During a coaching session with one of my clients, I asked her the following: "When it comes to publishing your book, how do you define success?"

This got me thinking about how I currently define success when it comes to my own publishing journey.

When I first started writing short stories and novels, I had this grand dream of becoming the next Stephen King.
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I dreamt that my books would sell in the millions and that I would be rich and famous.
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Almost twenty years later, I no longer care about being rich and famous, although I don't mind being the next Stephen King.
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What I care about mostly is my books leaving an impact, giving some readers different perspectives, and moving them in some way or another.
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If my books manage to do that to just a few people, then I'm a successful writer.
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The rest of it, the fame, the glory, the money, is just noise, and if it happens, then fine, it's just the icing on the cake.
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So folks, keep creating. That's what matters. The rest is just a bonus.

Keep the spark!

PS: I'm selling the E-book version of my novel They Called Me Wyatt for only $2.99. Grab it here if you want to read a speculative literary murder mystery set between Jordan and the US.

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🖼️ Photo of the week

🤩 Things that wowed me

🎥 YouTube: Booktuber Jack Edwards has a video about the ethics of ghostwriters, and as a ghostwriter myself, I was intrigued. The video discusses the prevalence of ghostwriting in the celebrity world. Edward also argues that ghostwriting is not inherently unethical, but it is essential to be transparent about the process and to ensure that the ghostwriter is appropriately credited.
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🎙Podcast: For Arabic speakers, I love the podcast of my good friend Bardees Smairat, who has enriched my life in so many ways. I enjoyed listening to her podcast episode on the importance of the weekly review. I am trying to become more consistent in doing my weekly review using Michael Hayat's "Full Focus Planner."​

📚 Book: One of the best books I have read this year is The Many Lives of Mama Love by Laura Love Hardin, which chronicles a soccer woman's descent into opioid addiction, identity theft, and her transformative journey from prison to becoming a New York Times bestseller co-writer and establishing her literary agency. This raw memoir illuminates the power of resilience, forgiveness, and overcoming immense obstacles. I made an Instagram reel on the book here.​

🎁 Author Bradley Charbonneau is offering the readers of this newsletter a 25% discount on his writing program, "Book in a Weekend." Charbonneau is highly knowledgeable and a prolific writer. I interviewed him on my podcast last week and will release the episode soon. You can grab your discount here.

✍🏻 Quote:

🎙️ Read and Write with Natasha

🎙️ Tina Erwin, who refers to herself as a "ghost helper," is the author of eight influential books on metaphysics.

I had the chance to talk to her to discuss the unique gifts that allow her to bridge the gap between the living and the spiritual realm. During our interview, we discussed the following:

• Psychic encounters: Erwin shares moving tales of her interactions with the spiritual world, including a touching encounter with the spirit of her six-year-old niece.
• Academic insights: Drawing from her diverse educational background in management, sociology, psychology, and industrial relations, Erwin offers fresh perspectives on reincarnation, premonitions, and the application of psychic gifts.
• Facing skepticism: Being openly psychic has come with challenges, from skepticism to its influence on her relationships.
• Leveraging skills: Tina's extraordinary naval career saw her leveraging her psychic skills in counter-terrorism efforts.

This episode dives deep into the blend of the mystical and the practical.

🎧 You can listen to the full episode here.

✍🏻 Content creation

I have been extremely busy with client work (a good problem. to have) that I have not done much creative writing, but here is what I have for this week:

• ​A quick LinkedIn post about a life hack that saved me time and helped me get things done.
• My podcast "Read and Write with Natasha" is now a permanent feature on the Jordan News daily website.​

Connect with me

Do you need help with your digital media strategy? Are you looking for someone to write your newsletter? Are you trying to get published and looking for a book coach to guide you through the murky publishing world? Do you need a ghostwriter?
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Let's chat!

📧 Email me at natasha@natashastynes.com ​

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