The Reluctant Mr. Mum

Today on the show I had Jean Francois Rodriguis who wrote a book called The Reluctant Mr. Mum. It's about his life as a stay at home dad. His sweet demeanor and gentle personality made it easy to talk to.

Through the interview, I found we were at the same point on the same path. We are both being shopped around by our agents. One of the things we talked about was making sure that our names got out into the public. That is the hardest thing to do.

When it comes to the writing world, I have found it to be both generous of heart and spirit. While at the same time, we are all in competition with one another. There is no greater thing in life than creating worlds, characters and even extraordinary situations.

The conversation with Jean was an easy going one. I was able to relate to his story on a personal level as well as a professional level. That made it one of the most memorable ones I have had. He explained that getting your name out, BEFORE you get published is one of the keys to having a successful launch to your work. There are many ways to do this.

One of the ways to do this is find the hook that is you. What makes you as a person stand out in the middle of the sea of writers that are out there? What makes you special?
 
For myself, I'm still learning what makes me stand out. Is it the show I do? Maybe it's the love I have for my family and the support I receive from all of them? Perhaps it's the fact that I learned to read after I was able to see again. I don't know.

What  I do know is writing is a way all of us can escape. Whether you're the reader or the writer...it is the escape from the mundane and every day things in life we all experience. I love to write. I love to read. I am a writer. In the end, that's all that matters. It's the stories I tell that make me stand out. Perhaps that's enough, perhaps it's isn't. What I do know is it is the one thing that I have always depended on in my life that has given me a some sort of freedom the everyday mundane things we all experience in life. The single question I always ask myself is, "Did I entertain?" If so, then I did my job.

The Reluctant Mr. Mum sounds like a book that has succeeded in just that. He has entertained us. That is what it's all about. I look forward to reading the novel when it comes out. I hope you all do the same with mine when it comes out.

Thank you all for letting me entertain you. Thank you, thank you, thank you.