Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Medium7: Evidence of the Afterlife and Predictions is my first book written (July, 2013). Since 1996 I have published several articles and reports in the area of health and criminology evaluation research but of course publishing reports is different than writing a book.
I am a mother of two children who works full-time with the government of Canada overseeing scientific evaluation research studies that will help non-governmental organizations develop effective crime prevention programs. So of course you would think as a criminology researcher, I would probably be writing non-fiction crime-related novels. Not a chance! While that would be very exciting, I have not written any non-fiction books to date.
I am very passionate about the area of study related to the afterlife as I believe we are all on the cutting edge of understanding who we were, who we are now, and who we will be after we leave the physical world.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I was inspired to write the book Medium7 after realizing that I could use my twenty years of research and data analysis skills and apply them to answering the question, is there life after death. I was really inspired to start my own research with psychic mediums and their clients after a few spiritual experiences. In particular, during a reading when a psychic medium provided my grandmother’s very unique name (Beryl) and stated exactly how she died, I began to realize that perhaps there was more to this universe than what we have been taught in school. I was really inspired to write about mediumship, near death experiences, out of body experiences and any event that related to the afterlife as my personal experiences and literature reviewed demonstrated that people could enjoy their journey and optimize their lives by having a better understanding about the truth behind their existence.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I am not sure if this is an unusual writing habit but I find that my ideas spontaneously come to me while I am not writing. So everywhere I go I carry a journal with me so I can write down ideas, resources and concepts that have come to me spontaneously. I build on these small ideas which usually end up becoming full chapters. For example, I was speaking at a conference , and a panel member asked how the “thought creates reality” movement could be used to help youth at risk develop productive lives. Right after the discussion, I jotted down the idea so I could later ponder how this concept of creating one’s reality could be linked with the discussion of psychic mediums and their ability or limitations on being able to produce accurate predictions consistently. This thought helped me develop a whole new way of understanding the nature of predictions which was subsequently developed into a full chapter.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Ester Hicks, and Jane Roberts are just a few of the great authors that have influenced me over the years. Many don’t know that the famous author who wrote several detective stories about Sherlock Holmes was an established Scottish physician who during his later years rigorously studied the afterlife. Sir A. Doyle’s writings about his scientific studies of life after death greatly influenced me.
What are you working on now?
My books are all going to be a combination of my own research studies and complementary studies conducted by from other scholars. So before I start writing I am currently working out a research design to study the authenticity of alternative healing methods. The book will review the science behind alternative healing methods, provide engaging case studies and look at the implications for humankind if traditional healthcare institutions were to integrate and support these alternative healing methods. My research will take at least a year and then it will take another six months to write so I don’t anticipate releasing another book until early 2015.
I have also been asked by many to produce Medium7: Evidence of the Afterlife and Predictions into an audio CD as the afterlife information is important for the aging community who are more likely to listen to a CD than read a book.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I must say that I am very much in the discovery process of learning about what works for giving your book exposure but I will share a few things that have worked for me since releasing my book two months ago. I put out three videos of my research experiments with psychic mediums and non-believers one year prior to my book being released. One of the videos has almost 87,000 hits and I have at least five people each day dropping questions in my personal e-mail (medium7research@gmail.com) each day wanting to understand various aspects of the reading or other questions about the authenticity of the afterlife in general. About 20% of these contacts have shared that they purchased the book to learn more about the evidence related to the afterlife. I also make it habit to check in and respond directly to the comments on the Youtube video so I can build a relationship with the viewers. To see my question and answer method you can view the following YouTube video under my name: Life After Death: A Medium Conducts a Reading with a Non-Believer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g74znWzyRTU
I will also be joining a media portal in Canada (www.sources.ca) that will allow my book to gain exposure through radio, TV and print media. The counterpart in the U.S.A is the RTIR(http://www.rtir.com/index.html). I have not started the program in Canada yet, but my understanding from other authors who have used RTIR is that they did get a few radio shows with small markets. These sources are a start to getting exposure for your book via the media.
As for websites, my Youtube video has been embedded in about fifty websites but I have not directly written for any except for this awesome gang website which I have found very useful.
I also submitted my book (paid advertising) in the www.leadingedgereview.com as my understanding is this magazine is circulated to bookstores worldwide. The magazine is for titles and products focussing on spirituality, parapsychology, mind, body and spirit. This ad will run for three months in their fall issue in the gifts section.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
The best advice for new authors is to write at least fifteen minutes five times a week. I work full-time and have two children but once I promised myself that I would write at least fifteen minutes after work, I found that fifteen minutes often escalated to writing three hours per day. So maintain this habit and the other perceived barriers will diminish. If you can’t write for some reason, keep reading or watching documentaries and programs that will stimulate innovative thinking.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice I have ever heard is to believe in yourself and after that anything is possible.
What are you reading now?
I am not currently reading right now as I am focussing on preparing an event to launch my book and will begin my new research study.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I hope to use my writing to help me produce documentaries about the evidence of an afterlife to inspire people, given them hope and help them enjoy life to its fullest.
What is your favorite book of all time?
“Ask and It is Given: Learning to Manifest Your Desires” written by New York Times best selling authors, Esther and Jerry Hicks was my favorite book of all time and its contents influenced me significantly. They teach that you can manifest anything you want and they provide a scientific explanation for how this may be possible. Once you understand that traditional barriers such as finding a literary agent or getting published with a traditional publisher are only perceived barriers, as long as you allow yourself to thrive by ignoring negative thoughts you can achieve anything. This book has helped me live my life with confidence. The techniques have given me the ability to write a book and continue writing books for the rest of my life.
Author Websites and Profiles
Donna Smith-Moncrieffe Website
Donna Smith-Moncrieffe Amazon Profile
Donna Smith-Moncrieffe’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile