It’s Meet the Author Monday! Each week we meet a new author and get to know a little about them, their writing process, publishing experience, and tips for other writers. Today we’re talking to Lynn Lok-Payne, author of Wake Up! Change Up! Rise Up!: Practical Tools for Personal Transformation.
About Lynn Lok-Payne:
Lynn Lok-Payne is an inspirational, self-help author, whose aspiration is to help others discover their inner voice and cultivate personal well-being through personal transformation. Her background is in wholesale and consumer goods with an emphasis in sales and marketing. When not writing, she can be found curled up with a good book, listening and dancing to music, wandering through nature, and traveling to new locales.
About Wake Up! Change Up! Rise Up!:
Thrust into overwhelming change? Discover ways to lean into the current and turn challenges into possibilities.
Stunned by life’s latest struggle? Shifting the path ahead but afraid of what you’ll find? Searching for a deeper purpose beyond the setbacks? Once set adrift by the sudden death of her husband and the sight of her house engulfed in flames, Lynn Lok-Payne aspired for something more effective than wishing it all away. And now she’s here to share the expert findings she’s put into action so you can finally navigate emotional minefields and emerge stronger than before.
Wake Up! Change Up! Rise Up!: Practical Tools for Personal Transformation is a clear-cut research compilation and workbook for people ready to put in the effort it takes to grow. By joining data with her own experiences and including an inspiring soundtrack, Lok-Payne lays out an easy-to-follow framework for hurdling heavy obstacles and stepping into your newest self. And by demystifying the impact of inner dialogue and reconnecting with your hidden truth, you’ll soon be standing tall and thriving.
In Wake Up! Change Up! Rise Up!, you’ll discover:
– How to let go of blame and shame so you can embrace the freedom to be yourself
– The healing benefits of gratitude and ways it can cultivate well-being
– Wise words and pertinent proof to inform and inspire
– Heartfelt affirmations, meditation, and writing exercises to keep you sharp
– A Tune Up! playlist for every chapter, how to heal through art, and much, much more!
Wake Up! Change Up! Rise Up!: Practical Tools for Personal Transformation is an empowering insight into the strength of growth. If you like focusing inward, reaching new heights, and achieving authentic contentment, then you’ll love Lynn Lok-Payne’s rousing book.
Buy Wake Up! Change Up! Rise Up! to refill your cup today!
Author Interview with Lynn Lok-Payne:
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- What are common traps for aspiring writers?
Chasing after the new shiny thing instead of just writing. It’s easy to get distracted with what authors need to do to market their books—where to post, which platforms to use, what classes to take, where to advertise, and the list goes on and on. So for me, I write first before I check social media or emails. Because once I do, then I can go down the rabbit hole and a half hour or an hour has gone by.
My tip: Write first, then do everything else later. This will make you feel you have accomplished something, because you have!
- Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
I would like my books to be related because after I have finished a book, I always think of something more to say. Plus, when I share my story, I get to hear other people’s stories and a connection is made. By sharing stories, we truly find out that we are more alike than we are different.
- What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?
Editing! First, find a writing group that is a good fit. They bring clarification to what needs to be changed, deleted, or added. Plus, it’s free. You also learn how to become a better writer through editing. Then, pay for a good book editor. Try to find one that works in your genre so they are familiar with what readers expect.
- As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
I have two: a phoenix rising from the ashes and a butterfly because both show us we can transform into something stronger.
- How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?
Three nonfiction, a children’s story, and about six picture books. When the inspiration comes, I jot it down because I know it can go away as easily as it comes in. If you have read Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, you know inspiration can jump from one person to another.
- What have you found is the best way to market your books?
Honestly, still trying to find the best platform. Amazon ads are okay, but I haven’t found the correct recipe yet. Book promo sites can help with sales and building your newsletter, but that takes time. When you are first starting out, building your email list is very important. I wish I would have concentrated on that earlier instead of working on other things.
- Do you view writing as a kind of spiritual practice?
Absolutely! Writing is healing. It helps to bring unspoken thoughts out into the open and some that we may not have even realized we had. Writing helps to connect to your inner self.
- Have you read anything that made you think differently about fiction?
The Midnight Library and American Dirt. Both could be nonfiction personal transformation stories. The first one could be a self-help memoir and the second, a memoir to remind us how easy our lives are compared to much of the world and to be grateful for what we have.
- What inspired you to start writing?
It’s hard to describe. It was more of a feeling, a pull that I had to write. I needed to get the words and thoughts down right at that moment. It didn’t feel like a choice but a need. And there were times I felt the inspiration flowed through me, not from me. Stephen King, Steven Pressfield, and Elizabeth Gilbert all call it a muse. I don’t know what my muse was, but it was helping me to write.
- Where do you get your inspiration?
It can come from anywhere. I can read an article, watch a movie, or someone could make a comment that has nothing to do with my writing, but it leads me to another thought, a different topic, and that makes my curiosity wander—what-if this is connected or could this example apply to my topic? Are they related? And if my writing seems stuck, a walk in nature usually brings in inspiration. Sometimes I have to step away from the computer and physically move to get the inspiration flowing again.
We are all made of energy and energy needs to move to work. I feel that is how inspiration works, too. Movement, whether mentally or physically, brings in more inspiration. That’s why curiosity is so important. It keeps our minds guessing and moving
To learn more about Lynn Lok-Payne, here’s where you can find her:
Website: lynnlokpayne.com
Social Media: @lynnlokpayne
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