I AM EXCITED ABOUT today’s author interview with Mari McCarthy and her new book, Heal Your Self With Journaling Power. As you know, journaling is near and dear to my heart, the reason I founded WritingThroughLife, and a huge part of my ongoing daily writing and teaching practice.
Read on to find out more about Mari, her truly inspirational new book, and how you can win a free copy of Heal Your Self With Journaling Power!
Mari L. McCarthy is the Self-Transformation Guide and Founder/Chief Inspiration Officer of a sister site on journaling and its many benefits, CreateWriteNow.com. She is also author of the award-winning book, Journaling Power: How to Create the Happy, Healthy Life You Want to Live.
Mari began journaling over 20 years ago in an effort to relieve the debilitating effects of multiple sclerosis (MS). Through journaling, Mari was able to ditch her prescription drugs and mitigate most of her MS symptoms. Now she teaches people throughout the world how to heal, grow, and transform their lives through the holistic power of therapeutic journaling.
About the book
Mari L. McCarthy’s book, Journaling Power, started a movement. Now, Heal Your Self with Journaling Power is igniting a revolution!
You’ll discover the life-changing magic of journaling through moving personal stories told by just some of the thousands of people who have tapped into the proven therapeutic power of expressive writing.
These are people just like you, and their challenges are the same ones you have.
Heal Your Self with Journaling Power reveals the inner strength and grace that comes with living your life in the present from the inside out. It will help you transform your life and…
- Manifest everything you desire
- Fill you with uplifting positive energy
- Put you on a path to better health and wellness
- Give you the inspiration and motivation to live your best life
- Show you how to use journaling to solve your most pressing problems
The only right way to journal is YOUR way. Just grab a pen and paper and do it!
Interview
WTL — You’ve written so many books and workbooks on journaling, including a few on healing different aspects of our lives — what inspired you to write this particular book on healing through journaling?
MM — When my Journal and I scoped out the Journaling Power trilogy, we decided the first book was going to be my story (with journal writing prompts and exercises), the second book was going to be about other journalers, their stories and prompts and exercises, and the third book would be about how we transform our life from self-sabotage to unconditional self-love. So when it came down to writing, I already had the title and a feel for what the structure was going to be. All I then needed to do was create the content flow, table of contents and chapter bullet points, and then write the book.
WTL — Once you had the idea for this book, how long did it take to write?
MM — About a year and a half. The hard part, the envisioning, chapter organization, the strategy and planning took the longest amount of time. Then I just needed to write, write, write to the outline.
WTL — What was your process for selecting the stories you use in the book?
MM — I knew I wanted stories that dealt with all aspects of health and healing: mental, emotional, physical and spiritual. Then it was just a matter of researching my Journaling Journey blog articles and determining which articles would feel right in Heal Your Self With Journaling Power. I just trusted my intuition.
WTL — Describe your writing routine/practice.
MM — I’m a morning person, so after journaling and meditation, I work on my book projects every weekday and sometimes on Saturday if my muse is loose, from 9-1 p.m.
WTL — Do you keep a writing journal, where you work out ideas and thoughts about your work in progress? If so, describe how you use it to help your writing practice. If not, what process do you use to flesh out ideas?
MM — I have discussions with my Journal all the time and I ask lots of questions and write, write, write very fast. That’s what I’m doing with my third book in the Journaling Power trilogy Create Unconditional Self-Love. Recently I’ve been asking a lot of questions about the reader since I’m working on my book’s back cover. Questions like, “What’s in it for them?” What do I want my readers to learn and change in their life?” “What do I want the Amazon ‘look inside’ section to look like?” I always envision the final product and find that ideas then just come to me. Setting goals and taking action prompts the Universe to present ideas and resources.
WTL — What was your biggest challenge in writing this book and how did you overcome it?
MM — My impatience at not being able to connect with the people I wanted to interview. I overcame it by setting a publication date, allowing 6 months for BookFuel, the publishing services company I used, to do the editing, cover, layout and then set an achievable goal of one interview a month. Once I had an action plan and schedule it focused me on creating the book and the stresses went away.
WTL — Who do you turn to for encouragement and for an honest critique of your first drafts?
MM — I contact a developmental editor to get his/her thoughts and ideas and find that helps me with stuck spots.
WTL — What would you say has been the most important benefit of journaling practice for you personally?
MM — Reconnecting to my whole brain, body and soul. I love the universe of infinite possibilities that I now know I am: my true self. I love my life of inner peace and serenity. Unconditional self-love is journaling’s best gift.
WTL — What is the one big idea you hope your readers will walk away with after reading Heal Your Self With Journaling Power?
MM — They have the power and talents to create the life that they want to live. They have a built-in therapist in their daily pen-to-paper Journaling Power Practice to help them heal, grow and transform their life and live their life from the inside out.
WTL — Is there anything else you’d like to share or comment on?
MM — I’d just like to invite your tribe to come to CreateWriteNow.com and learn how life-changing creating and sticking to a Journaling Power Practice is. We have all kinds of ebooks on therapeutic journaling, 300+ unique, soul searching journaling prompts, and many Journaling Journey blog posts like the ones in Heal Your Self With Journaling Power. I run the Journaling Journey blog post every Monday and I’d love to run yours. #JustWriteON!
WTL — Thank you, Mari. It’s a pleasure hosting you, and I will definitely send you my Journaling Journey story in the near future.
Win a copy of Mari’s book
Leave a comment below about Mari’s interview and you’ll be automatically entered to win a free ebook copy of Heal Your Self with Journaling Power. It’s that simple. So, join the conversation!
Hi Amber, thanks for hosting me. I love your site. Look forward to publishing your Journaling Journey blog post. #JustWriteON! 😍📓✍️
It’s my pleasure, Mari – and wishing you great success with your new book!
I’m impressed with the idea that journaling can be a healing tool to make my life one that is fulfilling and guided to pursue the best path that God has ordained. I write sporadic entries and need the consistency that Mari has achieved in her daily journal entries. I pray I can find some resolution to some difficulties in my health and relationships. I feel hopeful that this book will be an invaluable aid in my walk with the Lord.
Kathy, journaling is such a powerful tool and can be applied to all areas of life. I am sure Mari’s book will inspire you to journal more regularly as well as learn how to use it more effectively for your personal growth and wellness.
Oh wow, this sounds just like the kind of book I’d love to read. Thanks for featuring it and doing the interview. I’ll add this title to my wish list for sure. 🙂