Please introduce yourself and your book(s)!
My name is Tracey Howarth Tomlinson and I’m from Bolton, Manchester here in the UK. I’ve been interested in alternative therapies and meditation for many years when suffering from a severe bout of depression after the birth of my youngest son (who’s now 21 years old).
I wrote my books to help inspire other people on the spiritual path, as they are self help books and contain a wealth of exercises and information to help people find their own path. My first book is Walking into the Light: A seeker’s Guide to Spiritual Development, which is an invaluable resource for anyone who wishes to develop their spiritual growth and connect with higher guidance. It also gives an insight into my life and how the information contained in the book helped me on my spiritual journey. My second book Mighty Angels by Your Side is specifically about angels, where we get the ideas of angels from, guardian angels, archangels etc., and exercises to connect with them. It also contains inspiring angel stories and inspiring angel quotes.
What is/are the story(ies) behind your book(s)?
The books were written as a culmination of 20 years on the spiritual path and are to help as many people as possible find there own spiritual path in life. Both books are self published but through a professional publishing company who helped with the design and editing of my books. The lady that has been in charge of editing my books has worked for Penguin for may years.
What inspires/inspired your creativity?
I was inspired to get my message out to as many people as possible. I’ve always known that I had a book inside me, I just had to find the time to sit and write. Both books were published within a year of another. I discovered a real love for writing and sharing my knowledge. My books are not for everyone, but I hope that my work inspires others who share similar alternative outlooks and interests in life.
How do you deal with creative block?
Because I’m a non-fiction writer I tend not to have creative blocks, but some days I can write for hours, some days very little at all. When writing I make sure I get to bed early and write early in the morning. I also set goals and have a very structured daily/weekly plan and am very focused in what I do.
What are the biggest mistakes you can make in a book?
I’ve seen many self-published authors who don’t invest in a professional editor resulting in spelling and grammatical errors as well as literally writing down every thought in their head. Editing is key; written work needs editing and re-reading over again. You also need to let others read some of your writing for constructive feedback before publishing.
How do bad reviews and negative feedback affect you and how do you deal with them?
Even
million seller spiritual authors such as Eckhart Tolle have received
bad reviews and negative feedback. Learn from it and move on. There
will always be someone who doesn’t like what you do.
What
were the best, worst and most surprising things you encountered
during the entire process of completing your book(s)?
The best was definitely the excitement of my books going into publication but was also the most fearful, particularly when my first book was published. The worst is the editing process but that is the most important part of writing a book. The most surprising thing was the sheer disapproval from immediate family members who don’t understand why I should waste my time writing. It’s almost as if they’re embarrassed and that I should concentrate on having a “proper” job.
Do you tend towards personal satisfaction or aim to serve your readers? Do you balance the two and how?
I do have a personal satisfaction in knowing that I have written and published two books. Primarily though, I aim to serve. When writing I always ask the question “What would my readers like to know?”. I also try to write in an easy to read style.
What are your plans for future books?
To write more books….simple!
Tell us some quirky facts about yourself
I’m an avid book sniffer. Yes really. Whenever I get a new book/publication I like to open them up and sniff. I’ve also previously trained for ten years in martial arts, so no-one dares tell me it’s wrong to sniff books……