Author Interview with Steve Boehlke

Today we're talking with Steve Boehlke, author of 50 Lessons on Leading for Those with Little Time for Reading



FQ: To whom or to what do you credit your own insight into leadership?


Human behavior never ceases to amaze me. What motivates or inspires others and how it happens has always intrigued me. I have gained the most insight into leadership by observing individuals’ behavior in diverse settings from top tier executives in global corporations to volunteers in rural communities of developing countries. I have learned the most by simply watching how people respond, seeking to notice and honor differences. While there is frequently the tendency to assume that leaders will have “answers” (and we often want or need our leaders to have all the answers), I have concluded from observing peoples’ responses, that more trust is established and deeper bonds are created by a leader asking powerful questions. I have always been curious, especially about leadership.


FQ: Being a good leader and helping others become good leaders are clearly different callings. How did you first become interested in teaching leadership?


For me interest in “teaching” leadership grew out of my experience of feeling like an “outsider” when I was younger. I doubt that many people who knew me perceived me as an outsider. While it was not an intentional decision in any given moment, over a period of years I began to realize that by definition a leader is often something of an “outsider”. I was curious how leaders establish the proper balance or tension between being “connected” to followers, and being “different”. Some measure of “distance” is necessary to see the possibilities and have the perspective that others do not share. Also, I was perplexed how leaders I knew could have so many “blind spots,” something which, of course, is human-all-too-human.


FQ: How can ordinary people, who do not find themselves often in leadership positions, benefit from the lessons in this book?


First, to confirm and reiterate what I write in the book, leadership is not a matter of position, though we are often conditioned to think that way. Mindset is the attitude or mental model that we bring to a given situation or set of circumstances. Anyone can make a difference if they choose to do so. That requires a mindset that is intentional and open to unexpected opportunities. Choosing to read and reflect, even meditate, on just one lesson a day can help establish a new mindset. Pick one lesson for a week (there are 50 lessons which just about carries the reader through a year). Write it on a post-it note and put it on your mirror. Watch for how others embody that lesson as you move through the week. More importantly notice how you could practice that lesson for yourself. If you actually try this, I suspect you will be quite surprised with results.


FQ: This is a great list of insights, and I can understand that you would want to share it with others. How did you first get the idea to present the list in this format?


Several related “nudges” took me in the direction of this format. The tipping point was when I received a book in the mail one day from Blurb, a self-publishing website. I had not ordered the book nor created it. I opened the package only to discover a proto-type of 50 Lessons, one lesson on each brightly colored-page. A good friend had submitted some of the lessons I had shared with him and had the proto-type published and sent to me. While it had none of the graphic elements now embodied in the book, I saw for the first time what it could be. A very talented graphic artist and his staff collaborated on the graphic representation. Friends and creative partners make all the difference.


FQ: Was it a difficult process to arrange the 50 Lessons visually? Were there some that were harder than others to create images for?


At one point I was thinking of using photographs to illustrate each lesson, but then I realized that would restrict or limit the reader’s imagination or associations with a particular lesson. In working with the graphics firm, we agreed we would work only with type face and lay-out as opposed to drawing pictures or using photos. Some lessons took more “drafts” than others; others just “popped”. The substantial amount of white space on most pages is aligned with our hope that the reader will create space to reflect and ponder on the lessons, maybe even jotting down notes and ideas on the pages of the book itself. Sometimes less is indeed more.


FQ: What do you see as the benefits of developing leadership skills?


Leadership skills cannot be developed and practiced in a vacuum. A compelling purpose or a higher cause prompts the aspiration to lead. At the same time, a crisis can become the occasion for one to exercise leadership skills that a person may not have even realized he or she possessed. The benefits are having the capacity to move others toward a common goal or achieve some purpose that is important, if not critical, to accomplish. Developing leadership skills is very much the art of self-development. It equips and empowers individuals with greater capacity to confront and embrace whatever life throws at them.


FQ: Do you believe that some people are born leaders? Or can anyone learn?


Some individuals indeed seem to have more natural ability to influence others or to lead. Everyone, however, can benefit from attending to their “blind spots” and honing their skills – whether communication style, work practices, or self-discipline. The greatest obstacle to learning leadership is limited self-awareness. Individuals who refuse or do not continue to grow in their understanding of themselves as a unique person cannot and will not develop as leaders. I believe anyone can learn leadership skills if they have the intent and willpower to grow and to practice. Leading one child may make all the difference in the world.


FQ: When is the right time to begin teaching leadership skills?


Being attentive to “teachable moments” whether a child’s behavior on a baseball diamond, a manager’s poorly communicated message, or a national tragedy is more important in terms of “timing” than chronological age. Leadership skills can be taught from the time a child learns the potential benefit of sharing toys. Parents are very powerful role-models and inevitably have an impact on how individuals relate to the world around them, across one’s life-span. Exercising curiosity and practicing creativity are very important aspects of continual growth as a leader; the groundwork for such activity is established at a very young age.


To learn more about 50 Lessons on Leading for Those with Little Time for Reading please visit our website and read the review at: Feathered Quill Book Reviews.

Friday Finds

Friday Finds is hosted

by Should Be Reading

The Story of Moses From surviving the wilds of the Texas Hill Country to a devastating battle with cancer, this is the story of Moses -- a beautiful, big, white dog who, from all indications, began his life as a livestock guard dog on a ranch in Texas (as do many dogs of his breed, the Great Pyrenees). Moses was taken in by a pet rescue group after having wandered onto a ranch in central Texas...homeless. After a few short months in foster care, Moses found his forever family and the road to immortality through their love and devotion. But, Moses' story is much, much more. It is the story of joy and hope and sorrow. It is the story of the wonderful dogs that came before, opening the door for Moses to walk through. It is the story of those left to remember and cherish. It is the story of survival in the midst of great loss-- of loving again, sheltering again, and living in the moment. It is knowing that, however painful, love remains and is the ultimate blessing.

Confessions of a Househusband is a comic account of the struggles, insecurities, and joys of being a stay at home father. It's the story of a man trying to maintain his masculinity while carrying a pink diaper bag over one shoulder, and staying sane after having watched his two hundredth episode of Barney. It asks the questions, When can a stay at home father have his first drink? Is SportCenter considered educational television? And most importantly, can a wife respect a man who makes no money, wears flip flops all day, and smells like Lemon Pledge?

The Absent Embrace is a shocking account of adolescent neglect, and yet, perseverance. At the impressionable age of twelve, Braedon Kuts was introduced to drugs by her mother, who tormented the household with her tyrannical outbursts, leaving Braedon relieved in the shadow of her neglect. She refused to buy food because "the pig" would eat it, Braedon's older brother Chancy, who brushed the face of death when starvation nearly claimed his life. Fighting sickness and hunger, Braedon resiliently trudged onward to survive. Her descent into an unsupervised life meant illiteracy, then deeper into drug addiction and delinquency. Ultimately, she finds solace and a certain measure of adult influence from an eclectic group of drifters who gather at a local coffee shop. Confused by push-pull emotions, she struggles with the desperate need to feel her mother's love, yet terrified of being verbally abused. In a voice far wiser than her years, Braedon recounts her story not to induce sympathy or amass pity, but instead to spread understanding and hope. Despite others' attempts to help her, Braedon broke free from her mother in her own way, in her own time. With this first book, Braedon relentlessly pedals the reader to every corner of her heart and mind-both the bruised and the untouched. This sobering story will awaken you to the privilege of every day conveniences, the corruption of drugs and an unforgettable spirit-a matchless account of resilience and bravery that you won't forget.

CPSIA Update

CPSIA Update: Testing Requirements Go Into Effect in February Unless Stay Is Extended 
By Karen Raugust 
Reprinted with permission of Publishers Weekly

As the children’s book industry approaches the two-year anniversary of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, which was enacted in August 2008 and went into effect February 10, 2009, it continues to face many unresolved issues.

 

The most pressing is that a one-year stay of enforcement of the Act’s third-party testing requirements is set to end this coming February 10, even though the Consumer Product Safety Commission has not yet clarified how that testing should be accomplished. “We’re very concerned about that,” says Dan Bach, executive v-p of the Book Manufacturers Institute. “No clear guidelines have been given about what is a reasonable testing program.”

 

After launching the process of developing testing and certification requirements last December with a working session attended by industry representatives, the CPSC has issued two rule-making documents, which were followed by many comments and suggestions for changes from industry groups. However, it has not issued its final rule yet. Several industries, including the children’s book publishing and printing industries, have petitioned for an extension of another year to allow not only for a final rule to be published but for the industries involved to understand that rule and put systems in place to implement it.

 

“If the stay isn’t extended, it will be complete chaos, not only for us but for all manufacturers of children’s products,” says Gary Jones, assistant v-p, environmental, health and safety affairs, Printing Industries of America. “We would have to rely on the legislative language, which leaves a lot to be desired.”

 

“This has been an issue that has been recognized and anticipated by the regulated industries for some time,” says Allan Adler, v-p for legal and government affairs at the Association of American Publishers. “By Thanksgiving it became clear that even if the regulations came out, there would be no time to adapt and comply. Whichever side you’re on politically with regard to the Act, the extension is only a question of fairness now, since the major regulations haven’t been issued.” The stay was one of the main topics of a Senate Subcommittee hearing on CPSC oversight in December.

 

If the stay is not extended, publishers of novelty and book-plus formats for children 12 and under, as well as some “ordinary” ink-on-paper or board books—including those featuring spot and PMS inks, film laminates, foils, plastic coils, saddle-stitching wire, or accessible non-animal-based adhesives—must be able to show a Certificate of Compliance for each batch of books printed. The CoC is meant to prove that an independent, accredited lab has completed tests to determine that the products contain acceptable levels of lead (100 parts per million as of August 2011).

 

Children’s books printed after 1985 and consisting of paper or board, process inks, threads, and animal-based and non-accessible adhesives are not required to test, as those components have been deemed unlikely to contain lead; the books still must be “safe” as outlined in the Act. As of last August, all children’s books (ordinary and novelty) must feature permanent tracking labels on the product and packaging to verify product origin.

 

In practical terms, publishers of toy-like book-plus and novelty titles already have testing procedures in place—many retailers, especially on the mass/discount side, have their own stringent requirements—and most say they are as ready as they can be, given the lack of direction from the CPSC, for the requirements to go into effect. But publishers of ordinary paper books have never been required to test. “We were not regulated prior to CPSIA,” Adler points out.

 

Another issue that remains open is the fact that books printed in 1985 or earlier are also included under the law, and testing these older books is impractical and prohibitively expensive. Libraries and sellers of used children’s books continue to lend and sell older books and have been told by the Commission that they do not need to test, although they could still face liability under the Act as it now stands. “The Commission has said that libraries are not the target of the Act, but we would like this to be resolved,” says Emily Sheketoff, executive director of the American Library Association’s Washington office. “Libraries are not interested in endangering children, but we’re also not interested in endangering their minds by not having books available.”

 

The industry continues not only to lobby the CPSC to exclude the remaining components of books from the testing requirements, but to push Congress to change the law. For example, it could exclude books entirely due to the low risk of lead contamination or give the CPSC more flexibility in granting exceptions. “The legislation needs to be fixed to give the CPSC the authority and comfort to exempt products in certain cases,” Jones says.

 

The new Republican-majority House of Representatives is likely to be more open to changing the Act. Rep. Jeffrey Fortenberry (R-Neb.) recently reintroduced House Resolution 272, which would amend the Act to exempt ordinary children’s books and printed materials. The proposed amendment was assigned to Committee on January 12. “We would be supportive of that,” Adler says of the amendment, “but we have no great expectations that it will pass.” He and other observers note that the Congress may be more apt to make legislative changes that improve the Act for all the myriad industries involved, rather than moving to exclude specific products.

 

Earlier this month, House staffers met with industry groups about the CPSIA. The staffers represented the new Republican members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, which oversees CPSIA and is now headed by Fred Upton of Michigan, as well as staffers for former Chair Henry Waxman and Mary Bono-Mack, incoming Chair of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade. If the House were to revise the Act, many observers believe the Democrat-controlled Senate might follow suit.

However, the House Committee has stated that other issues under its jurisdiction, notably health care, are priorities, meaning it may be difficult to get the CPSIA on the agenda in the near future. In addition, the timing of any hearings on the Act would likely depend on when the Commission issues its final rule on testing, as well as whether the stay of enforcement is extended and for how long. “Having a hearing on the implementation of the Act probably wouldn’t make sense until we have the final rule on testing and certification and until we know the time frame we will have to adapt and comply,” Adler says.

For more on the history of the Act and its ramifications for book publishers, click here.

Reviewer's Tip - How NOT to Impress Reviewers, Part 4

In our continuing "How Not to Impress Reviewers" tips, here are some more suggestions from another of Feathered Quill's reviewers.




What I hate - and it's not only coming from self-published books - I recently bought a Vince Flynn and a Clive Custler with this problem - there were SO many spelling and punctuation errors.  I think editors must have been fired lately.  It completely kills the reading experience for me.
 
Also, I know there are a lot of classes out there that tell writers to please be descriptive but some authors get carried away.  I read a book recently that used three pages to describe furniture in a room.  (And it wasn't a ghost story or a treasure hunt where you NEED to know what the room looks like.  It went on and on and on.)  Description is fine, but editing, again, would help.
 
One more - sometimes I think people use their synonym tab on Word or have a dictionary next to them because they'll say in one sentence - interesting, compelling, beguiling, etc.  Pick just one or two.
 
I hope this helps.
 
**By the way, I totally agree with imitations.  I know about Twilight but PLEASE stop with the vampires already...
 

Author Interview with Linda Boyden

Today we're talking with Linda Boyden, author of Giveaways: An ABC Book of Loanwords from the Americas


FQ: Let me start out with the fact that this book was the perfect match with the reviewer – a celebration of words…I love that! I noted that you read the dictionary for fun and entertainment, wasn't it hard narrowing down which words to use? How, exactly, did you pick just one for each letter of the alphabet?


Great question, Amy, and you are right…I did have a wrestling match on my hands with this issue. However, my primary resource book for this project was not the dictionary (though it was a vital secondary reference). What piqued my curiosity initially was a lovely and geeky book, O Brave New Words by Charles S. Cutler. This delightful read turned me on to the vast contribution Native languages have made to American English. As a “recovering” teacher, I knew very well that many of our place names and state names were derived form Native words, but I did not want to use any of them. I had to resort to one, though, Fani Lusa Bayou, for the “F” page because the sound of F is not contained in most Native languages.

Further, I selected words that reflected the vast geographic diversity I was working with, plus I wanted to vary the categories from animals and food to weather patterns and myths. BTW, readers will notice I have two S entries: I couldn’t chose between them, so I sent both to my editor, Clark Whitehorn at the University of New Mexico Press and his team for final approval and they surprised me by allowing both!


FQ: I realize that you live in California now, however you were published by the UNM Press. Have you ever lived in the Land of Enchantment? Living here, myself, I find that the Native American culture inspires people a great deal with their writing.


Sadly, I have never been lucky enough to live in New Mexico. I did get to visit Albuquerque for a weekend during a Wordcraft Circle (an international Native American writing organization) writing conference a few years ago and was utterly enchanted. I agree the Native influence there is strong, as well as the Hispanic influence, of course. By coincidence, the illustrator of my first book, The Blue Roses (recipient of Lee & Low Books’ first New Voices award, 2000), Amy Cordova (who recently won a Pura Bupre Honor Award for Fiesta Babies, written by Carmen Tafolla) lives in New Mexico. Her Southwestern style of illustrating brought my words to life.


FQ: Frank McCourt once said that when he came to the US and walked into the NYPL, that was “it” for him. He couldn’t believe they would allow him to sit and read all day. In your bio I read that you had a similar experience with your first library card…showing you your path…could you tell our readers a little about that?

At a 2010 storytelling performance at the Barnes & Noble, Reno NV. for
Powwow's Coming. Ms. Boyden is in her Cherokee Tear dress,
showing a sage bundle.

My hometown library is the Richards Memorial Library in North Attleboro, MA. It is still in operation and I visit when I go back east. I was a loner as a child and the library was my refuge. I’d walk there after school and on Saturdays and camp out in the Children’s Room to read, read, read! At that time, I read mostly fairy tales (The Red Fairy Tale Book, etc.) with a side order of the Bobbsey Twins and Little Women or anything that caught my eye. Every summer break my BFF and I would race to see how many library cards we could use up. This was in the late 1950s--60s when the dates of the checked out books were stamped on our library cards. I think one summer we each read over 50 titles and probably used up two or 3 cards.


As an adult, I still haunt my local library a few times a week. Nothing is more soothing than to wander the stacks and smell the good book smells. As author, Gary Paulsen says, “Read like a wolf eats.”


FQ: You write and illustrate children’s books, can you let us in on what the next one might be, or what project you’re working on now?


I am trying to cross genres and one of my current works-in-progress is a Middle Grade novel (for kids ages 8 & up) starring a twelve year old Cherokee boy who resents having to learn traditional Cherokee ways until he discovers he is the only one who can save his family, and maybe the whole world from dire circumstances. In it I weave contemporary Cherokee kids with traditional Cherokee customs and mythology. I also have an historical fiction biography and any number of picture book manuscripts in my queue. What I don’t have yet is an agent…sigh.


FQ: The research of these indigenous loanwords from North, South, and Central America was quite in-depth – even adding climates, first settlers, etc. Is your love of history as large as your love of words? (i.e. are you a history geek, too?)


Absolutely. I think in a previous life I was either an historian or a reference librarian. I love historical fiction and biographies of famous figures from the past. Did you know Richard the Lion-Hearted was wed to Berengaria of Navarre? She was reported to be of amazing beauty, though history records her as the queen who never set foot in England (there were crusades and Richard’s philandering to keep them separate). I wanted to give a daughter her beautiful name, but alas that got vetoed. Instead, one of our dogs received it.


FQ: On your website, and from your previous books, Native American culture is of great interest to you. Is that part of your own genealogical background?


Yes, though not enrolled in any Indian Nation, I am of Cherokee, Irish and French Canadian ancestries. I am a long time member of Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers & Storytellers, a great group of Native artists who work hard to keep Native storytelling traditions alive and well, as well as to provide a forum for Native writers. One of our goals is to return the gifts we have been given to others and particularly to the younger generation. Wordcraft Circle is committed to mentoring and supporting each other.


FQ: Book signings must be especially fun, because children are so inquisitive by nature. Can you tell us any stories about the kid's feedback? Is there something especially rewarding about writing for this age group?

Giveaways signing in Redding, CA

I spent the first half of my life as a primary teacher, and so helped set many kids on their paths to literacy. Moving into children’s literature was a no-brainer for me because I love both the field and the age group. The rewarding thing? Kids are honest readers: if a book doesn’t engage them, bam, it’s history! On the positive side, if a kid loves a book, s/he will tuck it with them under their blankets, read it till the pages wear out and share it with friends.


Giveaways is still so new I haven’t had many school visits with it yet. However, last year I took a few illustrations along as a sneak peek. One little guy kept touching the I is for Iguana picture and complained, “But it’s flat? What? Why? How come?”


I explained my medium, cut-paper collage, produces a 3-D effect that copies in flat 2-dimenson. Copies do have shadowy edges. Because kids are all about touchy-feely, when their fingers feel the flat surface, they become flummoxed.


A poignant feedback happened after I read my first book, The Blue Roses (Lee & Low Books, 2002) to a group in Hawai’i. A little girl came up and hugged me and said, “I love this book, Aunty, because Rosalie (my protagonist) looks just like me. See?”


Traditionally, books about Indians have not portrayed us in a positive light. I am proud that my works do two things: 1. They help to dispel the old stereotypes about Native Americans that are still prevalent today so non-Indian kids gain new knowledge and 2. Native kids read them and feel more positive about themselves and their traditions (e.g. my second book, Powwow's Coming (UNMPresss, 2007) introduces the powwow tradition to young readers).


FQ: I have to ask, because you certainly opened the door, do you have a favorite word?


So hard! It’s like asking me what’s my favorite book or movie! Probably the one word that has changed my life most is: IF…that tiny word contains a vast world of possibilities.



To learn more about Giveaways: An ABC Book of Loanwords from the Americas please visit our website and read the review at: Feathered Quill Book Reviews.

Advice on Finding a Reviewer

Excellent advice on finding reviewers on the internet.  Written by Irene Watson of ReaderViews.  10 Criteria for Finding Book Reviewers

Friday Finds

Friday Finds is hosted

by Should Be Reading

Healing and Transformation Through Self Guided Imagery Tapping into the heart's wisdom through creative visualization is an ancient practice, but today guided imagery is used as an adjunct to conventional medical therapies for health issues ranging from cancer and heart disease to post-traumatic stress disorder and addiction. This inspiring guide provides contemporary techniques for using it to transform moments of pain, emotional turmoil, and interpersonal conflict into opportunities for growth and self-realization.

Zor: Philosophy, Spirituality, and Science "Zor" explores the relationship between philosophy, spirituality, and science by asking one simple question; where do you turn when life's core beliefs become suspect? That is the dilemma confronting Jonathan Brewster, a middle aged money manager from Boston, whose "chance" meeting with a Haitian dwarf named Zor, spirals out of control. Forced to defend his life in a series of intense debates concerning negative ch'i, emotional addictions, neuron networks, placebos, vipassana meditation, the collective unconscious, laws of attraction, sub-atomic entanglement, Nietzche, metta, God, and happiness; John is reluctantly drawn to a new reality. Rising above his crisis of conscience he restructures his life for the greater good, only to be challenged by the ultimate betrayal.

Gift of the Magpie When Max falls in love with Regina--a magpie with a fetish for shoes--he thinks of the many ways to make her smile. The two spend the summer together, searching for food and footwear, while laughing until their feathers shake.
From cowboy boots to penny loafers and pearly pumps, Max hopes to find the perfect shoe for building a nest. But after he surprises Regina with an old sneaker, she takes flight. Brokenhearted, he joins a new flock, and Regina wonders if he will return. Will these two lonely love birds ever reunite? Janeen Mason's vibrant illustrations, set to warm backgrounds of blushing pinks and reds, are the perfect complement to this sweet love story.