Hope Dancing: Finding purpose and a place to serve among the Maya received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
Following find an interview with author Leslie Baer.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
Hope Dancing: Finding purpose and a place to serve among the Maya, published August 9, 2019
What’s the book’s first line?
Machine gun fire cut a line in the dirt just a few inches from where my feed had been moments earlier.
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch.”
The following was put together with my launch team after they’d read the book. It is used in bold to kick off the description on Amazon. I wanted to tone it down a bit and break it into two sentences, but got out-voted on both counts:
“The astounding true story of a young woman’s courage and persistence despite threats, extortion and her own kidnapping, to save lives during Guatemala’s brutal civil war and postwar, to establish a thriving help organization fueling the rural Maya’s struggle for self-reliance.”
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
Encountering a child who had died from a simple infection and coming under military attack in a refugee village in Guatemala changed my life—in the long run, in marvelous ways. Over the years working in Guatemala I found my heartfelt purpose. I am a true believer in the power of individuals to change lives, communities, and so the world. If not us, who? It is my hope that sharing my personal journey may inspire others with untapped energy and desire to find their own passion and purpose. If I did, anyone can.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
If you’ve ever despaired at the state of the world or doubted the power we each have to profoundly change lives for the better, you must read the story of how one person and a handful of like-minded friends changed the course of tens of thousands of lives in Guatemala. The next person to do that could be you.
If they made your book into a movie, who would you like to see play the main character(s)?
This was a difficult task for someone like me who is not well-versed in who’s who in Hollywood. I asked several people I know who are major-moviegoers and know the names of the stars. Here’s what they came up with:
- Gaby (my Spanish teacher) – Aubrey Plaza
- Marcos (Gaby’s husband, likely political activist) – A younger Benicio del Toro
- Bob Rook (well-organized, well-spoken, no-nonsense gentleman) – Colin Firth
- Luis, (dashing young community organizer with a touch of wanderlust)– Chris Pine
- Mel (thoughtful, loving and creative husband of mine always willing to help) –Zachary Quinto
- Leslie (Spanish student, well-meaning, with tons of energy and not as much sense – she had to grow into it) – Anne Hathaway
When did you first decide to become an author?
I wrote a short poem about a dragonfly that while landing to sip from a river was pulled in and drowned. In the poem, when I found her, I realized that, “I was merely, the dragonfly.” Years later I understood that this poem reflected what I was feeling in my life at the time, but that I hadn’t had the words to express my feelings more directly. It won first place for poetry and was published in the end-of-year publication assembled at my grade school, for I wrote it when I was 11 years old. This award so encouraged me that soon, I had a notebook full of poetry and writing became a passion.
Is this the first book you’ve written?
No. I have “written” down and edited the books of others during my career, and in 1995, co-authored the first book with my name appearing on the cover. This is the third book in which I was credited on a book cover.
What do you do for work when you’re not writing?
I work with a team of creative, dedicated volunteers and Mayan people living in one of the worst poverty belts of Central America to assess need and deploy educational and health resources to fuel self-reliance in the region. It is deeply rewarding work, and the topic of Hope Dancing.
How much time do you generally spend on your writing?
Since I run an international development organization full time, I can’t write as much time as I would like to. However, I set aside (actually mark out in my calendar) 30 minutes each weekday, and two hours each weekend day. I have found that I feel most creative and energized around 11 AM each day, so I have carved out that time for writing and when it’s possible, stretch it to noon or beyond. I keep that appointment with myself at least 80 percent of the time, shooting for more. But I feel satisfied that, given where I am in my life, I am able to keep that writing commitments I make to myself for the most part.
What’s the best and the hardest part of being an indie?
I come from a “traditional” publishing background (pre-Amazon books-on-demand). As such, I was hesitant to self publish. Since all proceeds from this book are devoted to charity (medicine for children), after an offer from a traditional publisher that would have left less than 50 cents per book for charity, I decided to take the leap and self-publish using KDP.
The hardest part was the learning curve — from the technical requirements of the book and design to the marketing and promotion, and getting connected in with trustworthy organizations to help guide me. Truth be known, I made some mistakes…especially on the marketing piece by not spending more time pre-marketing.
The best part is multifaceted, starting with the amazing ability to update content in a few easy steps (easy after you learn them), having a ready-made distribution system in place, and having a wonderful organization like IndieReader in place to help me navigate this burgeoning marketplace. The ultimate payoff of course is earnings per book, which at a price point of $19.95 (print) and $9.95 (Kindle) yields close to $7 per book, and when sold through book events yields about $13 per book!
What’s a great piece of advice that you can share with fellow indie authors?
If you can afford it, hire a marketing firm eight months prior to your book release, not after! Lesson learned.
Would you go traditional if a publisher came calling? If so, why?
I would have to carefully consider the cost/benefit.
Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? fortune?)
I am extremely fortunate that after working for more than forty years in marketing and communications, I was able to retire from paid work to become an executive director for a non-profit organization as a full-time volunteer, and to devote significant time to writing. I love that this book is helping improve the health of children living in one of the worst poverty belts in Central America. I have the great fortune to spend about three months each year in Guatemala in the company of many of those children. Seeing their health improve, and the tremendously positive changes in their lives that wellness fuels, motivates me daily to market the book.
Which writer, living or dead, do you most admire?
I absolutely love the writing of Irma Bombeck, whose writing captures the humor and irony in every day family life. It’s not easy to write good humor and I admire the ease with which she captured it. It was because of her influence that I included in Hope Dancing the chapter, “Alma and the Corn,” an entertaining telling (I hope!) of a Mayan woman’s first stay in the States and a particular misadventure that was the result of cultural misunderstandings between Alma and her culturally-clueless hostess (me). In the dozen book events we have completed thus far, this story provides comic relief and is one of the favorites.
Which book do you wish you could have written?
Because of the ease of reading, the exceptionally descriptive language; the spectacular use of metaphor, simile, and an otherwise wonderfully crafted story and memorable characters, Edgar Rice Burroughs A Princess of Mars has always been a favorite of mine. Many years ago after reading it I thought that someday I would like to write a story as captivating, but nonfiction. Those who read Hope Dancing will have to decide how close I’ve come to accomplishing that.