Blog Archives
You Can Have a Fulfilling Next Chapter
Learning to Dance in the Rain II shares your personal story of loss and grief and provides insightful advice on recovery and dating. Why was this an important book for you to write?
I felt like it was my mission to share my story so others could learn from my advice and experiences and avoid my mistakes.
What is one piece of advice you received that has helped you the most throughout your life?
To not waste time thinking about what you should have done differently that might have prolonged your partner’s life.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
I had several objectives for writing this book. 1) to share vital information so others can recognize when they are being “tricked” by criminals who paint a beautiful romantic future, only to steal their victims’ money. 2) to help widows and widowers have a “healthy” grieving journey, that it is okay to cry and to feel bad about their loss, and that it is also okay at some point to move forward and to build a happy, new life with a new partner if that is what they want to do. 3) to give some relationship tips to help others communicate better.
What do you hope is one thing you hope readers take away from your book?
That they can now make better decisions in their relationships so they can have a fulfilling next chapter.
Author Links: Twitter
Should they decide to date again, Wagner offers the pros and cons of senior dating and internet dating while exposing the techniques of deceitful romance scammers. Wagner knows! She has learned the hard way and shares her knowledge to help raise awareness and educate others so they can protect themselves physically, emotionally and financially. Learn from a master! The life (or inheritance) you save may be your own!
An Outlet For My Heartbreak
Travels and Tribulations tells your story of grief and travels, and how they have made you the person you are now. Why was this an important book for you to write?
Travels and Tribulations provided an outlet for my heartbreak after my mom passed away in May 2020. Losing my second parent wrecked me, and I felt an incredible sense of urgency to not only honor my mother but also my father, who is in several of the chapters. This book was a means for me to preserve their memory.
Working on this collection gave me a purpose too, keeping me from sinking even deeper into depression when I was laid off shortly after Mom died. It rolled me out of bed when I just wished to dawdle in my despair and let life happen to me.
Finally, I included lots of travel vignettes for a couple of reasons. I primarily wanted to show how such excursions shaped my course. But I further sought to give the audience a way to escape during a time when globetrotting wasn’t possible.
I appreciated the candid nature with which you told your story. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?
The section revolving around my mom’s death was the toughest for me. The emotions are especially raw in the stories because I composed them not long after she died. In fact, I still get a lump in my throat when I read those chapters because they transport me right back to such poignant moments. Yet I’m glad I wrote the narratives as soon as I did. Otherwise, I would’ve lost the perspective of my intense grief.
What is one piece of advice someone gave you that changed your life?
My dad said the only way to change the world was through people. He’d stress that we can stand as many walls as we want, but we make a real impact by building relationships. I’ve taken volunteer trips to various parts of the Americas over the years, and his message has been a driving force behind my journeys. A lot of the projects have been interesting, but the individuals whom I’ve gotten to know in these places truly made them memorable.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your story?
A few months ago, a reader told me that Travels and Tribulations inspired her to reconnect with her parents. That’s the reaction I hoped to evoke when I engrossed myself in this undertaking. I want my book to motivate others to not take time for granted, to do and say meaningful things before it’s too late.
Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon
Battling through his bereavement on paper proved to be cathartic. But he needed more – a writing project he could sink his grief into. So he sorted through many of the narratives he had composed over the last dozen years. Reflecting and reexamining his existence, Tyrel brainstormed what to do with the pieces which pulled at him the most. A compilation describing significant individuals, places, and moments during the past decade-plus started to take shape.
Travels and Tribulations is an emotional and chronological collection of vignettes, which commences in 2008 and concludes in 2020. While readers follow him on excursions in North, Central, and South America, they also accompany Nelson to the peaks and valleys of his personal life. Profoundly impacted by the deaths of both his parents, the author guides the audience through his anguish, depicting reminiscences and regrets as he openly tries to make sense of everything.
To Fuel Positive Change
Marathon Man tells your inspirational story running 35 marathons in 35 days to create something positive from a negative and raise money for charity. Why was this an important story for you to write?
My 1,500-km lap of Ireland charity run and 500-km length of Ireland charity swim were both inspired by the actions of others. If Eddie Izzard didn’t make ‘Eddie Iz Running’ for TV and if Sean Conway didn’t write ‘Hell and High Water’, it’s very likely that I would have conjured up or completed my charity challenges. It’s unlikely I would have raised €45,000 for charity without hearing their stories. They showed me what was possible. With that in mind, it was vital for me to try to pass on the baton of inspiration.
I appreciated the candid nature with which you told your story. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?
It’s hard writing openly about life’s struggles. I cover teenage acne, sporting failures, friends’ premature death, and my dad’s stroke. These personal experiences profoundly impacted my life. Whilst difficult to share publicly, it was essential to me to be as authentic and honest as possible in telling my story. These were the challenging moments that nudged me towards my 35-marathon charity project. It’s a warts and all account, but I made sure to balance the shade with light. Thankfully, I seem to have struck the right balance with book critics and reviewers appreciating my light-hearted Irish humour.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from your story?
I hope readers find my story entertaining and uplifting, seeing that hard times can be used to fuel positive change.
What is one piece of advice that you would give to someone who is struggling to find the motivation to change their life?
Break the end goal down into manageable pieces. There’s always take a tiny step today. Training to run 35 marathons in 35 days wasn’t about doing one 500-mile training run. That would be an impossible starting point doomed to fail. I trained 5 miles one day, 3 miles the next, 10 miles the next, and lifted some weights the next day and so on. Within months, I was a comfortable marathon runner. Then I became an ultramarathon runner. The exact process applies to writing a book, starting a business or anything. Consistent small steps will get you to the mountain’s peak.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Website
Relentless: Homeless Teen to Achieving the Entrepreneur Dream
Relentless by Natasha Miller is an inspiring biography that takes readers on an emotional journey. We follow the author as she tells her story of leaving an abusive home, finding the motivation to work to live on her own, raising her daughter and still managing to pursue her dreams no matter the obstacles she faced.
The author boldly shares her story with no sugar coating. She is unfiltered and honest. While I was reading her story, I felt like I was having a conversation with a lifelong friend which helped me connect with the author.
The author’s descriptions of places and people are very detailed and I was able to clearly imagine what was going on; making the impact of emotional moments even more potent. It was really sad to hear Natasha mention in the beginning of the book that she wanted to leave the shelter that she was in to go back with her mother, but her mother did not want her back. This is a life changing moment for the author. But she dug deep within herself and found the strength to build a life for herself, and I was moved by her will and determination.
Relentless is a hard book to put down because readers are left on edge, just waiting to see what could possibly happen next to Natasha. I admire the author’s courage in sharing with us the fact that she had to seek professional help and was later prescribed Zoloft. In today’s society many people feel shame from needing the extra help, but the author didn’t see it that way, and I appreciated her candor.
The most inspiring part of Miller’s story is how she was able to build her own business and is now helping other entrepreneurs. Natasha’s story is a must read for anyone looking for an emotional but ultimately uplifting story. Relentless serves as a reminder that no matter what you are going through, you are not alone, and you will make it out of the darkness.
Pages: 173 | ASIN: B09R45YD63
It Was Also A Revelation
Journey Between Two Worlds follows your mom’s life from growing up under Hitler in Germany to moving to America. Why did she feel her story was important to share?
My mother wanted us, her children, to know the circumstances of her upbringing and life in Germany, and to have an understanding of our heritage in its personal, historical, and cultural context. On a broader scale, she wanted to communicate a lived knowledge of the tyranny of authoritarianism versus the value of freedom she discovered in a democracy; those of us born into such freedom can easily take it for granted and be unaware of its fragility.
When editing your mom’s memoir, what was something you learned that you had not previously known?
At the tail end of a long editing process, which felt akin to piecing together a puzzle, I was surprised how much of my father’s diary entries were included. It felt so right having his presence and voice so prominent. It was also a revelation how instantly he took a shine to my mother. I never thought of my father in that way.
What is your favorite memory of your mom from reading her memoir?
My favorite memory is her memory of Christmas 1946. It is the title and subject of Chapter 2 and at the heart of her story, falling in love with my father. It touches me deeply and brings a tear to my eye every time I read it.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your mom’s story?
With all the hardships and difficulties she endured throughout her life she remained a beacon of positivity and possibility, with courage and humor ever at the ready.
Author Links: Website | Instagram | Facebook | GoodReads | YouTube
Karola Schuette describes in lyrical detail how her destiny is transformed forever when she meets a German-born US Army intelligence officer. Forging a life of new horizons and experiences in the United States, Karola opens our eyes to the liberties and opportunities that we may assume to be our birthright, and subtly and insightfully conveys that a democracy requires constant cultivation to sustain it.
The Reality Of My Life
A Very Long Way is an impassioned memoir detailing your life and the challenges you faced. What inspired you to write this memoir?
I wrote this memoir to ultimately convey a message of hope. The reality of my life proves that no one is beyond redemption and rock bottom is a fine and solid foundation upon which you can rebuild- provided you are willing to do the work. I think this message is important for mental health consumers and in particular those who have hit breaking point. I am a fierce advocate that some of our hardest adversities in life are our best teachers.
I appreciated the candid nature with which you told your story. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?
The parts of my book which talk about my suicidality were difficult to discuss. They brought up a lot of raw emotion.
That said, ultimately this proved to be cathartic and I’m glad I had the opportunity to put some of those issues to bed.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
That you can get out of your recovery journey what you put in.
If you commit to making huge life changes, the shifts can be enormous- but ultimately first, everyone needs to be afforded a sense of hope to make those changes.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I’m working towards a poetry collection which should be available by the end of 2022.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook
Simmering with increasing complexity, her challenges eventually culminated in Naomi’s dramatic nervous breakdown. Her rock bottom climaxed with her riding in the back of a divisional van and being locked up in a psychiatric ward. Her ongoing confusion and indirection, coupled with suppressed trauma, eventually almost costing her life. In the decade subsequent, however, she learned to embrace a comeback journey that involved personal development, advocacy and ultimately rediscovering her bold and free-spirited inner self. Far richer for the diverse lived experience, this book reinforces the fact that with hope, grit and determination, the human spirit can indeed take us A Very Long Way.
Literary Titan Book Awards April 2022
The Literary Titan Book Awards are awarded to books that have astounded and amazed us with unique writing styles, vivid worlds, complex characters, and original ideas. These books deserve extraordinary praise and we are proud to acknowledge the hard work, dedication, and imagination of these talented authors.
Gold Award Winners
The Future is a Memory, C. Ross
Silver Award Winners
Visit the Literary Titan Book Awards page to see award information.
Light Will Always Shine Through
Black, White, and Gray All Over: A Black Man’s Odyssey in Life and Law Enforcement follows your career in law enforcement giving readers the good and bad of it all. Why was this an important book for you to write?
This book was important because of the turmoil and racial strife our country is experiencing right now, primarily as a result of law enforcement interactions. I felt that it was important to talk about these issues from both sides by someone who was an expert in each issue. It was also important for me to leave a legacy for my children and their children. I know nothing about my great grandparents and little about my grandparents. Now, at least my descendants will be able to walk in my shoes, so to speak.
I appreciated the candid nature with which you told your story. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?
When I starting writing it, I thought the hardest part was going to be the part where my colleagues were murdered. But as I got deeper into the story, I realized that I had a lot of unresolved childhood issues. Writing about that, although traumatic, was as therapeutic as if I had seen a professional therapist.
What is one piece of advice someone gave you that changed your life?
Never quit. No matter how many times you fall down, get up at least one more time.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your story?
Unity. We are all the same, no matter what race, color, gender, or sexual preference. Love is the single most important thing we as humans have. Wherever there is darkness, light will always shine through. If you’re unsure which way to go, stay in the gray until the light finds you.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website | Instagram | LinkedIn
LITERARY TITAN 