How does the writing process work for you? Do you schedule a time every day, work madly when inspiration hits or ?

When I first started writing Magic in the Muck: Finding Grace in Chaos, I made a commitment to the book that I would spend time with it each day.   I spent a minimum of 1 hour, but often several hours, either early in the morning or late at night when there was calm and stillness in the house or wherever I happened to be.  The rest of my life is beyond busy (as those who know me will attest to) and it was important to me to commit a minimum amount of time each day (especially at the beginning of this journey) or else this would have likely ended up on the back-burner for “some day” instead of “right now, at this moment in time.”

Sometimes I just started to free-write and then themes would emerge. Other times I would be hit with inspiration and sit down to write it all out.  I learned the importance of carrying a notebook with me so I could scribble short-hand versions of ideas when they visited me at odd times of the day (or night).

I found myself yearning to spend time with the book, and I valued those still hours where I could be open to whatever wanted to come out onto the page.  It was very similar to cultivating a new relationship — wanting to spend quality time each day with this emerging book so we could know each other more intimately.

What did you find most difficult about the writing and publishing process? What was the easiest?

The most difficult thing about the writing process was dealing with my own internal critic that would come out at times and question what the heck I was doing and what did I possibly have to say that hasn’t already been said in a million different ways.  And then the realization would come that we all have our own unique way of sharing with the world, and we all have our own unique experiences on this planet that nobody else has had.  Coming through that process to the other side also contributed to the content of the book — the process of going through the muck, experiencing the muck, and finding the magic within it.

The other difficult part for me was actually coming up with the title and deciding on a cover design.  I did not have the title for the book until the entire book had already been written.

The easiest part for me was  having such a stellar community of support around me:  Karen Melin as my editor, Julie Salisbury with her huge talent and ability to guide me through this whole new world of publishing, Sharon Loeschen (President of the Virginia Satir Global Network) who graciously accepted my invitation to write the Foreword,  Greg Salisbury with his skill at typesetting and finalizing the cover design, colleagues and friends who gave feedback and were there for me when I needed to bounce ideas around, and the whole community of Influence Publishing authors who model what it means to champion one another and give support.

What title (or titles) have you released? Please include a short synopsis of what your book is (or books are) about.

Magic in the Muck is my first book. It is all about the journey of what every one of us goes through when there is change in our lives, and it looks at how we can show up to be fully present for all of it.

When my husband, Rod, was diagnosed with Stage 4 Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2007 while I was pregnant with our first child, our journey through this was one that allowed me to really slow down, to seek out and be fully present for those moments of grace that can exist in the midst of chaos. This experience – plus adventures and misadventures of parenting and lessons learned from tragedy – are written about in an exploration of finding those moments of grace that exist when there is chaos, finding the magic in the muck of it all.

This book is for anyone who wants to remove and let go of obstacles that are getting in the way of fully living. There are questions for reflection and journaling at the end of each section, so you are taken through your own process to make new decisions for your life.

I think the main invitation of this book is to connect more deeply with yourself and others and open yourself up to the bigger picture of your place in this world.

Do you have any new books in the planning or writing stage?

Now that I have published my first book, I am certainly open to writing another one when new inspiration visits me.  For now, I will stay focused on bringing Magic in the Muck: Finding Grace in Chaos to the world.

What would you like readers to know about you?

In my work as a therapist and international trainer, I am passionate about helping people on their journeys of re-connecting with the magic of who they really are.  I teach the Satir Model (Transformational Systemic Therapy) based on the work and teachings of Virginia Satir whose message of “peace within, peace between, and peace among” has always resonated with me.

I travel the world and teach both professional and personal growth programs in Canada, China and Kenya.  I love the diversity of the groups I get to work with including therapists, other helping professionals, educators, school programs, community groups, at-risk adolescents, therapeutic programs, non-profit organizations and corporate groups.

I am a member of the British Columbia Association for Clinical Counsellors, the International Family Therapy Association, the Virginia Satir Global Network and the Satir Institute of the Pacific.  I am also the Director of Training for the Satir Institute of the Pacific and a senior trainer and faculty for the Banmen Satir China Management Centre.

And I absolutely love spending quality time with my two amazing children and my super supportive husband.

Please share a favourite quote.

I will share the quote that I use as the epigraph in my book:

If you feel lost, disappointed, hesitant, or weak, return to yourself, to who you are, here and now and when you get there, you will discover yourself, like a lotus flower in full bloom, even in a muddy pond, beautiful and strong.

― Masaru Emoto, Secret Life of Water