Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I just published my first book. The closest I had come to writing a book before was in academia as I wrote my thesis and then my doctoral dissertation. I think I have a curious mind, which has led me to study many fields and develop a multi-disciplinary perspective on things. I have studied several fields both academically and more informally, but always reaching advanced degrees. I have also lived in different countries, learned from different cultures and through all that, developed a particular take on things. I have been very fortunate and I feel I have come to a point where I would like to share more of my perspective on the things I am interested about.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My book is called Grow into investing wisdom: A psychosocial guide to building wealth through personal development.
I was inspired to write on the topic because I think that in order to become a successful investor, a person needs to acquire technical knowledge. But that is easy. There are countless schools, courses via many channels, books and other resources that can teach someone about investing. However, there is an important aspect that has not been attended to enough. The psychological and emotional development that needs to happen to be able to support the intellectual development is the core of what allows someone to become a sound investor.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know what I would call unusual. I think each writer has personal preferences about when and where to write. In my case, I need to be alone, in a quiet space and without being interrupted.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I spent so many years in academia reading mostly theories, research and academic papers, I think that is my main influence. Freud, Erikson, Jung, Winnicott, Klein, Kahneman, Gladwell, are some of the main book authors that have made a mark. However, these days I read mostly financial research every day.
What are you working on now?
I am currently pondering a couple of ideas, I’m not writing yet. But all the ideas I have at the moment are inspired by my background in business and psychology. My writing serves me as a vehicle to integrate both areas and hopefully it also helps others develop a distinct perspective.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I don’t really have any previous experience promoting books since this is my first one. So far, I think what has worked best has been talking to family, friends and professional networks and at the same time asking them to promote the book as well with their own networks.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
I’m a new author myself! I had only published academic papers before this book, but I always think that if someone has a clear idea for a book, it should be written. Simply because when something is important for someone it surely holds value for someone else. The idea might have been said before, but the context changes and that is enough to make the idea worth being written.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I think the best advice you can get is relative to the context. What was the best advice I’ve ever heard when I was a teenager is irrelevant today. Just like the best advice I heard recently would have been absurd when I was a kid. However, the best advice I heard recently was to benchmark myself with the best in class.
What are you reading now?
I’m currently reading The God equation by Michio Kaku.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I would like to come to a decision about the ideas I’m considering and get back to writing!
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?
If I was stranded on desert island, I don’t think I’d be doing much reading! and if was going to read something, I would want it to be practical knowledge on surviving on a desert island. Having said that, if I was going to isolate myself in beautiful beach resort and I could bring 3 or 4 books with me, I would probably do a lot of research before going to find the most interesting books could find. I don’t really like re-reading books unless I’m consulting something in particular to use as a reference.
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