Interview with IndieReader
Earlier in the year, IndieReader (IR) provided this review for because. Since the book received a 4-star review, IR invited me to participate in their “All About the Book” interview which they just posted on the IndieReader.com site.
because received a 4 star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
Following find an interview with author Jack A. Langedijk.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
because was published in September 2014.
What’s the book’s first line?
“I’m not supposed to be here!”
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”?
After a tragic accident on Mt. Everest, Roberto, a professional mountain climber and motivational speaker, is now faced with the toughest adventure of his life. This is an inspiring story about Roberto saving his career and his marriage while struggling with his own ideals and morals.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
It’s funny how often that the question is asked: “What inspired you to do this or that?” One thing for sure is that we can find inspiration in thousands and thousands of ways and I’ve been inspired so many times in my life to take action and yet, more often than not, I was never was able to achieve what originally inspired me. It’s really hard to make that inspiration to stick around long enough to see you through the completion of most things. I mean how long does any inspiration stay alive inside you?
It was only in the last couple of years I discovered that what makes inspiration stick. You see, a couple of years ago I was asked to do a motivational/inspirational talk to 500 leadership students. But I got stuck, really stuck. How do I motivate and inspire 500 completely unique human beings at the same time?
I had been inspired to write a book many times in my life and failed every time. Why? When I was asked to do that talk, I had already been writing because for six months. So what was different this time? Why was the inspiration sticking? What was the reason? It was PURPOSE! I know it sounds simple, but I had a very clear purpose to write this book and that purpose kept the inspiration alive!
So to answer your question: What was my inspiration to write this book? Well, after facilitating hundreds of workshops and sharing experiences with thousands of human beings, I knew I had a story that I want to share—a story I truly believed was worthy to be heard and read. I wrote the book because it comes from the passion of my life and work outside of acting and directing: that is to help my fellow human beings feel happy, empower them and create healthier environments to live and work in. The story comes from all the experiences of my life—what I have learned and what I still have to learn. I hope it is read with a spirit of wanting to look at one’s self. And as Bertolt Brecht, who was known for writing and performing plays that were always about intense political social issues, once said, “Regardless of what the issues I’m trying to convey—one thing I think we as writers, actors, directors have—is we must first try to entertain for if we fail at that we will fail to get our message across.” So yes, I tried to follow Brecht’s advice and attempted to create a story that’s engaging and entertaining as well as meaningful.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
Although because is a fictional story about a tragic period of one remarkable man’s life, its message helps us better understand and appreciate different perspectives and choices when we face change, a challenge, or hardship. The book depicts my core belief that our happiness and purpose in life is always going to come out of how we relate to others. If we talk, share more and truly listen, we will not be going through our own journey alone. If someone wants to come out a better person through change then they should really read this book.
