Thursday, December 6, 2012

What’s the Next Best Thing to being tagged in the Next Big Thing?




'Tis better to tag than be tagged.  When you get tagged, the work is ahead of you...

But don't get me wrong, I couldn't be more delighted!

Here are my answers about my next book:

1)What is the working title of your next book? I have not made a final decision, but I’m thinking of, The Bullying Epidemic: eradicate this and save lives. I’d love any feedback or opinions on that.

2) Where did the idea come from for the book? I wrote a book called, The Bullying Epidemic- the guide to arm you for the fight.  It is a short handbook on the growing bullying epidemic. There is information on the various types of bullying and tips on how to recognize the signs and act on it. Additionally, there is a list of resources to get help quickly.  After writing the book, word got around and I started getting invitations to speak at different schools and churches. I realized the only answer to this dilemma is to create awareness and to educate all involved.  This new book goes deeper into psychology behind it and dealing with the bullying as an environmental issue. There are specific does and don’t that are vital to the outcome.  The proceeds of the first book go to 'The Bullying Epidemic Foundation' to create and implement educational programs on bullying awareness for teachers, parents & students. I will do the same with this new book.

3) What genre does your book fall under? I believe it fits best under Education and Counseling

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?  Funny you should ask that.  There are skits in the book, meant to be interactive in illustrating different bullying scenarios.  I would want to choose regular kids to play the roles.

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? This is how we stop bullying and save lives.

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? I will self-publish. I’m an indie at heart : ))

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript? It took several months.  There is so much research involved, it’s quite time consuming.

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? This is a unique genre. There are not many good books that give answers to this growing problem. 

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book? I wrote the first book because I feel strongly about this problem.  I was bullied as a child and I know those scars run deep.  I have young nieces and nephews and I would never want them to go through such torture.  No child deserves that.

10) What else about the book might pique the reader's interest? This book is going to educate the reader on bullying. It will teach them the types of bullying, how to spot bullying, both from the perspective of the target as well as the bully & the bystanders.  It will illustrate how everyone is affected negatively by bullying. It creates a toxic environment. This book outlines exactly how to address it and finally put an end to it. It’s not as obvious as it may seem.  
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I can’t believe I was lucky enough to have been tagged by two incredible authors for The Next Big Thing. I’m so honored and grateful.  Here are their links:

Diane Rapp : 
http://www.quicksilvernovels.com/
Charles Dougherty: www.clrdougherty.com

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Kathleen - the work you are doing is so vital and relevant.

Here in Vancouver, a young 15 year old girl, Amanda Scott, committed suicide recently because of bullying. The bullying of Amanda was both cyber and personal.

Her story touched many. Bullying and how to deal with it are hot topics for government and school boards.

Great cause and so generous of you to donate to an organization dedicated to education about bullying.

Unknown said...

Thank you Darlene. It tears my heart out when I hear these stories.

Schools really need to get with it. Every school should have an anti-bullying plan in place. That is my ultimate goal.

If I can save one life, it will be well worth it.