The author of Decide to Profit: 9 Steps to a Better Bottom Line and Twine, Dorriah Rogers has had her share of highs and lows and has refused to let those moments of uncertainty and bleakness keep her down. Morgan Lee Reviews sits down with Dorriah Rogers as she discusses her inspiration for both books, what she’s hoping people will take away from them, and shares what she’s planning next.
MLR: What inspired the writing of Decide to Profit: 9 Steps to a Better Bottom Line and Twine?
DR: Decide to Profit was inspired by my professional career and the various interesting observations I had of my clients and the results we generated. I had a desire to share my learnings, as well as to use the book to provide further validity to my consulting practice. Twine was inspired by the death of my mother. For several years following her death, I was so distraught that I had difficulty focusing, would wake up in constant night terrors, and could not shake the guilt. I used writing as my solace and the place where I could release all of those feelings. I had no intention of it ever becoming a memoir; it was simply a therapeutic exercise. It was later, when I shared some of it with a former writing instructor, that she said, “wow, this is really good. You need to publish it.” And here we are.
MLR: What do you hope people take away from reading either book?
DR: For Decide to Profit, I hope readers take away an ability to improve their business in a straightforward and meaningful way. For Twine, I hope it touches people, helps them to realize that we are all broken in one way or another and that we all have secrets, some darker than others. Neither of those things needs to define us. Nor does it mean we cannot survive and thrive.
MLR: What is one piece of advice you’ve received that’s been instrumental both professionally and personally?
DR: For professional writing: Read two books. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott and On Writing by Stephen King. Bird by Bird suggests just that – tackle writing one bird at a time. Writing can be daunting. You need to stick with it, be disciplined, get the words on paper. In On Writing, Stephen King suggests you “murder your darlings.” Follow that advice. Read your own words. Be your own worst critic. That sentence you wrote that you think sings? It could suck. Be painfully aware of that. Test samples on your friends and family. Ask them to be honest. And take that feedback to heart.
For my personal life: the same can be true. Life has been very daunting for me at times. Yet, I have tackled it bird by bird – one catastrophe at a time. Once I survive something, I try to do the next thing that much better.
MLR: What advice would you give to aspiring authors who are seeking insight when dealing with the writing and publishing process?
DR: I would suggest you do it because you love it. The writing and publishing process is very difficult, and then when you add on the publicity and marketing element, it becomes even more difficult. I personally get great joy from well-crafted sentences and finding just the right way to describe a feeling, an observation, a situation. I write for those reasons, not because I expect to make a living at it (although I sure wish I could!) For example, I have already started my next book: The White Shepherd. I am writing it because I feel compelled to, not because my publisher has asked for it.
MLR: What else are you involved with that you’d like to share?
DR: I absolutely love horses. I have one. His name is Vision. He is my dressage horse and my absolute love. I adore spending time with him and letting him teach me everything he knows.
MLR: What do you want people to take away from this interview, and is there anything else you’d like to add to bring everything to a close?
DR: Hopefully, a desire to read my work and get to know me a bit better. I sincerely appreciate everyone with a passion for reading and writing. I share that passion. I very much enjoy hearing from and talking to my readers. My email is Dorriah.rogers@gmail.com if anyone would like to ask me any questions or give me their thoughts on either book. I also hope this interview generates more readers interested in Twine, and then hopefully advance interest in my next book. I would very much like to have a readership so that I can devote more time to writing.
And she is doing just that. She is a survivor. “I am a combination of three people: a mom to a 17-year-old, a professional consultant, and a writer. Those three elements are constantly at odds for my time and attention and require me to shapeshift on a regular basis. If I had my druthers, I would be a full-time writer contentedly tapping out chapters while my daughter watched lovingly, rather than a harrowed mother with an attitudinally-challenged teenager who travels all over North America for work, squeezing in writing whenever she can,” she says.
To find out more about Dorriah Rogers visit http://www.dorriahrogers.com. To purchase her books visit Amazon.com or everywhere books are sold. Morgan Lee Reviews would like to thank Dorriah Rogers for taking the time to do this interview.
Morgan Lee Reviews 