Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Interview with Erica Nelson

Erica Nelson is the author of
Happiness Quotations: Gentle Reminders of Your Preciousness

Please tell me 5 things about you.


1. I’m a native Californian, born across the bay in Sausalito. I still get mesmerized by the
view of the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco from my birthplace.

2. I’ve written since I could walk, and I write like it is breathing. I believe I will be writing
until I can’t walk anymore.

3. I can talk to animals. I can telepathically hear what they say. I don’t tell most people this.

4. I wrote for newspapers, my parents published newspapers, my grandfather owned a
printing press, and ink runs through my veins (just kidding).

5. I would secretly like to write a hit country song,

What are 3 unique aspects about Happiness Quotations?

1. Every quotation is inspired differently. People ask “what inspires you” and every day,
inspiration strikes me from a surprise angle. I’m just never sure where they will come
from. I might look at a stunning photograph, or see the laughter in my daughter’s eye, or
see murder in my son’s face when he loses a hockey game.

2. I genuinely learn from each quotation, each one teaches me something I need to know.

3. The cover of a “gift” concept showed up in my mind when I was riding my horse on a
cold winter morning. I just saw it “GIFT” and with my first book “Prospect When You
Are Happy,” my publisher came up with the cover concept but this time, it showed up for
me on a ride.

Name 5 things you wished you knew about publishing?

1. I wish I knew that marketing your book was so intensive, of course, then I might never
have written either of my books because I write better than I market.

2. I wish I knew how to get my book into everyone’s hands who could love my book.

3. I wish I knew how I could magically appear in bookstore signings all over the country
without leaving my children for even one night at home without me.

4. I wish I would be discovered by a publishing house that does all the marketing and lets
me go be in a cave to write and write and write.

5. How a bestseller is born.

Name 3 things on your bucket list.

1. Spend a week at an all inclusive resort where the kids are playing with a nice babysitter while I have no responsibilities at all for at least a week. Ten days would be better.

2. Oprah loves my book and tells the world how beautiful and inspiring it is.

3. We own 40 acres (or more) where we can getaway and play.

Name 3 things that help you gain inspiration for writing.

1. In the very quiet of the morning, before anyone is awake, I can listen to the universe and words flow.

2. I am inspired everywhere I go. I am inspired when I am riding my horse miles above the city where I live, looking out on the entire San Francisco Bay Area. I get quotations in
my head all the time when I ride then I just have to remember them when I climb down
from my horse.

3. I can also be inspired stuck in traffic or when I’m coaching a particularly challenging
client on getting into her happiness.

What is the funniest thing that has happened to you as an author?

I remember walking into a court house in a tiny town in Northern California when I was writing for the Sacramento Bee. I walked in and these two old men were sitting on a bench. They said to each other “Did you hear the Bee was coming today?” I looked over and I said “Really? The Bee?” and they had no idea The Bee reporter was a 20-something woman, me.

If you were stranded on an island and could magically name 2 people, 3 things and 1 book you could have to have with you who/what would they be?

Marci Shimoff (author of Love for No Reason), author Mark Victor Hansen, a lot of watermelons, a player so I could be listening to music, a basketball hoop setup (sorry if that makes it 4) and a journal. I could talk with cool people, play basketball, listen to music and eat watermelon. I’d catch up with my husband later.

Do you have another title in the works?

The second Happiness Quotations is mostly still in my brain and not on paper yet. It wants to be born and when I breathe from the book launch of the first Happiness Quotations, the second will be born.

I am in creation on a 70 days to happiness course that started as 21 days, jumped to 60 days, and now it’s 70 days -- 10 weeks of daily practices to change to experiencing a glass half full (not empty) and optimism about your life.

What is your favorite season?

September, because I live in California and the seasons are all kind of similar. We can have cool summers at 75 and warm winters at 75. When I lived in Santa Barbara CA it was 72 every day mostly! So, I love September. It’s my birthday, the kids go back to school, it’s just a perfect month.

Your dream vacation would be?

I’m vacation deprived. I have four dream vacations. A few weeks at Whistler snow skiing; a week at an all inclusive resort that provides babysitting (I’ve found one in Florida where there is ocean, sun, waves, sand, and babysitting. Did I say babysitting?). Camping in no where land completely unplugged for four days. And taking the kids to discover Kauai, we went when they were tiny and I would love to take them back.

Best childhood memory?

Summer in Mendocino with art classes on the beach. We spent every summer in Mendocino California, walking in this quaint town, drawing, building sand castles, and I got to bring my cat with us.

If you were given the chance to re-live any one moment, what would it be?

When Jack Canfield endorsed Happiness Quotations. That was a moment, indeed, when I
understood why writing from my heart was better than selling real estate well or doing anything else well. Since I can’t seem to answer one with one, I will also re-live the moment my adopted daughter Isabel was placed in my arms, weighing in at 7 pounds, 4 ounces, and started to nurse.

What are you most looking forward to this summer?

I need to work on that. Summer is 10 weeks with three kids home from school with plans and things for them to do and we are short on plans and things for them to do. If I say August 20 ish when they go back to school does that make me rotten as a Happiness coach?

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Keep getting inspired. Draw inspiration, and get into the highest possible state of inspiration and connection to source energy before you write. Write every day at the same time. I write between 5 and 7 a.m. every single day except Sundays. And, keep figuring “who would love my writing” and find those that love my writing. Allow them to find you, don’t be afraid to google keywords that your readers will google. So, be inspired (centuries old) and use google (centuries new) and of course, stay with it. Your success may show up sneakily years after you start, or minutes. You won’t know if you don’t start.
------------
To purchase Happiness Quotations: Gentle Reminders of Your Preciousness on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Happiness-Quotations-Gentle-Reminders-Preciousness/dp/1936214393/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1303217896&sr=1-1

To connect with Erica Nelson click the following: http://www.happinessquotations.com/ or
http://www.ericanelson.com/.



About the Book

Each of more than 125 passages delves deeper into one happiness quotation, each originally created so you can make leaps into your brightest and most amazing future. Learn how to deal with unhappy people, learn why you were born and get in touch with your purpose, let go of pain you may have been carrying around. It is time for you to step into your own happiness, right from where you are today. Step into your most bright and beautiful beingness! Most people don’t own their Happiness Quotations copy very long. As soon as someone comes over who needs a helping hand, they give it away and have to order a new copy. It was meant for that.

Here is a passage just for you:

Happiness Quotations # 24

Transformation Beckons

Transformation beckons on sweet wings. Allow it in and go for a ride. Allow yourself into happiness, into safety. Smile into a stranger’s eyes. Allow transformation, one person at a time.

You are drawn to the light. You are drawn to becoming your most precious self. Allow this.

As you consider choices, as each day brings choices and opportunities to you, choose the opportunities that bring joy. Choose this with complete certainty. As you allow life force to fill you with power, you will fly high on wings of love. This is why you were born – to transform.

Thank you Erica!

1 comment:

  1. Erica, soooo true about "success finding you sneakily years after you start"--that's how I became an "author." And great advice for new writers!

    http://sandrasbookclub.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for leaving a comment! I appreciate any comments or feedback! It is great to interact with other book lovers! If you read a book after seeing my review I would love to read your review! Come back and leave me a link ( : Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!