Author of The Layman’s Guide to Managing Fear
By: Trisha Bleau Smith
T4J: Having now had the opportunity to read through your book and write a review of it for the website I have now gotten a sense of your writing style and your heart. Where did the idea for this book come from? Do you have plans for more books like A Layman’s Guide to Managing Fear or was this a one time writing?
SP: I deal with fear and anxiety on a personal level. A lot of the anxiety books I read were all right, but they were too long to read and mentioned only some of the techniques that were useful in managing fear. My book is more complete in that it covers the psychological techniques and using the help of God to manage fear and anxiety. My book presents a general overview of all the ways to manage fear. The book focuses on results oriented techniques and strategies that a person can use to manage every day fears and presents this material in a clear and easy-to-read format. I do not have any plans to write another book, but if I do, it would be something similar to this book.
T4J: How much research goes in to preparing for a book like this? How long did it take you to write this book, start to finish (including editing and revising time)?
SP: I started my research in the beginning of the 1990’s. I read a lot of anxiety books and talked to many professionals in the psychology and religious fields. I would keep a notebook of all of my information I collected and I would use this information to help manage my anxiety and fears. I would say near the end of the nineties I had enough information to realize that my notes on managing fear could help a lot of other people. It took about a year to find a publisher and about two years to write my book on how to manage fear and anxiety.
T4J: Have you received any feedback yet on the book?
SP: Yes. Overall, I had a very good response to my book. The people who read my book say that the book has a lot of information on how to manage fear and anxiety and it is very easy to read. My book also has an international audience and my first book review came from London. A portion of the book review is on my book’s website. My book has helped many people throughout the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
T4J: What is the one message you want people to get from reading your book? What is the overall purpose for providing this handbook on fear?
SP: The one message I want people to get across from reading my book is that no matter how difficult it is to manage fear and anxiety, the answers are out there. From my experiences, those answers were difficult to find and that is why I wrote this book. My book contains a wealth of information and insight in managing fear and anxiety and the purpose of my book is to give people the resources to be able to manage their fear on a consistent and regular basis.
T4J: I noticed the strong influence of psychology in this book. Are you trained in counseling or psychology in any way? Or did you simply get information from those who ARE trained professionals?
SP: I am a layman and I am not a professional. I got my research from reading many books and talking to a lot of psychologists and clergyman. I also used the information on a personal level to really get the insight of what worked and what didn’t work in managing fear and anxiety. The results of my research and experiences are in this easy to read book.
T4J: What training do you have in writing? Did you take any writing courses in college to obtain the skills you have currently?
SP: I attended Penn State University. I took some writing classes, and I wrote countless number of term papers and reports while I attended Penn State. I also have an Earth Science degree which gave me the skills to analyze problems and find the answers to difficult problems. I used these skill sets to find all the ways to manage fear and anxiety and to be able to write this information in this very insightful and helpful book.
T4J: Who influenced you to write this book?
SP: When I was considering publishing my book I would go to the bookstores and look around. I realized that there were many famous people and celebrities who wrote various self help books and they were not professionals. I figured if “They” can published a self help book there is no reason why I couldn’t especially when I had a book idea that could help a lot of people.
T4J: What advice would you give to someone who wants to get a book published?
SP: If a person wants to get a book published, it will take a lot of persistence, patience, and a willingness to learn. When I was trying to get my book published, I tried to find a need for my book in the market and I explained this in my query letters. I did tons of research in finding every possible publisher out there that could publish my book and I followed every lead. I also tried to focus on the smaller publishing companies and I went to the different writer groups on the Internet and asked a lot of questions on how I could get my book published.
Be the first to comment