Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was sitting in a cafe in 2008 working on a science fiction novel when I felt called to take my work in another direction. The words “life-giving truth” began to resonate with me, and I started writing inspirational non-fiction. There is so much negativity in the world that I wanted to remind people that there is also so much good — we just don’t usually hear about it on the news. So I started writing books from a place of inner peace and stillness. My first book, “To My Daughter, with Love” began as a series of letters I wrote to my daughters, telling them who they are, how much I love them, and giving them advice that I hope will benefit them throughout their lives. I decided to make the letters into a book after sharing them with a few friends who were deeply moved and urged me to publish them. My second book, “Soul Healing Solace: Affirmations to Renew Your Heart, Mind and Spirit,” began as an effort to share my wife’s beautiful photography with the world. It features 25 poems written in the first person. When read aloud, these poems are powerful reminders of truths about ourselves that we sometimes forget. My third book, “Surrendering to the Music: 6 Life Lessons Playing Piano Taught Me” is about overcoming life challenges and appeals to musicians and non-musicians alike.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“How It Feels to Be Me: A Celebration of the Human Experience” began as an effort to help the reader truly stand in someone else’s shoes and see other perspectives. We really are so much alike, although it’s easy to focus on our differences. For this book, I selected photographs of people that resonated with me, then wrote a poem about each of them — trying to answer the question, “What’s it like to be me?” During the process of writing it, I really began to connect with the people in the pictures – perfect strangers I’d never met before – and I started to see the people around me in new ways.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Every book comes together in a different way. “Soul Healing Solace” came to me all at once. I wrote for 6 days straight, barely pausing to eat, drink or sleep. “Surrendering to the Music” began as a series of blog entries and gradually morphed into book form. “To My Daughter, with Love” was written when I realized my daughters were getting older and wouldn’t always be living under the same roof with me. It was an attempt to still be there for them even when we are apart, and to date it is the most heartfelt writing I have ever done.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Richard Paul Evans, Brene Brown, John Eldredge, Lew Wallace, Leo Tolstoy, Victor Hugo, Alexander Dumas, Emily Bronte
What are you working on now?
I’m working on a book titled, “Childlike Simplicity: Slowing Down, Letting Go, and Living with Wonder” that is a reminder of what matters most in life.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’ve had reasonable success releasing free e-books through the sites Lulu.com partners with.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Write what you love. Write for yourself first and your audience second. If you don’t love what you write, why will anyone else? Be absolutely authentic and people will sense your sincerity. Keep writing, no matter what happens. Marketing and financial success are great, but they are side effects of doing something meaningful. Don’t get caught up in trying to change the world; just put words on the page and fix them in later drafts. Perfect books never get written. There is only room in this world for imperfect ones.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
There are two stories that inspire me more than any other. The first is the story of a man who is walking on a beach. He sees in the distance someone stooping over and standing back up. As he gets closer, he realizes that the man is throwing starfish that have washed up on the shore back into the ocean. He tells the man that with so many starfish on so many beaches throughout the world, he can’t possibly make a difference. The man bends down, tosses a starfish into the ocean, and replies, “I made a difference to that one.” The second story is about a poor boy who finds a small mirror and delights in being able to use it to shine light in dark places. As he grows older, her realizes that the mirror is a metaphor for his life. The best advice I’ve ever heard is to shine light in dark places and to make a positive difference wherever you can, whenever you can.
What are you reading now?
Eckhart Tolle’s “Stillness Speaks,” Brene Brown’s “The Gifts of Imperfection.”
What’s next for you as a writer?
I have ideas for children’s books and may also write about creativity and my experiences teaching music lessons.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Ben Hur, Wuthering Heights, Stillness Speaks, Anna Karenina
Author Websites and Profiles
Gerry Baird Website
Gerry Baird Amazon Profile
Gerry Baird’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile