Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hello! I’m a skeptical enquiring mind who loves to learn, and I also like to share what I’ve learned with others! Mind Files is my first book.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The full title of my book is Mind Files: Perception, Perspective & Problems. I’ve faced a lot of challenges in this life so far, and I know how hard it is to let go of resentment, blame and anger, and truly leave it all behind you. I read a lot of self-help books over the years. All of them – in their own way – taught me a little bit about the healing path, but I always felt like there was something missing. I’m an analytical brain so I needed to know exactly what I needed to do to leave all that negative stuff behind. Positive affirmations all by themselves did nothing for me except fool me into thinking that I had left all the resentment, blame and anger behind.
Just when I thought I had all the answers, my brother committed suicide and I found myself way back down in the depths of all of it again. I was angry, frustrated, depressed, you name it! About a year after that, my health started to rapidly deteriorate, and I realized that everything I thought I had learned and left behind was really only on the surface. I had to start all over again and figure out how to get rid of all that much floating around inside my head once and for all.
When I finally did get through all of it, I knew I had to share what I had learned with others.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I honestly have no idea!
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Wow – I don’t even know where to begin with this one! I’ve always read a lot! I’m big into mythology, metaphysics and philosophy. I’m a huge fan of Carl Jung, so I’ve read a lot of his work, and some newer psychologists as well – like Robert Holden, Paul Ekman, and Ellen J. Langer . Joseph Campbell was a huge influence on me! I stumbled on a series of interviews he did on PBS, and I was instantly intrigued! I starting reading Campbell’s books one by one and I finally understood what I had always kind of ‘known’ but couldn’t explain to people about the mystery of the entity we call God! In the self-help genre, I love Caroline Myss and Louise Hay! A Course in Miracles made a lot of sense to me. It touched me in a way that no other Spiritual text had, so when I finally read that book, I really began to heal.
What are you working on now?
Well, I’ve just self published my first book, so I’m anxious to get that out to people. I teach a workshop that takes people through the steps outlined in the book, so those are my two main focuses right now.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Again, I’ve just begun this journey so I can’t really answer this yet, but I’ll be sure to let everyone know when I know!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t let other people’s ideas, criticisms, or doubts creep into your mind. Write the book you want to write.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Stay true to yourself! I know it’s a cliché, but it is absolutely true!
What are you reading now?
I’m reading Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Nietzsche
What’s next for you as a writer?
I plan to do a follow up book called Inside the Mind Files, that will go into detail about the conclusions people tell themselves and how to move passed each one.
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?
I would take – A Course in Miracles, The Hero With a Thousand Faces and Carl Jung’s Red Book
Author Websites and Profiles
Penny Hodgson Website
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