Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written just one book so far and Part Two is on the way soon.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
It’s called “A New Way of Loving” and it was inspired by the work of Diana Richardson. My own challenges in relationship and witnessing the challenges of so many others also inspired me to write it.. Diana’s work goes to the core of the conflict between men and women. Often men don’t get enough sexual interaction with women and the reason is because women are so often left dissatisfied in their encounters with men. So more and more often they decline after a certain age. They usually don’t know what is missing. They just know that something is. This is a tragic situation really and it’s responsible for literally all the dysfunction and turmoil that defines modern day life. The way to healing this split between men and women is known and proven through Diana’s work and it’s revealed in my book as well.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Yes i do. I often wake and sit bolt-up-right in bed in the middle of the night with an epiphany. I go downstairs and start writing in my iPad then go back to sleep before dawn for a few more hours. When i sit in front of my computer again i can hit the ground running.
It took almost 3 years of writing before the story came and i began to find my voice. Now it flows fairly readily as long as i block the time to write.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Anais Nin was my mother as a writer. She gave birth to the creative just by her sharing her perceptions of people including herself in day to day life in her diary. Then also her more polished works of fiction were very compelling. She was an incredibly loving being, very feminine and very intelligent.
Henry Miller was another one early on and Lawrence Durrell.
Then later came Stuart Wilde. Stuart is a brilliant writer and incredibly perceptive. He has an amazing gift of explaining complex metaphysical concepts in clear easy to understand language, while being incredibly funny and entertaining at the same time. I later learned from him that he was inspired by Durrell as well but he surely has his own style. I consider him to be my teacher. When i began to read his books over 25 years ago, i lost interest in most other writers. I read everything he published and all of it is pure gold to me. I still prefer to read his books over and over than to start new books because i go deeper each time, and it changes me. It helps me continue to grow. I do read other books but always seem to gravitate back to ole Stuart.
What are you working on now?
I am working on Part Two of A New Way of Loving. And it feels that Part Two is working on me too. There’s a way that it’s coming through me rather than me being the writer. In fact that’s the only way that i can write anything decent and meaningful. It’s more of an allowing than a doing really.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m using Kindle and Create Space together and learning from John Tighe how to do the marketing. He has a brilliant and easy to follow program and he’s very likable. He’s genuine and has the serving people part down pat.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Well i think the best advice is to not get too carried away by the advice of others. Writing is a creative process. It involves bringing something out from the inner depths. So my advice is to take care of your body. Detoxify everyday, Eat well. Get out into nature everyday if you can and flow along with life. This way there will be less in the way of what wants to flow from within you. Develop the habit of listening inside to your body and your inner promptings.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
See above…
What are you reading now?
I just picked up another old favorite Stuart Wilde book the other day titled “The Trick to Money Is Having Some”. It’s hilarious and very poignant too.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Well it’s just one day at a time. I have the outlines for Parts Two and Three of A New Way of Loving loosely laid out before me and am blocking time for those to come through. I’m planning to have both completed and published by the end of 2014 …God willing, as they say.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I’d first of all ask if i could bring a companion too. If the answer was “no” then i’d probably decline the offer. If i could then i’d bring notebooks and i’d bring books that would help with surviving and thriving on a desert island of course. I’m sure it would be great fun.
Author Websites and Profiles
Ami DeJong Website
Ami DeJong Amazon Profile
Ami DeJong’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile
Ami DeJong is a post from Awesome Gang