Paul H. Magid - Lifting the Wheel of Karma - Author Interview

My thanks to Paul H. Magid for stopping by Tribute Books Reviews & Giveaways for an author interview about his book, Lifting the Wheel of Karma.

1. How did you come up with the title?
That's actually quite a story unto itself. It was harder for me to actually find the correct title than it was to write the novel! I struggled long and hard with this. If I told you some of the past titles that I thought about using, you probably wouldn't believe me. But to answer the question, earlier this year I was laying in bed one night, high up in the Himalayas on my way to India's highest mountain peak. I couldn't sleep because I still couldn't "feel" the right title. Then it suddenly hit me that "Lifting The Wheel Of Karma" was just perfect. My story is about karma, it's about the wheel of life, and it's about the need to take action, both physically and metaphorically, to change a great deal, and so that gave me the image of lifting, so then the title just fell into place.

2. Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

There are actually several messages in my novel, but if I have to pick one or distill it down to one concept, it's that we should all take care of each other as best we can.

3. How much of the book is realistic?

There is certainly some element of fantasy in my novel for the western mind to grasp, but a billion Hindus would probably argue that there is absolutely nothing "fantastic" about my story at all. Most of my novel is quite realistic, just in an extraordinary way.

4. If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your book?
If I could change one thing about my novel, it would be that it was much easier to write! Just kidding. There is nothing I would change.

5. What was the hardest part of writing your book?
The hardest part about writing my novel was taking what could easily have grown into thousands of pages -my novel encompasses multiple cultures, continents, and decades- and keep it to pithy provocative prose that would read quickly and easily.

6. Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
I learned a tremendous amount writing my novel. Probably the most poignant element was to never give up. Giving up is the only way you can lose in Life.

7. Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
My interest in writing, honestly, goes back as far as I can remember, but certainly it became a significant life interest/pursuit in high school, when the concept of creating something that didn't exist before simply struck me as amazing.

8. Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
My favorite author is Theodore Dreiser, who wrote AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY, which was made into the moving, "A Place In The Sun" starring Elizabeth Taylor. I love that book because it conveys the inner pain of wanting something with every fiber of your being. I also love it because it single-handedly taught me just about every single vocabulary word I needed for taking the SATs.

9. Tell us your latest news.
I just published my novel a few weeks ago and have already gotten a tremendous response from readers and reviewers. People from around the world -New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, South Korea, The Philippines, and Belgium are connecting with and resonating with my story of healing and redemption, and that's just about the most amazing feeling in the world for me.

10. Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Please let me know your thoughts either via my web site: PaulHMagid.com or Facebook, and thank you!

About the Book
Lifting the Wheel of Karma

Book Details:
Price: $15.00 paperback, $9.99 Kindle
Format: Paperback, Kindle
Publisher: Point Dume Press
Published: September 2011
Genre: Fiction, Spirituality
Buy Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kindle

Blurb:
A Profound Spiritual Journey of Extraordinary Healing and Redemption - a modern tale that harkens back to the myths of antiquity. It takes you on a remarkable journey, while exploring the themes of healing, redemption, forgiveness, sacrifice, and ultimately...peace within.

Joseph Connell is a gifted high school athlete from Montana, loved deeply by his family, yet tormented by nightmarish visions he can neither explain nor escape.

He believes the answer to what threatens to crush him can be found in the knowledge possessed by a mystical old wise man, who lives deep within the remote Himalayas of India.

If Joseph is ever to find the peace he so desperately seeks, he must get this wise old man to reveal what he truly knows, but that will not be easy…for this sage knows far more than he admits.

About the Author
Paul H. Magid

Paul H. Magid started writing his debut novel, LIFTING THE WHEEL OF KARMA, twenty-five years ago while still in high school. It took him so long to complete because he tried repeatedly to abandon it, but the work refused to be forsaken. Eventually he realized that sharing this story with the world was, in fact, his Dharma.

Along the way he has worked as a Wall Street financial analyst, a waiter (not a very good one), a Hollywood Agent Trainee, a real estate developer, a summer day camp director, an award winning screenwriter, and independent filmmaker—including his autobiographical film, A LIFE UNFINISHED, which screened in The Hamptons International Film Festival.

Connect with Paul:
Web Site
Facebook