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Q: Can you help me save my marriage or fix my sex life?
A: I wish I could respond to every single person who emails asking for advice, and I tried to do just that during the first year of this site. At some point, however, a bunch of young people thought it would be funny to send me fake emails about fake marriage problems and continually ask me for my advice. I spent a lot of time answering these emails and worrying over these problems. In retrospect, it’s embarrassing that it took me so long to figure it out. I still do reply to many of the emails I receive, but I do not respond to all of them. Sometimes I don’t respond because I suspect–either erroneously or not–that the email might be a fake. Most of the time, however, it’s because I’m reading email late at night when my brain already has shut down for the day. Although I feel a great sense of compassion, I can’t always come up with anything intelligent to write back. Many times even a quick “hang in there!” feels wrong. It seems to trivialize what you’ve just told me. In those cases, I close the email and let it sit until I have a more energetic brain moment. Unfortunately, for many of the emails I receive, that moment never comes. Some just fall through the cracks. I wish that weren’t so, but it is.
Please understand that I do not earn money from this site. Everything I earn from advertising or e-book sales, I put back into the site by offering reader prizes or hiring a tech consultant. It is a labor of love. I fit in writing posts for this site between a full-time job as a journalist, along with parenting, being a wife, and my spiritual studies. I do the best I can with what I have. I wish I could do more. I hope you understand. I encourage you to send me your questions, though, because I often craft a blog posts based on them. In some cases, I also send out a prayer for your well-being. Please keep in mind that your email will be a lot easier to read if you use punctuation, especially capitalization at the start of every sentence and paragraph returns. I get a lot of emails with no punctuation and I find these very hard to read, especially late at night.
Q: I want to become a professional writer just like you. Can you share some tips?
I love to help other writers and authors and do so often. I have found, however, that many people ask me the same questions over and over again. To save myself time, I compiled my best advice for becoming a writer in this post. Many people ask me how I established myself as a writer. I fear they believe that I know of a magic formula that they can use to transform themselves into a writer overnight. I don’t know of such a formula. I wish I did. I would disappoint a lot fewer people if I knew of one. The only formula I know is one that often makes people roll their eyes when I say it. I became a writer by studying journalism for four years. Then I worked as a newspaper reporter for three years, then a writer in book publishing, and then as an editor at a consumer magazine. By the time I went freelance, I had many connections and contacts. That is the only formula for success I know. Please do not interpret this as discouragement. It’s not. If you want to become a writer, I encourage you to do so. I’m just not the best person to tap for advice on how to break in during this brave new age of “free content.” I broke in during a time when magazines, newspapers and books relied on paper and the Internet hadn’t even been invented yet. Everything has changed and I’m learning how to adapt. It’s very possible that you know more than I do.
Q: Do you do workshops?
I regularly present on marriage, writing, creativity, depression and other topics. Contact me if you’d like to line me up to speak.
Q: Will you review my book?
I love books and am an avid reader, and I do periodically review books on this site. That said, I can’t read as many books as people ask me to review. This is especially true now as I undergo spiritual studies. Most nights of the week, if I’m not attempting to catch up on email, I am reading a Dharma book or preparing for the meditation class that I teach. Occasionally I’ll treat myself and pick up the latest novel. That leaves very little time for reading and reviewing books.
It’s also important for you to know that my interests have changed since I started this site. I rarely review marriage books these days, although I do make some exceptions. I’m much more likely to review a memoir, novel, psychology book, science book, or spiritual tome. You are welcome to send a copy of your book to the following address: PO 583 Emmaus PA 18049. That said, I cannot acknowledge receipt or promise that I will read your book. Also, please keep in mind that I do not:
- Participate in Amazon bestseller campaigns
- Review books according to a set schedule set by a publicity campaign
- Agree to publish a review on a specific day
Q: Do you accept guest posts?
I regret that I take few guest posts, and all of them by an invitation-only basis. If you are searching for a back link, you might want to opt for one of the sponsorship options described on the advertising page. I wish you much success!
Q: I love your blog. Can I re-post your content on my blog?
I charge for reprints. Please contact me directly to find out my rates.