Interview with Nonfiction Humor Authors Bob Brooker and Kaye O’Doughtery

Bob is an old saloon singer who, as Bobby Brookes, recorded for RCA Victor and Capital back in the day. Kaye has trouble carrying a tune in a bucket.

Nevertheless, after they met at a recording studio on 42nd Street (yes, that 42nd Street), they teamed up as Brooker and O’Dougherty and began a decades-long collaboration on a variety of theater, film, TV and video projects, performing, writing, directing, managing, and producing.

Football is for Lovers (which can be found at http://www.footballforlovers.com) marks Bob and Kaye’s debut as book authors.

Q: Welcome to Beyond the Books, Bob and Kaye.  Can we start out by telling us whether you are published for the first time or are you multi-published?

A:  Although we’ve been writing performance-oriented stuff – like scripts and songs and skits – for many years, this is the only book we’ve had published.

Q: What was the name of your very first book regardless of whether it was published or not and, if not published, why?

A: This book – Football is for Lovers – is not only the first we’ve had published.  It’s the first we’ve ever written.  But it’s been so much fun; you can bet it won’t be our last.  In fact, we’re already at work on our second.

Q: For your first published book, how many rejections did you go through before you either found a mainstream publisher, self-published it, or paid a vanity press to publish it?

A:  When we decided to write Football is for Lovers, it was really not about finding a publisher.  One week, we were getting ready to go into a studio to complete work on a new album Bob was recording.  The next week, we were in a local hospital with Bob recovering from a stroke.  His left side – including his left vocal chord – was paralyzed.  Hmmmm.  Time to reinvent ourselves, yes?  So, since we’d been writing as a team for years – although mostly for the stage – we decided to convert ourselves into authors.  Once we’d gotten the book underway, we just went online and found ourselves a publisher.

Q: How did the rejections make you feel and what did you do to overcome the blows?

A:  We were about to say, since we didn’t look for a publisher, we were never rejected.  But heaven knows, we had our share of hard knocks when we were writing for the stage.  Probably the worst was when we had written a musical, Harlem Sweet, based on the works of the Poet Laureate of Harlem, Langston Hughes.  Since Langston wrote by walking through Harlem and listening to the people, much of his poetry was really conversation.  And since he was very much involved with music, his poetry also translated well into songs.

We saw his work as a musical waiting to happen.  It required a lot of research – which was a joy – but it did take years to complete. Still, it was worth it and, when it was finished, the executor of the Langston Hughes Estate loved it.  He told us he couldn’t wait for our off-Broadway debut.  Now, although we had obtained rights to the works before we started on the project, there turned out to be additional legal issues that had to be resolved.  Only problem was, the lawyer for the theatre group who was producing our musical and the lawyer for the Hughes Estate hated each other’s guts.

Still, the executor was completely on our side, and told us not to worry even though he had not yet gotten the final papers to sign.  So we began auditions in a little theatre on Forty-Second Street.  It was the most glorious blue-sky October day you could imagine when we got the call from our lawyer: the estate executor – a man in his fifties – had suddenly dropped dead.  The ensuing legal hassle put an end to the production.  So.  Maybe you can see why we didn’t try to find a publisher for our book.  After that experience, keeping things in our own hands always seems like a good idea.

Q: When your first book was published, who published it and why did you choose them?

A:  We chose Mill City Press because, after researching possibilities online, we decided they offered the most bang for the buck.  And we haven’t been disappointed.  As we said, we’ve begun work on our second book – also non-fiction humor – He’s Not the Guy (God Didn’t Do It!), and we intend to work with Mill City once again.

Q: How did it make you feel to become published for the first time and how did you celebrate?

A: Actually, the biggest thrill was when we began writing for the stage.  Hearing actors saying the lines we had written, bringing our characters to life, was pretty awesome.  But – holding that first physical copy of Football is for Lovers had us grinning big time, too.  Like they say in that beer commercial: it’s all good!

Q: What was the first thing you did as for as promotion when you were published for the first time?

A: We set up a website, studied the whole site optimization thing, wrote promotional articles . . . and kept thinking how great it would be if we could just write and have someone else do the selling.

Q: If you had to do it over again, would you have chosen another route to be published?

A: No.  We were set on the self-publishing route from the beginning.  We wanted to get going, not wait for someone to ‘choose’ us.

Q: Have you been published since then and how have you grown as an author?

A:  We’re still working on our second book, He’s Not the Guy (God Didn’t Do It!). Of course, Football is for Lovers is certainly about two subjects we have a real feeling for – love and football.   But the opportunity to put our ideas – in fact, our ideology – down on paper is a pretty exciting thing.  And since our ideology extends beyond football, we figure we’ll be writing for a long, long time.  The love part?  Well, that pretty much is our ideology . . .

Q: Looking back since the early days when you were trying to get published, what do you think you could have done differently to speed things up?  What kind of mistakes could you have avoided?

A:  Writing a book and selling a book are two different things.  Writing has always been almost as natural as breathing.  Marketing . . . well, we might have been better served if we’d taken a few marketing courses . . .

Q: What has been the biggest accomplishment you have achieved since becoming published?

A:  Our biggest accomplishment since becoming published has nothing to do with our book.  Since Bob’s stroke, besides our writing goals, we’ve been into the walking and talking thing.  Bob’s making it around the track at the local football field, using his left hand on the computer keyboard (well, at least the shift key for capitals), and almost being able to carry a tune again have been our greatest accomplishments.  We do like to drink to that!  Often!

Q: If you could have chosen another profession, what would that profession be?

A:  Well, of course, we did choose another profession.  So this already is the ‘other profession.’   Although, to some degree, they both involve writing of one kind or another.  So if it could be neither of those, that is, writing for the stage or writing a book . . .  I guess we’d just find another form of writing.  Political commentary comes to mind . . . The questions that, to us, scream to be asked by TV interviewers, but aren’t, just about drive us around the bend . . .

Q: Would you give up being an author for that profession or have you combined the best of both worlds?

A:  Funny.  It just occurred to us.  In the end, it keeps coming back to the words.  Writing has always been . . . well, what we do.  Stringing words together.  Giving them to actors to speak.  Putting them down on paper.  And for Bob, for most of his life, singing them.  So for us it would always be a combination of whatever we were up to at the moment – sports or politics or music – and the words that expressed our beliefs about the current subject of choice.

Q: How do you see yourself in ten years?

A:  Still writing humorous non-fiction.  But by then, we’ll have become well-enough established so that we can just do the writing and leave the marketing to someone else.

Any final words for writers who dream of being published one day?

A:  It’s so corny we almost hate to say it.  But we will anyway: do what you love.  And that applies to everyone, not just writers.  We’ve been around a long time, and it seems to us that one of the most crucial elements for a joyful life is having a sense of purpose.  Figure out what that purpose is – or maybe it’s more like choosing it . . . In any case, stay with it.  Sorry.  We can’t resist.

Did you by any chance see the Steve Martin movie, The Jerk? Much as we believe in this whole ‘purpose’ thing, it’s hard for us to write down the word without giving a little smirk to Mr. Martin.  In case you haven’t seen the movie, our hero, a country bumpkin, sets out to find his place in the world, armed only with his family’s advice to ‘find his purpose.’   When he hooks up with a tattooed biker chick and discovers the . . . uh . . . joys of the flesh, he believes he has found his purpose.

So don’t worry if it takes you a few tries to get this purpose thing right.  There will probably be distractions along the way.  Enjoy them.

Interview with Internet Dating Expert Cherie Burbach

Cherie Burbach used her experience with meeting her husband online to pen At the Coffee Shop, a humorous look at the world of Internet dating. Cherie went on over 60 coffee dates in just six months. She met lots of great people and one of those turned out to be the guy she would marry just one year later.

She is the Dating Feature Writer for Suite101, an online magazine with over 10 million views monthly, and also the author of three poetry books, including A New Dish and The Difference Now. Her latest, Father’s Eyes, has received the 2008 Editor’s Choice Award by Allbooks Review. Cherie blogs at Jennifer Lopez, Jessica and Ashlee Simpson, Career and Kids, Celebrity Apprentice, Gossip on Sports, and Diabetes Notes.

For poets looking for a review of their book, check out Cherie’s new site Bonjour Poetry Reviews.

Readers have resonated with Cherie’s honest and inspirational “This I Believe” essay, which is the second-most popular out of over 32,000 entries on the NPR website. For more information, please visit Cherie’s website at www.thedifferencenow.com or www.datingdatingall-things-dating.blogspot.com.

Welcome to Beyond the Books, Cherie. Can you tell us whether you are published for the first time or multi-published? Can you give us the title(s) of your book(s)?

Thanks for having me! I’m delighted to talk with you and your readers today!

Internet Dating Is Not Like Ordering a Pizza is my fifth book. I wrote another dating-related book entitled At the Coffee Shop a few years ago. I’ve also written three poetry books: A New Dish, The Difference Now, and Father’s Eyes.

What was the name of your very first book regardless of whether it was published or not and, if not published, why?

Oh gosh, I had this nasty habit of destroying my work for years and years. I don’t remember the name of my first book, but I know it was a novel and written over 25 years ago.

For your first published book, how many rejections did you go through before you either found a mainstream publisher, self-published it, or paid a vanity press to publish it?

For me, publishing my first book was about coming to terms with my past. I grew up with in an abusive household with an alcoholic father, so my self-esteem wasn’t quite up to par! As a way of dealing with the verbal abuse, I wrote poetry. I’d write tons of poetry every night and then rip it up by the next morning.

About ten years ago my father committed suicide and that opened my eyes to how short life really is. I decided that no matter what I would start keeping the things I wrote, whether I published them or not.

I quickly realized that I was a fairly prolific writer. And after a few years I had several hundred poems and dozens of stories. As a kind of “statement” to myself, I decided I’d publish one book. I never even tried to send my work into a mainstream publisher, get an agent, or even look for all the various opportunities that writers have now to publish their work.

I saw an ad for a self-publishing company and went through them to publish my work. To my great surprise, my little poetry book (The Difference Now) sold several hundred copies. More than that, however, I received several notes from people who could relate to some of the things I’d written. That gave me the resolve to keep writing, regardless of the rejections others might throw at you.

When your first book was published, who published it and why did you choose them?

I chose iUniverse at the time because they were readily available and advertised quite a bit. Since I knew so little about publishing, working with a firm that “did it all” for you was extremely helpful. Also, the cost at the time I did it was extremely low.

How did it make you feel to become published for the first time and how did you celebrate?

During the month my book came out, I also got married. So it was an all-around very happy time for me. My best friend and Maid of Honor read one of my poems at our reception, and she did it so well it moved everyone to tears. That is one of my fondest memories.

Here’s another: For our honeymoon (which was a couple weeks after the book came out) we went to Paris and London. This was a huge trip for us, because we are very frugal and never have the coin to travel. (In fact, we haven’t been anywhere since! But I digress….)

Anyway, when we were on our honeymoon, we actually brought a couple of copies of The Difference Now with us. I signed one and left it at the Starbucks in Paris, and my husband and I thought that was so funny. (We’re dorks. Can you just see us sitting there giggling at Starbucks?)

We also left a couple in bookstores in London. My husband put one on a bookstore shelf, and took a picture of my book “in bookstores in London.” I also posed for a picture outside of another bookstore, and we laughed that I had just “made my first bookstore appearance.”

Needless to say we were very happy and had a great time.

What was the first thing you did as far as promotion when you were published for the first time?

I can’t remember a thing I really did to promote the book, sadly enough. I knew very little about book promotion back then.

If you had to do it over again, would you have chosen another route to be published?

Yes. But then it’s always easy to say what you would have done differently, right? Experience is what gives us the education we need to do better.

After my first couple books were published, I was looking for a different way to go about the process. I came across another author, Diana Laurence, who had started her own publishing company and asked her how she did it. She then wrote an ebook about it, and that spurred me on to read more about it. Dan Poynter’s books were also extremely helpful to me. I started my own company, Bonjour Publishing, and have published that way ever since. I

Have you been published since then and how have you grown as an author?

My first books were poetry collections, and I gave little thought when I wrote them about how I would later market them. I’ve learned to write my books now as if someone will be reading them. I feel more compelled to satisfy the reader and write accordingly. Of course, I still write the things I want to write about, but with that small distinction I am able to also think about how to promote the book so the readers that would enjoy it most can find out about it.

What has been the biggest accomplishment you have achieved since becoming published?

One of the things I’m most proud of is a piece of writing that I never received a dime from. That was my “This I Believe” essay (http://tinyurl.com/dlsyor) for NPR. It talks about my childhood and has been very popular on the This I Believe site. I feel that in writing about things like that it can make people who are struggling feel so much less alone.

If you could have chosen another profession, what would that profession be?

I’ve always wanted to be a writer so I can imagine doing anything else. But I suppose if I was forced to pick something, it would be a professional organizer!

Would you give up being an author for that profession or have you combined the best of both worlds?

I wouldn’t give up writing for anything.

How do you see yourself in ten years?

As a happy, content woman. Hopefully that will include children as well as more books.

Any final words for writers who dream of being published one day?

Never let anyone discourage you. There are many writers out there who appeal to different people. There’s room for all of us, and many different options to get published. Educate yourself on the publishing industry and the craft of writing. Write because you love it, and the rest will follow.

Interview with Relationship Expert Edythe Denkin, PhD., author of RELATIONSHIP MAGIC

Edythe Denkin, PhD, is a Certified Marriage Counselor. Her most recent book, Relationship Magic, is a set of tools in parable form for those wanting to keep or rekindle the love and communication in their relationships. Dr. Denkin understands that “Happily Ever After” does not just come naturally. It takes communication, honesty, and empathy. This book is based on her work with Imago Relationship Theory.

The host of “Catch Your Kids Doing Things Right,” a four-part television series in which she taught many of her techniques to a wide audience, she has been trained and certified as an Imago Relationship Therapist by Dr. Harville Hendrix, best-selling author of Getting The Love You Want, et al.

Edythe is also the author of Why Can’t You Catch Me Being Good?, a best-selling book from Adams Media that shows how to raise self-confident and well-behaved children.

Edythe has embraced a spiritual quest and a personal calling to help people find their childhood triggers and help them reclaim their emotional freedom and happiness.

A graduate of Temple University, Denkin began her career as an Elementary School teacher. She went on to receive her Masters Degree in Elementary Education from the University of Bridgeport, and her PhD from Walden University. She has over thirty years experience as a therapist and relationship expert, specializing in marriage and child therapy, and is also a teacher, coach and motivational speaker. She is a member of the Institute For Relationship Therapy and the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. Dr. Denkin was recently honored by the University of Bridgeport with a Most Distinguished Alumni Award.

You can visit her website at www.edythedenkin.com.

Welcome to Beyond the Books, Edythe! Can we start out by telling us whether you are published for the first time or are you multi-published?

Relationship Magic is my second book. My first book came out in 2000.

What was the name of your very first book regardless of whether it was published or not and, if not published, why?

Why Can’t you Catch Me Being Good? was my first book and it was published.

For your first published book, how many rejections did you go through before you either found a mainstream publisher, self-published it, or paid a vanity press to publish it?

I went through over 20 publishers before Adams Media called me to discuss my manuscript.

How did the rejections make you feel and what did you do to overcome the blows?

I knew that the book was worthwhile and needed. I just wasn’t going to let their rejections get me down. I wasn’t going to let them stop me. I just kept going until I found a publisher who saw how much the book was needed.

When your first book was published, who published it and why did you choose them?

I had an agent who was having trouble with his own child and he felt that Adams would be a good fit.

How did it make you feel to become published for the first time and how did you celebrate?

It was so much fun. I had a feeling of accomplishing what I set out to do, but I didn’t actually have a celebration, I knew the real work was just beginning.

What was the first thing you did as for as promotion when you were published for the first time?

The first thing I did was get myself a publicist. It was over $2000 a month and they got me on TV, radio and the newspaper.

If you had to do it over again, would you have chosen another route to be published?

The whole book industry has changed since 2000 and now I’d be more flexible in my expectations. Today, I have chosen to start my own publishing company, Destiny Press.

Have you been published since then and how have you grown as an author?

Destiny Publications has published my next book, Relationship Magic. I am much more confident as a writer now and I have a lot less anxiety about the publicity and marketing. I can get the message out on TV and radio and I feel like I know what I am doing.

Looking back since the early days when you were trying to get published, what do you think you could have done differently to speed things up? What kind of mistakes could you have avoided?

Using an agent and working one step as a time was the best way to go. I don’t look at anything as a mistake, but as things I have learned. I learned that once you set a goal, you have to get yourself out there. Never give up.

What has been the biggest accomplishment you have achieved since becoming published?

As a therapist, my first book has given me the credibility and respect among my colleagues and my community that I was looking for. I now speak to large groups and am able to get my message out there. That was always my goal.

If you could have chosen another profession, what would that profession be?

I love being an Imago relationship therapist. It offers me an opportunity to help people make progress in their lives and it is very rewarding.

Would you give up being an author for that profession or have you combined the best of both worlds?

Yes, I have been able to combine them. Both my books and my profession allow me to teach others how to make a difference in their relationships and families.

How do you see yourself in ten years?

I will have my own nationally syndicated radio show and be a best selling author and speaker.

Any final words for writers who dream of being published one day?

I say go for it. Never give up. Keep at it until you find the publisher that will see what you see in your book. Winners never quit. Quitters never win.

ATTENTION: This guest post is being brought to you by Pump Up Your Book Promotion. As a special promotion for Edythe Denkin PhD.’s book, RELATIONSHIP MAGIC, Pump Up Your Book Promotion is giving away one FREE virtual book tour or $25 Amazon gift certificate to one lucky person who comments on her blog stops during her virtual book tour in June. Leave a comment below to have a chance to win one of these prizes! For more stops on Edythe’s tour, visit www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com.