HANNAH
HEMPENSTALL
- Guest Blogger, Healer & Editor -
G'day guys,
Today I introduce another Australian who is multi-skilled - Hannah Hempenstall. Hannah is an editor, blogger and healer. So, I've asked her to cover all three interests today. Thanks, Hannah ...
HANNAH THE BLOGGER:
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR BLOG’S JOURNEY.
I started writing my blog as a reaction to
a book I am editing. An author called Jacqueline Harrison sent me a draft of a
book called How To Create A Business From Nothing. It really resonated with me
so I sent her a suggestion that I follow the advice in her book as I edit and
write about it in a blog. The idea was that if I was successful, the blog would
be testament to her book as well as a great for pre-launch marketing.
WHAT IS THE AIM OF YOUR BLOG?
The underlying theme is to see if I can go
from being $12k in debt to becoming a millionaire by following the advice in
Jacqueline’s book. However, the blog is really displaying the emotional
processes I go through on a daily (or so) basis.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT BEING A
WRITER?
Writing is something I have loved since I
was a child. As a reader I adored losing myself in my imagination that was
triggered by the books I read. Writing just seemed to follow. I find writing
cathartic, expressive and therapeutic. Some people cook, I write.
WHAT IS THE HARDEST THING ABOUT BEING A
WRITER?
Deadlines. I set my own deadlines for my
blog but when I’m writing for a magazine or working on a book I sometimes
struggle with the fact my body says do one thing (like go for a walk) and my
deadline says sit down and write!
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON AT THE MOMENT?
Cherryblossombutterflycakes.blogspot.com is
my current baby. Anything you want to know about me you’ll find on there! And
more!
WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
People. The way we operate and the hows and
whys of our behaviour never fail to fascinate and inspire me.
ARE YOU A WRITER?
I’m not an author but I’ve worked on books
that have involved writing some of the content. I’ve also been a magazine
journo since 1993. I’ve written for titles such as OK!, Mindfood, Prevention,
FHM, New Woman, Jetstar and Smash Hits.
DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS FOR NEW WRITERS?
My tip for new writers is to find a mentor
who will guide you through the principles of writing. I was lucky enough to
have a fantastic editor on the first magazine I worked for. Dominic Smith was a
gifted man with a lot of patience. I used to sit next to him as he edited my
articles. He’d explain why he was changing the structure or deleting or adding
words and it taught me a lot about the craft of writing. If it wasn’t for him,
I wouldn’t be where I am now.
DO YOU SUFFER FROM WRITER’S BLOCK?
I’m lucky that I don’t really have this
problem but I know it’s common among book authors. I know some people say to
push through it, but my advice is to do something else. Go where the joy is and
take the day off. Or, if you’re one of my clients, I tell them to call me! I
have a knack of getting authors back in their joy zone and ready to write
again!
DO YOU HAVE A PREFERRED WRITING SCHEDULE?
Personally I’m a morning person and I start
work at 7am and go through till around 10am.
I usually take a short break and then come back to it at 11 or 12 till
3, take another break and then from 5 or 6 through to 8 or even 9pm. I like to
break up my time at the desk with a walk, a swim or some yoga. I can’t bear to
sit down all day, it dampens my creativity and my soul!
DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE WRITING PLACE?
I write
my blog either sitting on the floor in my lounge room or on my balcony. Funny
you should ask though, because I often plot my blog while I’m walking then when
I get home I sit and write. If I’m thinking of feature ideas I can’t do it at
home, I take my laptop and sit in a café somewhere. I find moving location
unlocks different things for me.
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST JOY IN WRITING?
Spilling emotions onto a page is such a
joy. When I get positive feedback from someone who has read my words, my heart
smiles and sings!
WHAT’S THE GREATEST COMPLIMENT YOU EVER
RECEIVED FROM A READER OF YOUR BLOG?
I’ve only received a few comments but they
have all been from people saying how brave and touched they are by my honesty
and insight.
WHAT WAS THE WORST COMMENT FROM A READER?
A friend of mine asked if I was OK with
bearing my soul on my blog. I said I wouldn’t do it if I wasn’t! Thankfully,
that’s the closest I’ve had to a negative comment.
WRITERS ARE SOMETIMES INFLUENCED BY THINGS
THAT HAPPEN IN THEIR OWN LIVES. ARE YOU?
My life has been and continues to be an
ongoing journey of endless amazement and fascination for me. I am a firm believer
that the worst things that happen to us all hold a cloud of gold within them
and I have plenty of clouds I can tell you! I’m lucky that my life is so
colourful and I endeavour to continue writing about it.
OTHER THAN WRITING, WHAT ELSE DO YOU LOVE?
Yoga is my passion and my life.
IF YOU HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO THE
ENTIRE WORLD, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY?
Go where the joy is.
IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND WITH
ONE PERSON, WHO WOULD YOU LIKE IT TO BE? WHY?
My mum. There’s so much I don’t know about
her so it would be the perfect opportunity for me to let down my walls and talk
to her. From a sneaky viewpoint it would also mean she’d have nowhere to hide
so she’d have to answer my never ending stream of questions which drive her
mad!
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE?
To become a millionaire, marry an
inspirational speaker and live in Hawaii!
HANNAH THE EDITOR:
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR BOOK-EDITING
JOURNEY.
My
editing career began in magazines. I started out as an editorial assistant and
worked my way up the ranks. After a break from magazines I decided I wanted to
shift into books. Luckily for me it happened quite easily.
WERE YOU A GOOD READER AS A KID?
There were three things I loved most as a
kid: reading, doing handstands and eating cherries. Today I still love to read
and regularly do handstands as part of my daily yoga practice and if cherries
are in season then you bet I’ll have red lips!
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT BEING AN
EDITOR?
Building a relationship with an author is
my favourite part of editing. People are what fascinate me and I love being
part of an author’s journey toward getting a book out into the world.
WHAT IS THE HARDEST THING ABOUT YOUR JOB?
The length of a manuscript compared with a
magazine article is still a challenge for me. Also, the fact that I have three
arms to my business: writing, editing and healing, can make life tricky
WHAT WERE YOU IN A PAST LIFE, BEFORE YOU
BECAME AN EDITOR?
Before I got into publishing I worked as an
office temp. I left school at 16 and wanted to work in as many places as
possible. I loved the freedom of turning up a different place each week and
having to learn new things. My publishing career began when I was 21 and I
became an editor at 27.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BEST BOOKS YOU HAVE EDITED?
WHY?
My favourite books have been Dying To Be Me
by Anita Moorjani and The Top Five Regrets of the Dying by Bronnie Ware. I
didn’t edit them as such. I proofread them for Hay House for Australian release
so they had already been fully edited. I was filled with so much joy ad emotion
as I read them, I cried, which is something not many people experience!
WHAT ARE YOU READING AT THE MOMENT?
I usually have a few books on the go at
once. Currently I’m reading Why Men Are Easy by that’s mainly for research as
I’m currently pitching articles to a variety of health mags. I’m also reading
Fifty Shades of Grey, again for research as one of the authors I’m working with
is writing an erotic fiction title and I don’t have much experience in that
genre. I’m also currently reading The 8th Habit by Steven Covey.
He’s amazing and I generally have at least one self-help book in the mix.
WHAT INSPIRES YOU AS AN EDITOR?
Helping an author overcome a creative or
emotional block. That is my life’s work I think.
WHAT GENRE’ DO YOU PREFER TO EDIT? WHY?
I have been devouring the self-help genre
for years as a reader so that’s where I specialise. I know the subject and
genre really well so I tend to attract titles in that field.
WHO ARE YOUR FAVOURITE AUTHORS?
I have so
many favourite authors but Richard Bach and Neale Donald Walsch spring to mind.
Bach because his books introduced me to the idea that the world is not as we
know it and Walsch because his Conversations With God trilogy articulated what
I had felt was the truth about God, for years.
WHAT’S THE GREATEST COMPLIMENT YOU EVER
RECEIVED FROM A WRITER?
Hedley Galt is an author I’m currently
working with and she often sends me messages saying she couldn’t do her job
without me and that she appreciates me championing her book. That goes right to
my heart.
WHAT WAS THE WORST COMMENT FROM A WRITER?
The worst comment was an email I got saying
the manuscript still had loads of mistakes. I nearly died! I had only read the
manuscript once and I hadn’t thought to articulate that each book ought to be
read at least five times before going to print. This particular series of books
had a really tight deadline so errors were missed. That was in my early career
as a book editor and I’ve learned to now allow for multiple proofreads and also
subcontract each book for an external proof in order to cover all bases. If a
book has a super tight deadline that doesn’t allow for a complete edit then I
probably won’t take it on.
HANNAH THE HEALER:
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR PROFESSIONAL
JOURNEY.
When I
moved to Australia from London I was working in magazine publishing and had
little knowledge of natural therapies. One day I passed a natural health
college on my way to work. I felt called to investigate so I went in at
lunchtime, and signed up to do a reflexology diploma on the spot. I had found
my calling!
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT YOUR WORK?
Seeing the change in someone from when they
arrive to when they leave is incredibly rewarding. A relaxed and happy face (or
even tears of release) bring a smile to my heart every time. During a session I
will inevitably receive intuitive messages about the person which 9/10 times
are validated when we debrief. That also never ceases to amaze and inspire me.
WHAT IS THE HARDEST THING ABOUT YOUR WORK?
People not turning up for their sessions!
As a therapist you can only be with one client at a time and managing your
diary is paramount. If someone doesn’t show up and worse, doesn’t even let you
know, you are left with an hour gap with no client and no income for that time.
It’s frustrating.
WHAT WERE YOU IN A PAST LIFE? BE SPECIFIC.
Are
you’re literally talking about past lives? I often “see” people’s past lives
when I do healings so I’m going to answer from the literal perspective
(controversial!). I’ve been a young girl in Tibet, a roller skater in
California and a host of other people. Not sure I want to expand on that out of
context but believe me I have some interesting stories!
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO CHANGE DIRECTION?
I guess
I wanted to explore the ability to heal both myself and others that I intuitively
knew I had. When I began to learn about reflexology, Reiki and other natural
therapies it felt like something I was supposed to do. Same with writing.
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT?
Waking up with joy almost every day. It’s
been a long hard road and I am astounded at the inner strength I have.
WHAT BOOKS DO YOU READ?
I
recently read Vagina by Naomi Wolf. I think every man and woman on this earth
should read that book. Mostly I read self-help books. I find the never ending
job of self-improvement challenging, thrilling and compelling.
DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS FOR US UNHEALTHY
PEOPLE?
Get outside, walk on a daily basis and be
kind to yourself. No need to sweat the small stuff, the rest of it will fall
into place in good time.
WHO DO YOU ADMIRE MOST? WHY?
I admire
anyone who has the courage to speak from their heart. It takes a lot to stand
up for what you believe when the majority tells you it’s wrong. In my opinion,
the truth is the truth whether we believe it, or not.
Clancy's comment: Mm ... told you Hannah was multi-skilled. Go, Hannah! Thanks for a great interview.
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