Humbled on Purpose: Discovering Strength Through Vulnerability, Humor and Grace received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
Following find an interview with author Maggie Michaels DeCan.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
My book is titled Humbled on Purpose: Discovering Strength Through Vulnerability, Humor and Grace.
What’s the book’s first line?
Humbling. People like to have a word for the new year or even a motivating phrase for the month or year.
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
In Humbled on Purpose (affectionately referred to by my editor, Andrew Vogel and team at Ripples as HoP), I attempt to humorously describe my journey through childhood trauma to the c-suite and then to the world of nonprofit with lessons learned and vulnerable mistakes listed. I try to inspire others that no tragedy is too great to overcome, no mistake too great to learn from and no life ever too far away from God’s redeeming love to make a difference in the world.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
I have always loved writing and been told that I had a gift for it. But it was a walk in the desert at the Canyon Ranch with one of my dearest friends, Jo Ann Herold who had recently published, Living on a Smile, that inspired me to speak with Ripples Media and pursue that same dream.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
The main reason that someone should read this book would be to ride an emotional rollercoaster of stories and anecdotes meant to both inspire, entertain and amuse the reader. I had a friend recently text me from a plane after getting my book. She said, “OMG, I am only 27 pages into your book, and I have already cried twice and laughed more than a dozen times.” That is why you should read Humbled.
When did you first decide to become an author?
I would credit my high school English teacher, Paul Wolbrink. He once made a quip that my name, Maggie Michaels, sounded like a movie star. Then I turned in a paper and he apologized for underestimating my gifts and said that clearly Maggie Michaels was the name of a gifted writer. How prophetic was that?
Is this the first book you’ve written?
This is my first book and I’m so proud to be a “new” author at the age of 61, now 62. I feel like I have several more books in me, so I better get busy.
What do you do for work when you’re not writing?
I have recently ‘rewired’ from my nonprofit leadership role. Now I am an executive coach, a consultant, a speaker, a volunteer and a philanthropist. I serve on boards and make a difference where I can.
How much time do you generally spend on your writing?
When I am actively writing, I spend a couple hours a day involved in my book
What’s the best and the hardest part of being an indie?
The best part of being with an independent publisher is the community of authors and the family feel of the organization. I also don’t mind being a bigger fish in a smaller pond. The hardest part is educating the world that the publishing industry has changed; that there is a whole new spectrum between traditional publishing and ‘self-published’ with so much rich content being presented.
What’s a great piece of advice that you can share with fellow indie authors?
I have learned that if you are with a good publisher, regardless of the size of that publisher, it is still ultimately your book and nobody cares about selling it, promoting it and marketing it more than you do. Random House cares about the Obamas’ books but if Maggie’s Michaels DeCan were with Random House, I’d probably be far more frustrated with my level of support on any given day than I am with my team now. Ultimately, if you have a great relationship with your publisher and, especially, your editor, count yourself grateful. I do.
Would you go traditional if a publisher came calling? If so, why?
Now, that is a tricky question. If traditional publishers came calling with a $1,000,000 advance check, would I listen? My personal brand is built on authenticity so I’m not going to lie, even to an Indie Reader interviewer, so, yes, I would listen. However, given the unlikelihood of that happening, I’m going to say that apples to apples, I think that I get more support and attention in my mid-market base where I am at than if I were to make a move.
Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? fortune?)
I have been very fortunate in my career and fame only enables my reach and impact to be larger, but I am motivated by my ability to impact others’ lives in a positive way. That was also my attraction to my publisher, Ripples Media. Jeff Hilimire founded Ripples to send positive stories out in to the world and make writing a book more accessible to authors like me, both of which Ripples does well. Something else for which I am very grateful.
Which writer, living or dead, do you most admire?
I would say Harper Lee would be my most admired author. To Kill A Mockingbird was a brave and incredible book based upon a true set of characters from her own life. She was a social justice commentator in her day. I greatly admire her character and her writing.
Which book do you wish you could have written?
There are two books that I wish that I could have written for VERY different reasons as I ponder this question. The first is Where the Red Fern Grows by Stieg Larsson. I wish I would have written it so that I could change the ending. It wrecked me as a child, and it continues to make me cry even as an adult reading it to my sons as children. But on an adult level, the book I wish I had written would be Kevin Cashman’s Leadership From the Inside Out: Becoming a Leader for Life. When servant leadership was a newer concept, it wasn’t a natural one for me to embrace, it seemed inauthentic. However, Cashman’s book introduced me to authentic leadership and that really resonated. It continues to resonate and I took much away from it and adapted it into my own leadership model.