This Week - Jane Carroll

Q: When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

A: I enjoyed writing in high school and considered a journalism major for college but it didn’t seem as practical as my original choice of nursing. So I became a nurse and a closet writer. I kept that up until about five years ago when I realized that I wanted to write much more than I wanted to be a nurse.

Q: How and when did you make this dream a reality?

A: Believe it or not, I sold my house 18 months ago to finance my career shift. I was living on the Gulf Coast and property values had escalated after hurricane Ivan. So I quit my job and moved back to North Alabama where I have been happily writing ever since.

Q: What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned so far in your writing career?

A: The importance of a platform! People are much more likely to buy a book when they have at least heard of the author. I think most first time authors think that they will be a bestseller just because the book is good - either that or that Oprah is going to call them. I’ve found marketing and building that platform to the critical. I wish I had understood that when I was still working fulltime. There were so many things I could have done even then like a website and blog.

Q: What are you working on right now?

A: I have a journal that’s just coming out Where the Joys Are: Bertha’s Guided Journal. It’s chocked full of delightful Bertha stories and journaling techniques designed to get your joy meters soaring! I’m in the edits on the third book in the Bertha series Putting Your Best Foot Forward: Bertha’s Guide to Life and Shoes. It has been a bit of a struggle until I realized why I didn’t like it. Now I can hardly wait to get the edits finished! And my latest project is hosting an internet radio show Loving Life Radio Show. We feature inspirational guests on each show and include a bit of Bertha’s wisdom for good measure. I never knew I wanted to do a radio show but now I’m hooked!

Q: Name some authors or books that have influenced your writing life in a positive way.

A: Og Mandino is my all time favorite author. I loved the way he incorporated life lessons in such beautiful stories. That style influenced me as I began writing Bertha-Size Your Life! I wanted to offer self-help or personal growth in a fun, light-hearted way. My readers agree that I have accomplished my goal.

Q: What have you recently read or what are you reading right now that you consider an outstanding work?

A: I just finished reading Richard Paul Evans, Finding Noel. I heard him speak last summer and couldn’t wait for the book to come out after he told the story of writing it for his mother who had recently passed away.

Q: What excites or ignites your soul?

A: Everything about my new career; the writing, life coaching, motivational speaking and the radio show. I just love inspiring other women!

Jane Carroll left nursing after 25 years to pursue her lifelong dream of writing, motivational speaking and life coaching, helping women who want to love their lives and live their loves. Jane offers wisdom mixed with humor in her books Bertha-Size Your Life! and Where the Joys Are: Bertha’s Guided Journal. She is the host of the Loving Life Radio Show. Visit Jane at www.berthasize.com.