Why Yvonne Perry Wrote a Book for Empaths

I’m celebrating the release of Yvonne Perry’s new book that I believe many people will find helpful. Whose Stuff Is This? Finding Freedom from the Thoughts, Feelings, and Energy of Those Around You (WhoseStuffIsThis.com) is a guidebook to help energy-sensitive people who exercise so much empathy toward others that they cause themselves emotional, mental, and physical distress. Whose Stuff Is This? teaches these intuitively-gifted people how to manage energy overload and recover from empathy fatigue.


Yesterday, Yvonne visited Beyond Words Radio Show on Believe in the Moment radio station where she was interviewed by Joanne Sprott. Today, she is my guest blogger as she answers some questions posed to her. You may have questions of your own to ask her. She will be coming by this blog several times today, so be sure to ask your question by using the comment feature under this blog post.

QUESTION: Why did you write this book for empaths?
YVONNE: Like most empathic people, I have always wanted to help others avoid suffering. As strange as this may sound, the one way empaths do this is by taking on the problems of others and suffering on their behalf—kind of like a surrogate for affliction. The other person feels better, but the empath feels horrible. This is done in ignorance. Empaths have no idea why they feel so bad or have such emotional mood swings so much of the time. Many are diagnosed as bipolar or having some other mental illness. Medication is often prescribed rather than dealing with the underlying cause, which is energy-related.

This is not just an isolated problem; many compassionate people, who do not understand how to set energetic boundaries, pick up energy, emotions, feelings, and illness from their environment and the collective unconscious. Over the past ten years, I’ve researched and tried all kinds of things to alleviate empathy fatigue—not really knowing the term for the kind of “backlash” I was dealing with. I knew it was spiritually related because when I prayed for others, many times they got well and I began to feel whatever discomfort they had been struggling with.

Thankfully, I found herbal remedies, as well as visualizations, meditations, prayers, etc., that brought me to a path of emotional maturity (using the gift of empathy wisely without paying a personal price). It occurred to me last summer that I needed to share what I had learned. Since writing is my forte, I started writing my blog (http://weareoneinspirit.com) about some of the spiritual practices and protection tips that I use to keep my energy field clear and balance my chakras.

It wasn’t until a psychotherapist friend of mine, Dr. Caron Goode, suggested I write a book that I decided to gather all this information into a guidebook that could be used by the millions of energy-sensitive people out there to set boundaries and manage the overload of energy they pick up. We both feel the time is right and there is a need for the material. She provided insight on the psychological aspect of empathy and I wrote about my personal journey through the empath wilderness and how I learned to psychically protect myself as I moved toward wholeness.

With more than two dozen proven and effective ways to clear your energy field of external clutter, this guide employs empowering, proactive techniques to manage your personal energy. The book contains a list of resources that includes books, classes and groups, practitioners, quizzes and tests, radio shows, videos, CDs, and DVDs to help empaths take the next step in developing their intuition.

QUESTION: How long did it take you to write this book?
YVONNE: I started gathering information and interviewing both mature and untrained empaths in July 2010. The first draft was ready by the end of December. It took another month to edit and proofread the book, garner endorsements, get the cover designed, and the interior formatted for print. The e-book version was published in Amazon’s Kindle Store on January 21, 2011. So, from idea stage to public presentation, it took about seven months.

QUESTION: What other books have you written?
YVONNE: The Sid Series ~ A Collection of Holistic Stories for Children was inspired by my grandson, Sidney, who started demonstrating spiritual gifts at an early age. I was concerned that he might also be an empath, and I wanted him, and others kids like him, to avoid the needless suffering I had endured. It turns out that he is an example to me about how effortlessly this gift can flow through a person without causing turmoil. He is very intuitive. As a toddler he was clairvoyant (seeing in the spirit realm), but as he matured, he began getting psychic information through dreams. He still hears in the spirit realm. The Sid Series is a collection of stories that emerged during the adventures Sidney and had together, but they deal with topics most adults tend to avoid with children: death, afterlife, ghosts, healing, racial diversity, caring for others, meditation, and spiritual insight. The book is about entertaining children, but it also teaches parents how to open a mature dialogue with them. http://theSidSeries.com

Another book I wrote is More Than Meets the Eye, True Stories About Death, Dying, and Afterlife (http://deathdyingafterlife.com). This book is designed to provide comfort for those who are dying, as well as for the caregivers and family who are left with questions when their loved one passes. When I wrote that book, I had a lot of disembodied spirits coming to me. I didn’t know why ghosts were visiting me, but I felt I was supposed to help them. Writing that book helped me find answers not only to know what the ghosts needed, but for protecting my energy field as an empath.

QUESTION: In addition to writing your own books and carrying out your spiritual mission, you are a freelance writer, who ghostwrites and edits for clients. What is Writers in the Sky all about?
YVONNE: Writers in the Sky Creative Writing Services (WITS) is a network of freelance writers, ghostwriters, and proofreaders. My team and I provide writing, editing, and proofreading for books of all genres as well as articles, bios, resumes, Web text, and business documents. I only write for clients in the metaphysical/spiritual, self-help, and health/healing genres. See writersinthesky.com for details.

QUESTION: Where can we find you online?
YVONNE: weare1inspirit.com or WhoseStuffIsThis.com are my spiritual Web sites.

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/yvonneperry
I’m on Twitter as @WeR1NSpirit and @Writersinthesky, or you can check out my Facebook pages:
We Are One in Spirit
Kids Who See Ghosts
Writing and Editing

Come along on the virtual tour with us. Tomorrow’s blog stop will be at Positively Present. See the entire tour schedule at http://tinyurl.com/EmpathTour.

Who's Your Blog Editor? Carol Denbow 2009 Interview on Conversations with Writers

One of my online friends, Ambrose Musiyiwa, recently interviewed me for Conversations with Writers. I would like to share the interview with you.

Carol Denbow 2009 Interview on Conversations with Writers.

*When did you start writing?
Carol Denbow: My writing career began only five years back in 2004. I was a late bloomer!

*How, why and when did decide you wanted to be a published writer?
Carol Denbow: It was never a dream of mine as it is for most writers. I had started up and operated a small business, and after slamming into so many walls along the way, I saw a need for a simplified small business start-up book. Voila! Are You Ready to be Your Own Boss? was finished just two years following my retirement.

*How would you describe the writing you are doing?
Carol Denbow: After publishing my first two business-related books, the one I previously mentioned (self-published), as well as one more, Stress Relief for the Working Stiff (traditionally published), my loving hubby convinced me to write a book about my publishing experience. A Book Inside, How to Write, Publish, and Sell Your Story has been my biggest success. So the journey has begun and nowadays I write specifically about and for this industry.

*Who is your target audience and what motivated you to start writing for this audience?
Carol Denbow: My most recent books are clearly directed at want-to-be and established published authors. It’s time consuming to write a book. Unfortunately, with all that investment comes the frustration of choosing the right publishing method and ultimately selling books. Many authors dream is to be the next Rowling or King. With the book market flooded with new authors and books, it’s a sad reality that the average book sells less than 200 copies. I think new writers need an advantage to compete; I try to get that edge for them through my books.

*What are your main concerns as a writer and how do you deal with these concerns?
Carol Denbow: My concerns are the same as most others—how to sell my books. I spend at minimum two hours a day researching, learning, and promoting my books.

*How have your personal experiences influenced the direction of your writing?
Carol Denbow: I think the reason I have pursued writing for authorship is directly related to the emails I get from other writers in need of advice and guidance. At one point, I would receive ten emails per day from want-to-be’s with a book already written and no idea of where to go from there. I do always write back and try to help, but if I can’t, I’ve always tried to direct my online associates to where they could find the answers they needed.

*How many books have you written so far? What are the titles, who published them and when?
Carol Denbow: With the exception of one of my books, I have self-published all through my own publishing house, Plain & Simple Books, LLC. My books include:
Are You Ready to be Your Own Boss? (2006) P & S Books, LLC
Stress Relief for the Working Stiff (2008) P.A., Inc.
A Book Inside, How to Write, Publish, and Sell Your Story (2008) P & S Books, LLC
The Writer In You (2008) P & S Books, LLC (a free e-book co-written)
How to Organize a Virtual Book Tour (2008) e-book, P & S Books, LLC
100 Ways to Market Your Book for Free, (or really cheap), (2009) e-book, P & S Books, LLC

*Do you write every day? How does each session start? How, where and why does it end?
Carol Denbow: I write when I have a couple hours to spare without interruption. That’s sometimes hard to find. I once decided to try my hand at fiction. I took three days and drove up to a secluded beach to write. I finished 10,000 words to an awesome murder mystery. Unfortunately, I haven’t picked up the pen on that book since. I still hope to finish it someday—when I have the time!

*How long did it take you to write your latest book? Where and when was it published?
Carol Denbow: My latest book, 100 Ways to Market Your Book for Free (or really cheap) was written while I was in Hawaii for one month. I had collected my notes and references so it was just about putting the whole book together.

*Is this book self-published, and what advantages and/or disadvantages will this present? How are you dealing with these?
Carol Denbow: I prefer self-publishing. Of course when I refer to self-publishing, I am referring to the entire process. For instance, I do not publish POD. I write them, hire an editor, cover artist, and sometimes (depending on the difficulty of the lay-out) a designer. I have my books printed by a wonderful online company and stowed in my office closet available for sale. Advantage to this? My profit on a book is higher and the quality of my books is much better than any POD book I’ve seen. So I can still keep my cover price low and sell lots of books. Disadvantages? Only one I recall, and that was my first book; I simply printed too many copies in order to save money—didn’t work!

*What will your next book be about?
Carol Denbow: Who knows for sure—maybe none. When I see a need, I am drawn to fulfill it. So it’s a waiting game for me as a writer. But I’ll get back to you on that the next time I feel inspired!

*What would you say has been your most significant achievement as a writer?
Carol Denbow: Oh, I am so proud of all the writers I have been blessed to meet and help get their books published. I have a great Website with links to all kinds of book and writing related Websites and Blogs to help writers network and get their projects moving forward. The Website is at www.AuthorsBox.com if viewers are interested in taking a peek.

For more great interviews with writers, visit Ambrose Musiyiwa's Blog at http://conversationswithwriters.blogspot.com/

Carol Denbow books are available through AuthorsBox.com.