I’d like to welcome back Heidi Siefkas, author of her inspirational memoir When All Balls Drop: The Upside of Losing Everything. 

If you had a choice to live anywhere in the world where would it be and why?

I typically say wherever my last adventure was. Recently, I traveled to New Zealand. I fell in love with the varied terrain both on the North and South Islands; plus, the Kiwis are so welcoming and friendly. Although I gravitate towards warmer climates, I think New Zealand would keep me warm with all the adventure activities: hiking, kayaking, sailing, bungy jumping, and more.

What is your writing process?

My writing process is a combination of conscious and subconscious planning. I typically put together an idea consciously and write it down in my notebook or most likely on a Post-it. Then, I let that idea marinate in my subconscious. It is curious how just by giving my brain time to work on it without me stressing on it has created some fabulous vignettes, blog posts, and even other book topics.

As far as the actual putting words to paper or better said the screen, I do all of my writing on a laptop. The only difference with perhaps my memoir in comparison to my blog posts is that I took handwritten journal entries and transformed them into easy-to-read vignettes for the memoir.

When I sit down to write, I do so without worrying about spelling, run-on sentences, or grammar. I want to get the thoughts out while they are still fresh, hot, and uninterrupted. Then, I can tweak and polish later.

My editing style is always a quick pass through on the screen first. However, I can’t be a good proofreader or critic without printing out my manuscript or posts. I’m a little old school that way. As my last edit, I always read aloud. Yes, I’m the crazy one in the airport, bus, or lobby reading before saving, posting, and submitting.

Describe your journey as an author so far.

I have been writing for most of my professional career whether as a teacher, marketing/pr professional, blogger, or now as an author. I decided after my life change in 2009 that I wanted to do what I loved. I had the opportunity to redesign my life. So, I created a profession where I could write, inspire, travel, and learn. I have found that being an author is my true calling. However, that doesn’t mean that it is easy.

How do you stay motivated?

My difficulty in writing isn’t to stay motivated, but it is to take time away. I’m very determined. I set aggressive deadlines and high goals. Even with this book, I set a publishing date of this month, which required that I kept to a tight timeline. Regardless of my work ethic and determination, I do eventually get to the point that I’m not making any good progress or it just all reads poorly. That’s when I head outside of my writing space or even go traveling.

What is the main topic of your novel?

The main topics of When All Balls Drop: The Upside of Losing Everything are survival, life change, and looking up. In my memoir, I share my powerful true story of surviving a traumatic accident and losing everything: health, love, and career. I fought to regain my life piece by piece, during which I redefined having it all. Through When All Balls Drop, I show how it’s possible to look up in spite of pain, deceit, and loss. Rich with hope and humor, it is inspirational for anyone who’s had to confront tragedy and reassess their life in the wake of life-altering events.

What’s next for you?

I’m currently writing a sequel. It will pick up where I left off in When All Balls Drop. It will begin with revisiting my roots in small-town Wisconsin. It will continue on in South Florida where I started to rebuild my life: finding a job, dating again, and changing my home.  It includes a crucial therapeutic walkabout to South America. Its main theme describes the healing components of travel whether to a foreign place or somewhere as familiar as your hometown. The perspective gained from getting away completed my life change sparked by the tree in 2009.

I plan on releasing my next book in the fall of 2015. Until then, I will be promoting When All Balls Drop in Florida, Wisconsin, Kauai, and Massachusetts. You can check out my events on www.heidisiefkas.com and my Facebook page. Don’t worry! If you are in remote area, you can attend one of my virtual events.

Read more about Heidi’s Memoir, When All Balls Drop here: https://www.plaintalkbm.com/losing-everything/

[wysija_form id=”4″]