived the second half of his life in complete isolation, or that the cultish-popularity of its character, Holden Caulfield, was the twisted inspiration behind the murder of John Lennon and the assassination attempt of President Ronald Reagan.

Here is the remarkable story of J.D. Salinger and Catcher in the Rye;


Early life.

1. Jerome David Salinger was born January 1, 1919 in New York to a comfortably affluent family of European and Jewish descent.

2. He went to an elite private high school, where he was an average student, then New York University and later Colombia University later on.

3. He started calling himself “Jerry” in high school, while his family always called him “Sonny.”

4. In 1941, Salinger dated the young debutante Oona O’Neill, daughter of the famous playwright Eugene O’Neill. Salinger was head over heels in love but later on she abandon him for Charlie Chaplain. They got married, though he was her senior by many decades, Salinger was embarrassed and crushed.

5. In November of that same year, Salinger sold a story called “Slight Rebellion Off Madison,” to the New Yorker, which featured the character Holden Caulfield. However, it was shelved when the war broke out and editorial needs changed, and wouldn’t appear in the magazine until 1946, after the war. A few other stories featured Holden Caulfield, even 10 years before the Catcher in the Rye was published.

Wartime.

6. J.D. Salinger’s comfortable, safe, and predictable world was shattered when he was drafted into WW II in the spring of 1942, only a few months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

7. His first action was during the D-Day Invasion at Utah Beach.

8. He served all the way through to VE Day (Victory in Europe Day,) including fighting in the Battle of the Bulge and the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, where he saw the heaviest of combat and most of his units slaughtered.

9. Salinger actually started writing Catcher in the Rye as he served during the war, and he carried 6 chapters of the original manuscript with him as he rushed the beaches during D Day. He later said that the will to preserve those chapters is what kept him alive.

10. Friends of his from his unit always joked that they’d get nothing done when out on patrol because Salinger always insisted they pull over so he could write more of Catcher in the Rye.

11. The one and only photo of Salinger writing his only novel comes from while he was serving overseas in the war.

12. During his time fighting in WWII, he arranged a meeting with Ernest Hemingway, a big influence of his, who was working as a war correspondent. Hemingway was impressed with Salinger and his writing and they remained in correspondence.

13. In April 1945 as the Germans surrendered, Salinger’s unit liberated a Nazi concentration camp in Dachau. What he saw there changed him forever. He later told his daughter, "You never really get the smell of burning flesh out of your nose entirely, no matter how long you live."

14. He was sent to a psychiatric hospital after the war for combat stress reaction.

15. After the surrender, Salinger stayed in Germany for six months where he was assigned to work with the Counterintelligence Corp during the “Denazification” of the country.

Post-war.

16. In Germany after the war, he met a young woman named Sylvia Welter. Even though she was a former member of the Nazi party, they fell in love, were married, and she came accompanied him back to the U.S. But the marriage lasted only 8 months until it was annulled and Sylvia returned to Germany.

17. After the war, Salinger wrote with renewed gravity and determination. He was obsessed with the New Yorker Magazine and submitted numerous short stories to them, all to be rejected. He was published elsewhere but considered the New Yorker his manifest destiny.

18. He was finally published again by the New Yorker in 1948 when his story, “A Perfect Day for Bananfish,” was released after a year of editing. The story hit it big and Salinger was vaulted to national prominence.

19. In 1949, a movie version of his story, "Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut" was released, called “My Foolish Heart.” The movie was a flop and Salinger hated it, vowing never again to allow a film to be made from one of his stories.

Catcher in the Rye

20. Catcher in the Rye was released on July 16, 1951 by the publisher Little, Brown and Company.

21. It was an immediate success. Within two months it had been reprinted eight times, and Catcher spent 30 weeks on New York Times bestsellers list.

22. It was J.D. Salinger’s one and only published novel.

23. It’s been translated into all of the world’s major languages and sold around 65 million copies. It still sells about 250,000 copies per year, even 63 years after its release.

24. It’s considered one of the best American literature, along side “Of Mice and Men,” by John Steinbeck and “Huckleberry Finn,” by Mark Twain.

Backlash.

25. However, it’s attracted its fair share of criticism. In 1960, a teacher in Oklahoma was fired for teaching the book in his class. Between 1961 and 1982, the Catcher in the Rye was the most banned book in the U.S.

26. It’s been estimated that there are 237 uses of the word "goddam" in the book, 58 of "bastard," 31 of "Chrissake," and six of "fuck."

27. It also contained subject matter pertaining to sexuality, homosexuality, suicide, and defying authority. That was all extremely controversial subject matter for the 1950’s (and 1940’s, when it was written.)

28. In 1978, it was banned in high schools in Issaquah, Washington as part of an "overall communist plot.”

29. By 1981, it was both the second-most most taught book in U.S. public high schools and also the most banned book.

Reclusion

30. In 1953, Salinger moved from his apartment in New York City to a simple house on a mountain in Corning, New Hampshire, where he’d live the rest of his life.

31. Salinger lived in seclusion in Cornish, preferring a life of total privacy though he kept careful tabs on the outside world.

32. After the initial success and critical acclaim of Catcher in the Rye, the book’s popularity hit a lull in the late 1950’s. However, in the 1960’s the book experienced an explosive revival, as it became the manual of youth rebellion for the counterculture generation.

33. After that, he had many young readers, soul searchers, malcontents, voyeurs, photographers and reporters seek him out, though he unceremoniously dismissed almost all of them.  

34. Salinger became an avid follower of Buddhism, and later a practitioner of Zen Yoga, Hinduism, and even Dianetics.

35. While he lived in Cornish, he produced mostly short stories and some novellas, with the New Yorker Magazine holding a first-right of refusal for all his work.

36. He went through several relationships with much younger women, which usually ended in disaster as he treated them poorly and alienated them completely, preferring the solitude of his typewriter and the characters he created.

Dark days.

37. Salinger became a victim of his own fame as Catcher in the Rye reached iconic status. He withdrew more later in life as there was speculation he never fully recovered from his experiences during the war.

38. He dealt with numerous lawsuits to suppress unauthorized biographies, tell-all’s from past flames, and scathing memoirs, including one from his own daughter.

39. Producers in the movie business never stopped hounding him to make a big screen adaptation of Catcher in the Rye. Jerry Lewis was obsessed with playing the part of Holden Caulfield and over the years, Marlon Brando, Jack Nicholson, Tobey Maguire, and Leonardo DiCaprio all tried to make the film adaptation, though Salinger never wavered.

40. On December 8, 1980, Mark David Chapman gunned down John Lennon of the Beatles in front of the Dakota Hotel in New York City. At the crime scene, Chapman was found with a copy of Catcher in the Rye he’d bought that day. Inside was the inscription, "To Holden Caulfield, From Holden Caulfield, This is my statement." He later professed that he killed Lennon because of the book.

41. In 1981, John Hinckley, Jr.'s shot President Ronald Regan and others in his entourage. He stated that he attempted the assignation to impress actress Jodie Foster, who he was stalking. When they searched Hinckley’s apartment, they found a well-read copy of Catcher in the Rye.  

42. In 1989, Robert John Bardo stalked and then shot to death actress Rebecca Schaeffer at her Hollywood home. He was carrying a copy of Catcher in the Rye when he was arrested.

Later in life.

43. J.D. Salinger published his last original work in 1965 and gave his final interview in 1980.

44. On January 27, 2010, J.D. Salinger passed away of natural causes at his home in Cornish, New Hampshire.

45. But his story continues; in his will, Salinger left specific instructions to publish the bulk of his unreleased work on a timetable between 2015 and 2020. There is speculation that very well might include a follow up to Catcher in the Rye and Holden Caulfield. 

Costa Rica is one of the most amazing countries on earth, with natural beauty, beaches, and a warm culture that's unparalleled. Every year, almost 2.5 million tourists visit the nation that has no army, and thousands of expats and retirees from the United States and Canada move there annually. If you're thinking about moving to Costa Rica - or just going for a vacation - you definitely will want to read these books. They're not guide books, but real life narratives by people who actually moved there and experienced Costa Rica first hand. The books are listed by popularity and you can click on the titles to link to Amazon.com

Feel free to email me if you have any questions about moving to Costa Rica. Pura vida and happy reading!  

-Norm Schriever   :-)

Happier Than A Billionaire.

In this humorous and witty account, Nadine Pisani shares what it is like to follow her dream of quitting her job and starting a new life under the sunny skies of Costa Rica. Along the way, she finds reliable utilities are not that reliable, quirky neighbors are unavoidable, and tackling red tape takes the strength of a linebacker. But with all its challenges, you'll learn why Costa Rica is ranked as one of the happiest places on earth--and you too may want to taste the Pura Vida lifestyle.

South of Normal.

A gonzo blast of laughs and adventure about a year spent in the tropical paradise of Tamarindo, Costa Rica. Frustrated and unfulfilled with the rat race in the States, businessman Norm Schriever quits his job, sells and donates all of his possessions, and moves down to Tamarindo, Costa Rica, with nothing but a laptop and a surfboard. But Norm soon finds that paradise has its dark side. Whether it’s adapting to the local customs and the language barrier, dodging lawless drug traffickers and corrupt cops, or spending “quality time” in a Third World prison, Norm always keeps his sense of humor and forges ahead, intent on finding the paradise he has been looking for. 

To download a free sample, click here.

In Search of Captain Zero.

In 1996, Allan Weisbecker sold his home and his possessions, loaded his dog and surfboards into his truck, and set off in search of his long-time surfing companion, Patrick, who had vanished into the depths of Central America. In this rollicking memoir of his quest from Mexico to Costa Rica to unravel the circumstances of Patrick's disappearance, Weisbecker intimately describes the people he befriended, the bandits he evaded, the waves he caught and lost en route to finding his friend. 

Two Weeks in Costa Rica.

Have you ever been attacked by monkeys, hiked in one of the most biologically diverse places on earth, or had your wallet stolen, then given back? Matthew Houde and Jennifer Turnbull share these adventures and more in the book, Two Weeks in Costa Rica.

Unraveling the Mysteries of Moving to Costa Rica.

Ever wonder what it would be like to leave the U.S. and move to the tropics? This book deftly blends the personal story of the author (who, along with her husband and parents, moved from Maine to Costa Rica) with incredibly helpful practical advice. A wonderfully readable resource for anyone considering moving to Costa Rica. First in the Mainers in Costa Rica series.

Paradise Imperfect.

Margot and Anthony were ordinary parents. With two jobs and three kids, there was soccer and carpool and too much to do, and a little chronic stress about money. Then one night, following a day that was a regular amount of hectic, Margot had an idea: “I think we should move to Costa Rica.” Seven weeks later, there they were, jobless on top of a mountain, hours from the nearest paved road. This witty, insightful memoir of a family's struggle to right itself in a leafy new world is about parenting and privilege, loneliness and connection. It’s about what happens when a stressed-out technology professional escapes with her loved ones to an idyllic mountaintop...and finds that even when everything changes, some things remain the same.

Hope, Happiness and Pura Vida.

Heart Attack = One Week Vacation = A Story of Adventure = Life Lessons = Is Your Life in Need of a Makeover? Go along on an adventure as Debbie Knight shares a seven year journey that she and her husband, Chuck, followed in pursuit of the “pure" life in Costa Rica. You will learn about the magic of Pura Vida in one of the happiest places on earth and learn sometimes why it can also be a rather frustrating experience. You will question if your life is on the right track or if it too is in need of a makeover.

Brazilian author, Paulo Coelho is one of the most iconic writers of our time, his books exuding an almost mythical presence.  His most famous, The Alchemist, has been translated into 80 languages and his books have sold 150 million copies worldwide.

I recently read his book, Manual of the Warrior of Light, and found myself underlining, circling, and ear-marking pages like mad when I read a great passage, until virtually the whole book is beat up.  Of course I suggest reading his work, but some of these quotes are way too good not to share!

I amend some quotes only slightly just so they can stand alone in this different context. 

1. 
“A prolonged war finally destroys the victors, too.”

2.
“Repeated experiences have but one aim: to teach you what you do not want to learn.”

3.
“All the rage and courage of a little bird are nothing to a cat.”

4.
“Intuition is God’s alphabet.”

5.
“Use fear as an engine, not a brake.”

6.
“You do not drown simply by plunging into water, you only drown if you stay beneath the surface.”

7.
“The hidden enemy within us is someone we can no longer hurt.”

8.
“God uses solitude to teach us how to live with other people.  He uses rage to show us the infinite value of peace.  He uses boredom to underline the importance of adventure and spontaneity.   

God uses silence to teach us to use words responsibly.  He uses illness to underline the blessing of good health.  He uses death to show us the importance of life.”

9.
“Those who look on other people’s misery with indifference are the most miserable of all.”

10.
“You are not who you seem to be in these moments of sadness.  You are better than that…You are sad - that proves your soul is still alive.”

11.
“Problems seem very simple once they have been resolved.”

12.
“The most important words in any languages are the small words:
Yes. Love. God.

They are words that are easy enough to say and which fill vast empty spaces.”

***

Amazing, huh?  I recommend you give our buddy Paulo a read.  And let me know if you find any more great books or quotes by him!  

-Norm  :-)

Writing and publishing a book can be overwhelming enough, but when you're done and feel like sitting back and relaxing, it dawns on you that someone has to market the damn thing - and that unlucky someone is you!  

But with the proper know-how, some focused time, and a lot of hard work you can set up a solid marketing campaign and sell a bazillion copies. The good news is that it doesn't have to cost you much, or anything at all.

When I wrote my first two books I was broke even by starving artist standards, living with the locals in the Third World countries of Costa Rica and Nicaragua with no possessions. But I had time, and a lot of hustle, so I compiled this list of free marketing tools:  

1. Build a website – I prefer one with an integrated blog, analytics, etc. like Weebly.  They have a free membership, or an inexpensive upgrade to a pro account.  To see an example, click here.  Cost: $0

2. Set up a PayPal account – Set up an account so you’ll be able to sell books right off of your website, from your blog, or even by sending an email link.  Cost: $0

3. Mailing labels – These will come in handy if you are sending out books yourself.  There are organizations who will do a sample roll, as will Vista Print.  Cost: $0

4. Order business cards – Vista Print will give you 250 one-sided, full color cards for free if you don’t mind their logo on the back.  Cost: $0

5. Offer to speak – Organizations like your local Rotary, Kiwanis Club, and Chamber of Commerce are always looking for speakers.  Talk about the topic of your book, without blatantly trying to sell books.  Cost: $0 (and you might even get a free lunch out of it!)

6. Contact your public library – Most libraries will provide a forum for authors to do readings and book events for free, and often do a good job of promoting it.  They may even highlight your book if you are a local author.  Cost: $0

7. Make a video trailer – A fast paced, fun video with great music will engage people and promote your book 100x better than simple text.  I use iMovie, and my existing songs from iTunes, my photos, and voiceovers.  There are even ways to download existing videos from YouTube and edit out parts and use them in your video (with permission, of course).  Cost: $0  (Check out the videos for my first book, and the second)

8. Shoot author videos – I love shooting short videos talking about my book, the topic, or even reading.  A cool technique is to shoot a video of you (the author) saying thank you for buying the book, which you can host on YouTube, and then every time someone buys one you can post it on their Facebook or email them the link.  Cost:  $0  You can see my thank you video here.

9. Sign up for Pinterest – If you are looking for a demographic of 80% women who are educated people and make over $100,000 in the household, Pinterest is for you!  You’ll need some really clever images or infographics to use, but we’ll talk about those later.  Cost:  $0

10. Sign up for Instagram – This is another great photo site to spread awareness and create interest for your book.  Cost:  $0

11. Get a Twitter account – Twitter is the number one way to expand your reach much further than your local community and friends, and if you have some good information and value to offer, not just try to sell, the results can be explosive!  (read a fun case study of a blog I wrote that went viral on Twitter and got me 13,000 website hits within 48 hours)  Cost:  $0

12. Sign up for a Facebook Page – You’ll want a fan page for you as an author, and also one for the book.  Cost:  $0

13. Write a bio for the book – This will be used for the back of the book (usually 300-400 words), but also to post on all of these sites.  Also write a much shorter bio for introductions by media or on places like Twitter that only allow 140 words.  Mine is: South of Normal is a gonzo blast of laughter and adventure about a year living in the tropical paradise of Tamarindo, Costa Rica.  Cost: $0

14. Write an author bio – Same thing as the book, you’ll want to write a longer, and then short bio of you as a writer.  Make it fun, fresh, energetic, and use the active, third-person voice.  Cost:  $0

15. Set up your Amazon page, Goodreads page, and Barnes & Noble page – Now that you have a description of the book, a bio about the you, videos, and pictures, you can build author and book pages on these book distribution sites.  Cost:  $0 

16. Get a Wikipedia page – One of the coolest things is to have your own Wikipedia page!  You can’t write one for yourself, and there are specific rules for how to submit information, but it makes you feel like you’ve official arrived!  (for that reason I’ve yet to set mine up!)  Cost: $0

17. Write a press release – You’ll want a clean, tight, professional press release to send out to media.  I recommend drafting one that highlights the local angle for your hometown and home state, and a national release that is more topic-driven.  You’ll want to get this right, so do some research.  Cost:  $0

18. Cover image – You can take an amazing photo yourself and use it as your cover image (as long as it’s high enough resolution) or go to the stock image sites and buy one for cheap.  There are plenty of programs that will add your title and text in a variety of fonts, or you can post this job for a low cost on eLance.  Cost: $0 (though this is one I spend money to have professionally created)

19. Infographics – Social media sites are flooded with fun infographics, which have both an image and are stamped with your book title and website.  You can build these yourself with your images or graphics and then adding text.  I set mine up in PowerPoint and then save them as Jpegs.  Cost:  $0

20. Reader photos – Here’s nothing more fun than seeing a cool photo of a reader holding your book!  It’s a great marketing tool, too, because you can share it on every social media site, and other people will wonder what it’s about (and what they are missing).  I started a tradition with readers taking wild, creative, and fun photos of them holding the book.  It was a blast!  You can check out a small number of them on the slideshow here.  Cost: $0

21. Banners for Twitter, Facebook, etc. – Several sites have cover images that lay out horizontal, so it’s worth having an image of the book cover set up like a banner.  The individual sites will tell you the perfect size, and then you can manipulate to those specifications in your photo program.  Cost: $0

22. Email signature – Build an email signature with a signature, your contact info, a clickable link to your website, and a cool photo of you or the book cover.  Cost:  $0

23. Custom email – Set up a custom email address for you as an author or the book, so you won’t have to use a .hotmail or .yahoo or .gmail address (nothing looks less professional).  When you register your domain or sign up for hosting they offer a few email accounts for free. (For instance, mine is [email protected] but I also use a [email protected] for professional interaction)  Cost: $0

24. Blog through your website – You’ll want to write a blog often (though it doesn’t have to be daily) to fill the search engines with valuable information about the topic of your book, tips and guides, and content from the book. This will get your name higher in the search engines and establish yourself as an expert, drive people to your site, and ultimately allow you to collecting email addresses of people who want to read your book.  Note – always allow for comments on your book and end with a question, welcoming feedback to engage your readers.  Cost:  $0

25. Send a weekly email letter – Once you have an email list of loyal followers, reach out to them via email with announcements, cool blog posts, giveaways, samples of the book, etc. to reward them.  I use MailChimp, which is free if your list is under 2,000 people.  Cost:  $0   

26. Free book giveaways and raffles – Host free giveaways and raffles for copies of your eBook or a coupon to a local business (and team up with the business so it doesn’t cost you anything).  Set them up on your blog and share them on Twitter and Facebook, which will help you capture more emails and build excitement.  Also I like offering a free download (like of the first three chapters) on your site.  Don’t require an email address for that – it’s like a free advertisement, and if people like it they will email you and want to buy the rest of the book.  Cost:  $0 

27. Join discussion groups and comment on other blogs– Instead of always focusing on bringing your target market to YOU, go to where THEY hang out – blogs, forums, and chatrooms about the topics.  Engage them on “neutral turf” with genuine discussion and value, building relationships, without overtly selling your book.  It will pay off in the long run once you earn their trust.  Cost:  $0

28. Ask people to test-read – There’s no better way to get people involved and interested in your project than to ask them to test read it ahead of time and offer their feedback.  I would recommend only giving 2-3 chapters to each person.  They’ll be allies in the project and help you market.  Cost: $0

29. Collect all feedback – Whenever someone says something good about your book, or about you as a writer, save it.  I like to take a screenshot and highlight and save their comments.  Save them all and you’ll be surprised how quickly they’ll add up to dozens of testimonials, encouragement, and a fun marketing tool.  Cost:  $0  

30. Reach out to your schools – Call or email every single school you’ve ever attended, from pre K all the way through college.  Share with them that you’ve written a book and offer to send them a free advanced copy for review, (but that you only have a PDF or eBook).  They may write you up in the school newsletter, involve you in alumni events, or even have you in to speak!  Cost:  $0

31. Mobile payment processor – You’ll want a way to take payments other than cash in person, so a processor like Square can be plugged into your iPhone.  It costs $10 BUT they will credit you back $10 once you sign up with their service because they charge a small fee on each transaction.  Cost:  $0

32. Presell your books – there’s nothing wrong with offering your book for sale a couple of months ahead of time on your website.  You can offer them something of value if they order pre-sale, like signing their book, include a free ebook, emailing them a bonus chapter, etc. This will help pay off some of the publishing or marketing costs.  Cost: $0

33. Book release party – This is the fun part!  Contact a local bar or restaurant and ask if it would be okay if you brought in 50 or 100 new clients on some night.  Ask for drink specials and even free appetizers for your party guests.  Set up a Facebook event page and invite everyone and spread the word.  Contact the local media to cover it, and post the link to the event on all of those blogs and groups you’ve been chatting in.  Have a sign-in book to collect emails and sell books right on the spot.  This is your time to shine!  (And once it's done shoot a little video thanking everyone, mixing in music and photos of them at the event, and email it to them and post it on their walls)  Cost:  $0  

To see the video of the book release party for my first book, click here.
DOES THAT HELP? EMAIL ME TO RECEIVE MY FIVE TOP TIPS FOR BLOGGING TO SELL MORE BOOKS:  [email protected]

Envy McKee, media personality, celebrity of consciousness, and spiritual diva, has burst on the literary scene like a supernova with her new book, Among Us.  The good news is that this is just the first book in the Stellar Trilogy.  The bad news is we have to wait for the next two, because if the vibrant and fascinating world that McKee penned is any indication, we're in for a rocket ride through her universe, and the psyche of her main characters.  In an age when sci-fi books can tend to be stale or somewhat formulaic, I was ecstatic to dig into her prose and find a new world, a new story, and possibly even a new GENRE that she created with the warmth of your grandmother's front porch in July, not the cold and sometimes impersonal books we're used to.  So how did she come up with this world?  What was her inspiration?  What was her creative process like?  I had so many questions after putting Among Us down that I had to interview Ms. McKee and ask these ten questions:

1. Do you consider your story Scifi?  Have you always liked that genre?

I think The Stellar Trilogy is "other". For the sake of publishing, I had to call it something, so I called it Contemporary Fantasy Fiction. Believe, it was a process of deliberating just to put it in that narrow box, but it fits the best-- until "other" is actually an option.  While I've always been a huge fan of Sci-Fi and fantasy, I can't really call The Stellar Trilogy Sci-Fi because traditionally there's supposed to be science involved. There's some Quantum Physics and Science of Mind intermingled in the story, so sure, I could get away with calling it Sci-Fi and yet... The Stellar Trilogy is so much more than any box I could try to stuff it in. There is no box!!! 

2. How much of yourself and your own life do you see in the main character, or other characters and experiences?

Because Kai's story is about self-discovery and being "other"--there's that word again-- I see a lot of myself through Kai's lens and her experiences. I know what it's like to be deemed "grey matter". Not quite one thing or another, just kind of a fringe existence. What's been so cool is how so many people who've read the book see themselves in Kai too and relate to her experiences. I'm talking women AND men. I suppose it was instinct when I started off the "Dear Reader" commentary with "Kai is you." I think the essence of Kai is in us all. Kai means love by the way. To answer your question, there's a lot of me in Kai, but there's a lot of other people in her too. The other characters, to be honest, they aren't based on any people I know. They created themselves as supporting presence for Kai's journey. 

3. What is your creative process?  How do you come up with ideas?  When/where do you write?

Honestly, my creative process is really just S.M.A.D. (Sit My Ass Down). My brain is like a sieve. Once I sit down in front of my computer, the pictures in my head start and my job is simply to explain what I'm seeing. Then the characters start talking and I treat the experience like improv acting. In improv, every person in a scene has to commit to "yes". So that means if somebody does or says some crazy ish, everybody in that scene has to stay in character and go with it until the end of the scene. That is the literal process that happens in my head. I don't have an end game. I don't write notes or have outlines. My job as the vessel of the work is to take the ride, wherever it's going. It's never a dull moment because I never know where it's going. I knew how the story ended when it was over. Just like the reader.

I suppose my ideas come from that process, but it's been about self discovery for me as well. This is my first book. I can't say I have a formula yet. I keep a journal. I can say the idea for The Stellar Trilogy came about from a few pages of ideas I wrote in one of my journals.

I mentioned my brain is a sieve right? I write all the time. I'm always writing something, but not always what I sat down to write. I can say I work best either at a million o'clock at night on the deck with my laptop when my daughter is asleep or at my "creation studio"-- either way it's all about having no one around to judge me whilst I'm talking to all the people populating my head. LOL.

4. How is writing a book different (or the same) from the other media work you do?

Writing The Stellar Trilogy is not that much different than what I do in other forms of media in that it's a viable and tangible creative outlet for me. Everything I have done and do currently in media is about reframing the conversations we have with ourselves. The Stellar Trilogy fits this core value of mine perfectly. It's different in that it's undiluted. Media always has to be boiled down to fit an allotted time frame which has to amount to clips, snippets, trailers and blurbs. A book is its own thing and is timeless if it must be. People can take their time and savor it. They can put it down and come back to it later. However long "later" happens to be. It took me 3 years to read The Celestine Prophesy. I would buy it and give it away, then buy it and give it away. Once I saw the movie, I was hooked. I had to read every book in the series and did so in one weekend. The Celestine Prophesy changed everything for me particularly about how creative ideas and stories can unwittingly become lessons for humanity that also changes lives. A story can be fun and funny and also esoteric and complicated. It can be exciting and riveting and also compel important questions and conversations. So with that said, I think adding fiction to my current media repertoire is the perfect compliment to my career as a whole. A) Because it's in me to do. and B) Because people embrace ideas in all different ways right? Books live in their own time continuum. 

5. How long did it take to write this book?

I wrote the first draft in a month or two. It took 7 years to rewrite, revise, revision, reshape and uplevel the story to what it is now. What I mean by 7 years is 2 or 3 years tucked away and then I'd pull it out and add or delete something. Then pull it out again 2 or 3 years later and add or delete something. The Stellar Trilogy has had too many drafts to count. I didn't have the missing pieces to the story's puzzle until around May (of 2013). That's why it took 7 years to publish.

6. Tell me about the language, customs, and culture of these characters.

Kai is a Sialovehal (A Seed) from TuStai. Her people are called The Stai (Star People) and speak Tuahstai (Tongue of Stars). Kai thinks she's human, of course, having been raised by her surrogate humans on Earth--which is an interesting dynamic. The Stai people are highly evolved beings who live in higher realms. Their role in the story ( from what we know) is to initiate a working and self sustaining evolutionary process for humans called The Entwine of Mirth (The Joining of Joy)--to help expedite humans to their fullest potential so they don't destroy themselves and Earth. The Stai sent missionaries to help initiate The Entwine. It's a painfully long process and isn't something The Stai take lightly. Something went horribly wrong however. Kai's father was one of the missionaries originally sent to Earth, but he went bat sh*t crazy and it's Kai's job to return him home or The Entwine will never be balanced, Kai's mom can't return home AND the Earth will be destroyed. We don't learn a lot about The Stai in Book 1, but we do get the impression they are mighty important in the scheme of things in the big, big, mighty big universe. 

I think the development of Tuahstai for Book 1 grounds the story in the "otherness" that lurks in every scene.  It's a phonetic language like Polynesian languages. Every syllable is pronounced.   Tuahstai is spoken in pockets throughout the book in an effort to help Kai remember her mission--which is to return her father home. It's way more complicated than that, of course, based on who her dad turns out to be. I have a feeling Kai learns a lot more about The Stai and her home planet/higher realms in Book 2, but I can't be sure yet. I won't know until I finish writing it!

7. How did you come up with the star image?  What does it represent?

Like most things in this book, I didn't come up with it, it found me. From what I understand, The 5 point star is a piece of a larger whole of the symbol that represents The Stai. There's also a circle in that mix and another symbol, yet undisclosed. The star is the most prevalent in Book 1, so we'll stick with that. My theory--and this is just a theory at this point-- is that it has something to do with Sacred Geometry. A 5 point star gives off the same vibe as Leonard Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man. Perfect proportions? Balance? The head is always aligned with higher realms than the body? I don't have that answer yet. I'll let you know when I find out! I do know that all of the original Star People wear their stars in the middle of their forehead as their birthright. It does serve a purpose, but you have to read the book to find out what that is. 

8. How much of the story/themes/experiences are grounded in our real world, and written as conscious metaphors?  What lessons can our world learn from that world?  

Book 1 of The Stellar Trilogy is truly a set up for what's unfolding in Book 2. Book 1 is called Among Us, so for Kai it's about self discovery and walking through the veil of her perceived reality. Which is something we're all called to do at some point in our lives. Book 2 is called Awake. So.

The story is contemporary in that it takes slices of "real life" and folds it into the mix of a more metaphysical idea of the themes and things we've all read about or heard of at some point in our lives. But nothing is what it seems. Nothing is as we think it's supposed to be. I do think there are conscious metaphors steeped into the storyline too. But esoteric concepts are a personal discovery piece. It's going to resonate differently for everybody. Which I think is the coolest part of how the story unfolds. 

The world that happens to be Kai's life is not so different from the world we live in now. It feels like a quirky dream for some and a blatant nightmare for others. I think The Stellar Trilogy tests the boundaries of what we believe reality to be and how we may or may not shape the lives we live. How much power do we really have in shaping our world? Is my life experience nature or nurture? What if what I think the world is--is utterly false? Then what? In order to stay the same, you have to deny reality.  But then you have to ask, well... what is reality? That's Kai conundrum throughout the book. I guess the funny part is, as deep as it sounds, it's really not that deep. It's as simple as asking: Am I the master of my reality or is my reality the master of me? Whatever way you answer, you'll be right. That's no metaphor, that's an everyday conundrum we all face. It's Kindof cool to see Kai's process as she faces all the crazy crap she experiences throughout the story.

9.  Where can readers get the book and how can they best help you spread the word?  

Right now The Stellar Trilogy is available on Amazon via paperback and Kindle. Kindle of course, has a free app for all smart phones and tablets. In a few weeks The Stellar Trilogy will be available at every major online retailer and for every e-book reader.

How can you spread the word?! Social Media!!! My Instagram is @EnvyousLife. When you get the book, share your pic with me on Instagram! Share where you are as you're reading it. At the beach? Bus? Train? In bed with your pet mouse? In the backseat of the longest road trip ever? Use the hash tag #TheStellarTrilogy. I always repost, retweet and fave. I'm also selecting random peeps who post their #TheStellarTrilogy pics this summer to receive really cool gifts bags via some really, really, really cool brands. I haven't announced yet, but those details are coming soon. Share for the love, but also know, sharing is a win/win.

Also, if you've read the book and love it, share a review on amazon.com. I've had about a zillion FB, twitter, text and phone conversation reviews so far about how much folk love The Stellar Trilogy! The feedback has been humbling and amazing! For example, this woman inboxed me on FB to say she believes The Stellar Trilogy is the Celestine Prophecy for our generation. How awesome of an amazon review would that have been right? So if you love it, tell other readers why so they can jump in, read it and love it too! Social media and word of mouth is running this party, and for that I am humbled beyond words. Thank you abundantly!

10.  What’s next????  

I'm presently working on The Stellar Trilogy: Book 2, Awake. Everyone who has read Book 1 has said out loud that it's designed to be a movie, so... I'm actively circulating Book 1 around to film production houses to manifest The Stellar Trilogy Movie 1 (of 3) into production sooner, rather than later. Why not, right? Also, my home base is envymckee.com, so all the news you can use is allllll there!

***
I highly recommend Among Us to book lovers who want to delve into a dynamic, entertaining, and intellectually-challenging read.  Feel free to stay in touch with Envy on Twitter @QueenEnvy.  

Please don’t buy my book.  I’m serious.  In fact, please don’t purchase either of the books I’ve written, or tell your friends to purchase them.  But I’m not telling you NOT to spend your money, just don’t spend it on me.  Instead, I have a humble recommendation for what you can do with that same $20, the amount you spend on Starbucks every week, which can completely change someone’s life for the better.

Rather than buy my book, I’m encouraging you to do something different with that $20 – fund a microloan to an impoverished person.  I know, I know, you gave at the office, you donate to charity at your church, or you’re overwhelmed with infomercials soliciting donations for people in far away places but this is NOT a donation.  

Listen closely, because what I’m about to share is considered one of the most effective ways to bring people out of desperate poverty all over the world, giving them and their children a fighting chance for a decent life.  

A microloan is exactly that, a small loan, not a donation, that you grant to an individual.  The money is used to fund commercial ventures with the potential of propelling the recipient out of the cycle of poverty they're mired in.  Sometimes they buy a goat, which produces milk that they can sell, or chickens for eggs, or buy seeds and fertilizer to plant a harvest to prosper in the future.  Others use the loan to purchase wholesale goods that can be resold for profit, fund craftsmanship like hand-sewn baskets, or a sewing machine so they can take on work.  The ventures are self-conceived and self-monitored, but the recipient has to pay the money back in increments over a certain term, like 120 days. 

If they don’t pay it back they don’t get another loan, as simple as that.  However, most microloan programs, like Grameen Bank, report that repayment rates are between 95-98%.  Once the lender (you) is repaid, you can chose to work with the same recipient again, fund another person’s loan, or just pocket your original investment.

The problem with poverty in most countries is that there's no tangible lifeline to pull themselves out of it, like education, entrepreneurship, and old-fashioned hard work here in the U.S.  Instead, their desperate crawl upward is further slickened by racial, tribal, and especially gender taboos.  Basically, when women are born into poverty, they will always be poor, and their families will be poor, as will their children, and their children’s children.  The horrific gender-imbalance of poverty is well detailed in the book Half The Sky, which I highly recommend – if you can stomach it. 

But microloans, or microcredit, as it’s sometimes called, can give them a fighting chance to grasp otherwise-impossible financial momentum.  Originally traced to several organizations to help the poor in Bangladesh in the 1980’s, Muhammed Yunus is considered the father of the movement, as documented in his book Banker to the Poor, and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his work.  As of 2009, an estimated 74 million men and women held microloans that totaled US$38 billion, all over the world.  

The majority of applicants are female, and it’s been proven that allotting money to women, who are better with savings, investing for the future, paying their debts, and more conscious of the needs of their family, is vastly more effective than giving money to their husbands, who tend to use it on short-term consumer goods or just drink it away.    

The potential loan applicants apply through organizations like Kiva or ProMujer, where you can see their picture, read about their lives, and find out their business plan once they receive the money.  They post a certain target goal for their loan, say $500, and micro-lenders pledge money toward that goal until the amount is reached, when the money is delivered.  The repayments are carefully tracked and posted on the applicant’s profile on the website, so their credibility with repayment is of utmost concern so they won't jeopardize future loans.  

Microloans endeavor to augment what international organizations like the United Nations and billions of dollars in foreign aid attempt – to empower people to work their way out of poverty with permanent changes that end the cycle of poverty.  By making a microloan you are, essentially, not giving them a fish, but teaching them how to fish and supplying them with a rod.  Of course, microloans are by no means a panacea to the world’s poverty, and critics cite high transaction costs and interest rates, problems with disseminating these programs out of urban centers to remote rural areas, and the educational foundation needed to grasp these concepts and apply, as holes in the fabric of microloans.  It’s been found that microloan programs work best alongside educational initiatives, women’s discussion groups, and support networks that hold each other accountable to timely repayments.  This community enforcement model goes a long way to patching those holes.  

Whenever pledging money or donating to charity, it’s best to thoroughly research the organizations, and the rating system at CharityNavigator is a great place to start.  Different microlending organizations focus on different issues or areas of the world, like Vittana, which funds education, not commerce.  Feel free to email me for more information or recommendations.

So please don’t buy my book, or skip your daily Starbucks this this week, and instead pledge that money to funding a microloan.  That $20 can kick start a venture for one of your brothers or sisters in the world, allowing them to feed their families, keep a roof over their heads, access medical care, educate their daughters, and bring their children’s children out of poverty. 

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.  

Norm :-)

PS If you'd like to read a few more of my thoughts about the nature of philanthropy and giving, check out this past article.  

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