Raised by Wolves, Possibly Monsters: From Mobster to Reiki Master received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
Following find an interview with author Michael Swerdloff.
What is the name of the book, and when was it published?
Raised by Wolves, Possibly Monsters: From Mobster to Reiki Master. It was be published on October 15, 2024! I am incredibly excited and terrified, but mostly excited.
What’s the book’s first line?
It all started in Mr. Sobieski’s science class in seventh grade; sure, I had a few wet dreams and even masturbated a time or two beforehand, but those were alone in my bed in the dark.
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
This book is a moving account of discovering healthy masculinity from the inside out. His journey has been sensational at times and unbelievable at others, but for many readers, it has been absolutely inspiring. Will the hungry wolves outlast the desire to be loving and beautiful? Can men truly change? What role can men play in making the world safe for women?
We lose so many men. Not everyone finds their way to the other side. Yet there is hope in witnessing the depth and commitment of a person willing to try to be better without knowing exactly how. This memoir captures one man’s struggle to transcend his past and imagine an entirely new future for himself premised on compassion, care, and advocacy.
This is a story about hope. We do not have to be what they did to us, but it’s our responsibility to do something about it. I wish for you to experience feeling loved, accepted, respected, and connected and to live a life of being the person you always knew you could be.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
I was in Costa Rica at a seven-day Himalayan Tantric Retreat. I was exhausted by Friday morning; individually and collectively, our intense work pushed me to the edge. I believe about 10 minutes into being guided, I fell asleep. I don’t know if I fell asleep or lost consciousness for five or forty minutes. When I was not conscious, I had a vision instructing me to write a book about my experiences of being raised by a misogynistic father, bullied by a sociopathic brother, and the impact both men had on me and my view of women in adolescence and early adulthood. You are reading the outcome of that vision. It was clear, specific, and forceful. It was not until I started writing that the content expanded to include other aspects of my life.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
For women and other people not men, it is an opportunity to experience why men do awful things and that men can change.
For young men who are unsure if they are following their internal messages about treating women and their bodies kindly and respectfully, the book offers a window into what happens when they choose not to listen to that voice and how hard it is to return to being thoughtful, kind, and respectful.
When did you first decide to become an author?
I don’t know if I have actually made that decision yet; I just write a lot.
Is this the first book you’ve written?
Sort of. I had written a novel several years ago. I was working with the same editor as this book, Jane Gerhard, and we were fairly close to completing the project when Raised by Wolves, Possibly Monsters was born and took over my writing and life. I would like to finish that project this winter.
I am also partially through a non-fiction book about Reiki Counseling. It is a shorter book. I plan on completing the rough draft this winter as well. I have an ambitious imagination. 🙂
What do you do for work when you’re not writing?
Ha! I am a Counselor, Coach, and Reik Master with a private practice. I am also the Program Manager for a non-profit, conscious dance community.
What’s the best and the hardest part of being an indie?
The best part is that I set my timelines and expectations and write when I am inspired to do so. I love having full control of decision-making and who I work with, but that comes with the pressure of knowing that if something fails or goes wrong, it is because I made poor choices.
The hardest part is the economic investment to hire the right people who I feel comfortable with and trust, as well as all of the other expenses necessary to make a quality project. I don’t enjoy parts of the promotional work.
What’s a great piece of advice that you can share with fellow indie authors?
Pour your heart and soul into the project, hire folks you trust and listen to them, and then let go. I am absolutely convinced I can continue to make little changes and edits for another decade if I didn’t have people I worked with tell me it was time to let it go.
Would you go traditional if a publisher came calling? If so, why?
Possibly. They would have to be an indie publisher that would offer me significant control of the project. I don’t think I would have worked with a publisher for this memoir. It is too personal for me to work with people I don’t have a relationship with. I am not confident enough as a writer to stand up for myself if I was working with people who disagreed with me on big issues that I didn’t know or hire.
Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? fortune?)
As a counselor and coach, I can only affect change and growth with the people I work with directly and their circle of friends and family. As a writer, the opportunity to inspire change is limitless!
Which book do you wish you could have written?
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger! Her imagination, creativity, and bizarre means of weaving an out-of-this-world romance tickles me every time I think about it.