Our featured author is someone who strives to improve people's lives through his books.
Meet GABRIEL CONSTANS, Ph.D., counselor, educator, writer and author of
A BRAVE Year: 52 Weeks Being Mindful.
Tell us something about the man, Gabriel Constans. Who are you?
That is the question. Who am I, really? I grew up in Northern California and discovered many years ago that I could be something, or somebody, different from my conditioning and expectations, of the small conservative lumber town within which I lived. My life now includes children (through birth and adoption) here in The States, and supporting a number of youth at an orphanage in Rwanda. I’m still discovering who I am, or rather who I am not.
And who's the writer? How was "A BRAVE Year: 52 Weeks Being Mindful" conceived?
“A BRAVE Year” is the culmination (or beginning) of many years of teaching mental health and meditation to people in a variety of environments (hospital, hospice, counseling, health and recovery centers, jail, prisons, etc.). I’ve learned so much, from so many people, it only seems right to share what I can.
What do you hope to achieve by writing this book?
I want to make these classes available to anyone who might be interested, and easily accessible to obtain and practice. My hope is that people who might never be able to pay for a retreat, or extended practice, or have contact with teachers of mindfulness, will be able to bring these life changing exercises into their daily lives.
Is there a book or author that inspired you to be a writer?
The first book that inspired me to meditate, and write nonfiction, was Be Here Now by Baba Ram Dass, back in 1970. Isabelle Allende’s House of Spirits motivated me to write fiction, as did Nora Zeale Hurston’s There Eyes Were Watching God and Alice Waters' The Color Purple.
Where can they buy a copy of "A Brave Year"?
Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/ybpa9hzd
Paperback: http://tinyurl.com/yanhk8n2
Are you releasing a new book anytime soon?
Not presently, though I’ve been asked to do so by a previous publisher. I’m spending most of my writing time contacting producers and filmmakers to produce my scripts (two of which are adapted from my books).
What do you love about being an author?
I’ve always enjoyed meeting, being with, and exploring life, with other people. It is ironic that something as solitary as writing, has also been a path to meet a lot of other writers, and those involved in the writing/publishing business. That is what I love most. A close second, is when something I imagine, or envision, comes out on the written page just as I saw it.
What is your message to readers?
I hope you will consider getting a copy of “A B.R.A.V.E. Year”, not for me to make money (as that will be very little, and not my primary motive), but because I believe the contents will be of some help to you, and those you love.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us.
Like the rest of the body, it’s good to exercise the mind. Daily exercise, and meditation, has been shown to increase health, by decreasing stress, which allows the body (and mind) to naturally release endorphins, relax and heighten awareness. This book has fifty-two sessions. It takes courage, bravery, to honestly witness what we discover, inside and out, without turning away or getting caught in the content. It is a brave act to allow oneself to be still, if even for a moment, to look at one’s present experience, and not be doing something.
AUTHOR'S BIO:
Gabriel's latest works of fiction are THE LAST CONCEPTION and ZEN MASTER TOVA TARANTINO TOSHIBA: THE ILLUSTRIOUS AND DELUSIONAL ABBESS OF SATIRE. Previous fiction includes BUDDHA'S WIFE, SAINT CATHERINE'S BABY, THE SKIN OF LIONS, and JUST A HEARTBEAT AWAY.
He has written for numerous magazines, newspapers and journals throughout North America, Europe, Africa and Asia; has 14 books published in the U.S. and continues to write fiction, non-fiction and screenplays. His latest work of non-fiction is A B.R.A.V.E. YEAR: 52 WEEKS BEING MINDFUL.
Dr. Constans has worked as a trauma counselor in a variety of situations and environments, most notably with local and international non-profit organizations such as hospice, the coroner's office, hospitals, state prisons, the Center for Street Children and the Ihangane Project (both in Rwanda).
His classes on grief, loss, hope and transformation, can be found at The Figley Institute and Quantum Continuing Education Online.
Gabriel's favorite writers include Deena Metzger, Isabel Allende, Wallace Stegner, Toni Morrison, Bell Hooks, Zora Neale Hurston, Dave Eggers, Ann Petry, Carlos Ruiz Zafon, Alice Walker, Barbara Kingslover, Joan Tewkesbury and James Bladwin.
Connect with Gabriel Constans:
No comments:
Post a Comment