10 Book Writing Questions for Author Vicki Znavor
It was great fun interviewing Vicki Znavor on her new book, Authenticity Reawakened. Vicki spent four decades in corporate roles in Finance and Human Resources. She has been recognized by Crain’s Chicago Business as a Notable Leader in HR in 2020, by ALPFA as one of the Most Powerful Latinas in 2019, and by the International Association of Business Communicators. She is a graduate of Calumet College of St. Joseph and DePaul University’s Kellstadt Graduate School of Business. She also serves on the board of directors of several not-for-profit organizations devoted to furthering literacy, alleviating human suffering, and supporting the families of fallen first responders.
Vicki is a wife, mother, and grandmother who is passionate about bringing your true self to life and work so that you can realize your true purpose and experience great joy in life.
The 10 Questions
- What inspired you to write your book? I wanted to write about something that I felt made a difference in how I experienced work. Being authentic was something that I learned to be over time. I felt that it was important to share what I learned in over forty years of work with others.
- What was the biggest surprise you didn’t expect when writing your book? Writing a book is incredibly difficult; it takes more than just being a good writer?
- What was your work schedule like when you were writing your book? I treated each day as a workday so I often started writing at 9 am and ended at 5 or 6 pm every day.
- What does your book title mean? Authenticity Reawakened means that your authenticity evolves as you evolve as a human being. The subtitle “The Path to OWNING Your Life Story and Fulfilling Your Purpose” describes my feelings that your life experiences are instrumental in your core values and those values help inform your purpose.
- What did you hate most about writing your book? I didn’t really hate anything, but this was the first time in a long time that I felt like a complete novice. I quickly grasped just how much I didn’t know about writing a book and it was humbling. Looking back, this was an important lesson for me – that pushing through being a novice leads to learning that wouldn’t have occurred otherwise.
- What did you love most about it? I love writing and being creative. I loved that an idea would present itself (often while on a long walk) and then seeing that evolve into a meaningful chapter was such a wonderful experience. I also learned that I absolutely LOVE doing research. I am an introvert so spending time alone learning is fun for me.
- If you could magically write your next book right now what would it be? I’m not sure, but I think that the next book will be geared towards leaders and how they can bring more of their authentic selves to their leadership. I know it would make a difference.
- What are you most passionate about achieving right now with regards to the success of your book? I loved hearing from people that they’ve made decisions about their work after reading the book. My hope is that people will read the book and bring some of the concepts to life in their work. I love the face of someone who is doing the work they love in a way that feels authentic to them; there’s no better look. If I can help even a few people who have that lovely experience, that’s more than I could ask for.
- How has writing your book made you smarter with regards to the subject of your book? I didn’t intend to write about authenticity. The topic picked me. I didn’t pick it. As a result, I did a significant amount of research. I read hundreds of articles and books on the topic. I really appreciate people sharing their expertise and their passion for the topic.
- What advice would you give to an author writing their first book? Someone gave me the advice to write a very detailed outline and that helped a great deal. The same person told me to work with Melissa Wilson and that was great advice. New authors need someone to coach them through the process.BONUS: At the end of the day, was the journey of writing your book worth it? A thousand times “yes”! I learned so much about myself during the process.