Today we have the pleasure of meeting up with author Howard Brown to talk about Shining Brightly (27 September 2022, Read the Spirit Books, 360 pages), a Memoir.
"The golden light of hope that Howard weaves throughout his stories of triumph and tragedy is a contagious gift, calling all of us to share our own gifts of hope!" ~ Jenny Mulks, Founder of Circle of Hope Cancer Support
"Shining Brightly is a roadmap to dreaming big and dealing with life's difficulties head on! This memoir is an inspirational guide to anyone dealing with hardships in their lives." ~ David Infante, 3 Gorilla Films
|| Synopsis || Trailer || Teaser: KCR Preview || Author Q&A || About the Author || Giveaway & Tour Stops ||
A very warm welcome to Howard Brown; thank you for joining us on BooksChatter!
What compelled you to write Shining Brightly?
Can you share with us a favourite passage?
Thank you very much for sharing, Howard. We hope you are having a great tour!
A memoir of resilience and hope by a two-time cancer survivor, Silicon Valley entrepreneur and interfaith peacemaker
Shining Brightly
"As a 2-time stage IV cancer survivor – I am blessed, grateful and lucky to be alive. My purpose now is to motivate, educate and inspire."What was one of the most surprising things you learned in writing this book?
"When I contacted hundreds of friends and mentors and family members to interview them for this memoir, they wound up enjoying it as much as I did! I thought they were doing me a big favor by spending time with me in interviews and background research. As it turned out, they loved it and now they feel they’re also a part of this book."Why should we read Shining Brightly and what sets you apart from the rest?
"Need hope? In Shining Brightly, you’ll find keys to resilience and to rediscovering the hope in your own life.What has been your greatest challenge in writing Shining Brightly? What was the hardest part to write?
This memoir is unique because it covers three major areas: Cancer survivorship (I’m a two-time survivor of stage IV cancer), mentorship and entrepreneurial spirit (I was one of the early Silicon Valley pioneers), and interfaith peacemaking (my behind-the-scenes work has helped to promote peace both in the U.S. and around the world).
There’s no other book like it on the market and, when my book first appeared for pre-sale, we saw “No. 1 new release” banners on Amazon especially for the cancer themes in this book. It’s unique and it’s clearly inspiring readers already."
"My discovery that this process would take far longer than I ever imagined was my biggest challenge.
The hardest chapter to write in this book was a chapter about the joys of playing basketball, because sports is a key to resilience for so many men and women. The editor I was working with was a complete non-sports guy so I had to keep explaining the basics of basketball. That was our biggest challenge."
Have you ever stopped to think about your life? I mean, have you ever set aside time to reflect on the meaning and purpose of your life?
I have.
I decided to take stock after years as a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, a mentor to college students, an interfaith peace advocate—and a cancer whisperer to other patients after having survived two long-shot bouts with cancer myself. After fully expecting to die more than once in my life, I wondered: Why am I still standing? Who helped me? And then: What can I share to help inspire people to build their own resilience?
As you will learn in the true stories in this book, one key to resilience is not trying to tackle life on your own. We are always at our best when we draw other people around us and, right there, you’ve got a central theme of this book.
That leads to the questions: How do we draw people around us? How do we make and keep friends? How do we build a community? How can each of us contribute to our families, our friends and to the larger world?
Answering those questions will give you hope and will lead you to greater strength, love and joy in your life. Taking those questions to heart will help your light shine brighter in this often very dark world.
I set out on my journey in an unusual way that you will discover in these pages—and may want to try yourself. Over a two-year period, I sought out people who had played a significant role in my life—from camp counselors and basketball coaches I knew as a kid to family and friends to business and community leaders to some of the world’s top faith and health professionals. Because my quest unfolded during the COVID pandemic, I met these more than 100 men and women via Zoom.
And here’s the biggest surprise: Everyone loved the experience. While they were doing me a favor—and I am thankful for everyone who shared stories with me—the truth is: Most of them enjoyed the experience as much as I did.
That’s why I am confident you will enjoy this adventure, too, and you may decide by the end of the book to set out on such a quest yourself. No matter how you choose to reflect on your life’s purpose, I hope this book fans your inner flame so you can shine ever more brightly.
I have.
I decided to take stock after years as a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, a mentor to college students, an interfaith peace advocate—and a cancer whisperer to other patients after having survived two long-shot bouts with cancer myself. After fully expecting to die more than once in my life, I wondered: Why am I still standing? Who helped me? And then: What can I share to help inspire people to build their own resilience?
As you will learn in the true stories in this book, one key to resilience is not trying to tackle life on your own. We are always at our best when we draw other people around us and, right there, you’ve got a central theme of this book.
That leads to the questions: How do we draw people around us? How do we make and keep friends? How do we build a community? How can each of us contribute to our families, our friends and to the larger world?
Answering those questions will give you hope and will lead you to greater strength, love and joy in your life. Taking those questions to heart will help your light shine brighter in this often very dark world.
I set out on my journey in an unusual way that you will discover in these pages—and may want to try yourself. Over a two-year period, I sought out people who had played a significant role in my life—from camp counselors and basketball coaches I knew as a kid to family and friends to business and community leaders to some of the world’s top faith and health professionals. Because my quest unfolded during the COVID pandemic, I met these more than 100 men and women via Zoom.
And here’s the biggest surprise: Everyone loved the experience. While they were doing me a favor—and I am thankful for everyone who shared stories with me—the truth is: Most of them enjoyed the experience as much as I did.
That’s why I am confident you will enjoy this adventure, too, and you may decide by the end of the book to set out on such a quest yourself. No matter how you choose to reflect on your life’s purpose, I hope this book fans your inner flame so you can shine ever more brightly.
A memoir of resilience and hope by a two-time cancer survivor, Silicon Valley entrepreneur and interfaith peacemaker
Shining Brightly
Available NOW!
1 comment:
Thanks for hosting!
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