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Growing Your Wealth Exponentially

Growing Your Wealth Exponentially
BY JAMES OH

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LETTING GO AND MOVING ON BY JAMES OH

LETTING GO AND MOVING ON BY JAMES OH
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MINDSET SHIFT: EMPLOYEE TO ENTREPRENEUR

MINDSET SHIFT: EMPLOYEE TO ENTREPRENEUR
BY JAMES OH

Saturday, March 9, 2013

GUEST AUTHOR INTERVIEW WITH ROBIN LEIGH MORGAN


About the Author


Robin Leigh Morgan has enjoyed a long career writing commentaries and other nonfiction items, but since retiring Robin has devoted leisure time and acquired skills to the writing of the first of what will be many books. Robin’s debut novel is a Young Adult paranormal romance, complete with elements of time travel and the special first kiss in every girl’s life. Robin believes the blending of these different genres will be endearing to all those who read it, regardless of their age.




                                                             The Cover of the Book

Now the interview with the Author of the Book, Robin Leigh Morgan

When did you begin to write?


I actually began to write back in June 1995, where until June 2006 I wrote over 450 commentary type items for a community newspaper.  Along the way I decided to see if I could write something else. I didn’t own a computer back then, but I did have access to one where I wrote my commentaries, and it was on this computer I wrote about two pages a week. Once I got my computer I began to write what I wanted to be a contemporary romance with a paranormal element running through, but I never seemed to get the sense it would be good enough to be read by someone else.  Eventually, someone suggested I write for a younger audience, which how I came to write my debut novel, a YA [Young Adult] Paranormal/Time Travel/First Kiss romance entitled, “I Kissed a Ghost.”


When did you first discover that you were a writer?


It was during the time I wrote my commentaries and my readers told me they like what I write but didn’t always agree with what I had to say. I had no problem with anyone disagreeing with what I had to say, the important thing was I knew people were actually reading what I had to say.


How much did you write before you were published?


I believe I’ve already answered this question in the two answers I gave in the above.

What is your favorite part of writing?


Trying to get into my character’s head, so I would know what they should say or how they should reply to anything that might be said to them,

Tell us about your latest release.


In "I Kissed a Ghost", Mary gets a new classmate named Jonathan who’s a great baseball player and to get on the team, he needs Mary’s help to improve his grades. Six months later when she learns she’s moving, she decides to give him something special--a first kiss. Moving into her new home she soon discovers it has a ghost named George, her age, who takes her on numerous trips to the past of a hundred years ago. As she meets children her own age, everyone teases her about her house being haunted, but no one will go inside. Mary likes his help doing her math homework, writing her reports, and taking her back in time. George and Mary’s interaction grows and she eventually gives him a quick peck on his lips while they’re in the past, which is the only place George is a real boy, for having done something special for her. Can Mary kiss George again at the special date and time he needs to be kissed? What happens afterwards if she does? The answers are all in the book!
Wow! This book sounds really good. Are you planning on writing more in the years to come?


With the self-publication of my debut novel, I’ve gone back to writing the contemporary romance novel I spoke about in one of my other answers. This time, after gaining the experience I’ve learned writing my first novel, I feel more confident I’ll be able to complete writing it in the next few months.

So far what is your worst criticism/attacks, and how have you overcome it?


Criticism and attacks are such harsh words. When it comes from another author, I never take criticism as criticism, I take it has a form of guidance/support from one author to another. Attacks are merely one person’s opinion which comes into conflict with another, during the eleven years I wrote those commentaries I never worried about what people were attacking as it was merely a sign they actually read what I had to say,

What is the accomplishment that you are most proud of?


Getting my debut published, albeit it was self-published, but never the less it was published.

What does your writing process look like?

If you’re asking me whether I’m a plotter or a pantser, I’d probably say a little of both. As I said in the above, I made a skeleton of an outside, writing down the basic plot points I’d like to hit as the story unfolded; and as a sculptor starting with a wire base of what they’d like to have, I added material, then took some away, until I had the finished product I had in mind.


How did you get published?


I didn’t have the patience to go through the routine of writing a query letter, sending it to a specific editor for my genre at a publishing house, and then waiting for a reply. You can only send one letter out at a time for most publishers. If I got a rejection I would then have to start the process all over again. Even if I had received an acceptance letter, I then would have to wait for a response regarding the portion of the manuscript they’d requested.


I decided then to self-publish it. I’ve heard horror stories regarding companies willing to self-publish a book, so I did my research and eventually selected CreateSpace which is a company owned by Amazon.


How do you come up with title of your books?

Selecting a title for a book had been a very challenging experience for me; but after racking my brain over it, I decided to merely summarize the premise for the entire story in as few words as possible until I had something which could be used as the title for my book. Hence, since the story is about a girl [Mary] and her kissing the ghost [George] she had living in her house, the story had to be called, “I Kissed a Ghost.”


Can you enlighten us a little more about your books?


I think I’ve learned about writing and which I included in my debut novel are the numerous hooks it had to keep the reader interested in reading it. When you get to the next to last chapter you feel as if the story has basically come to the end, but it hasn’t because the last chapter has an unexpected twist.


If you’re interested in reading some UNEDITED SNIPPETS from my debut novel, under the category of “GHOSTLY WHISPERS” on any of these blog sites and then consider buying a copy for the little girl in your life.




Tell us your guiding principle that governs your life?


The guiding principle which governs my life is the same principle which governs my writing. You do unto others as you would want them to do unto you. I always like assisting other authors to improve their writing, giving them ideas to market/promote their books. etc

How have you cultivated these values?


Knowledge is useless unless it is shared. And sharing comes back to how should people treat each other.

Do you have any advice for writers looking to get published?


The most important thing to do, especially if you’re going the self-published route is making sure you manuscript has been professionally proofread/edited.  And even if this is done, there will be times where even a professional editor might miss something.

Where can we find your book?


My book is available on Amazon.com




The book is also available on Amazon.co.uk Amazon.de Amazon.es Amazon.fr Amazon.it

Where can we find you on the internet?








Thank you, Robin for taking your precious time with us and wishing you all the best. 


Friday, March 8, 2013

YOU NEED TO THINK DIFFERENTLY


How Loud is Silence?
How Quiet is Noise?

What is the fullness of nothing?
The emptiness of abundance

The joy of sadness
The happiness of tears

We wander through this space call time
Each moment fleeting away, never coming back, lost into eternity
We cannot catch it,
it touches us and then its gone

We reach out and touch nothing
Nothing is everything

If you see nothing
Don't be disappointed

How to be disappointed with joy
happiness, fulfilment and peace?

This is the standard we are setting Now.




Thursday, March 7, 2013

Sunday, March 3, 2013

MY IMPACT ON MY LOVED ONES


MY IMPACT ON MY LOVED ONES
My late father had travelled across an ocean from China to marry my mother in Malaysia. She is a local lady.

As such, I am a product of a migrant from Main Land China and a local lady. Both are illiterate. Luckily, 4 out of my 6 siblings are university graduates, that made both our parents very proud.

Despite our early and tough struggle, we were given lots of freedom. Our parents never check our school homework but somehow we realised, valued and recognised the importance of an education.

My mum's famous quote is "born in beggar's faith, but possess emperor's heart", when I tried very hard to pursue further studies especially when I quit my job with late Professor, Yap Han Heng to do my Form 6 on self sustaining basis.

How will you feel when someone has been using the method you taught her many years ago ? The one person who has benefited for so many years from my advice, out of one unpleasant incident is my mother. Applause.

Look at the photo above, the date torn from a calendar that was glued to the gas cylinder may not trigger anything for you. However it reminded me of this sweet memorable event that as a young boy ,  who ran out of patience, told my mother this idea. 

It happened when I heard her voice vividly asking me repeatedly to buy one item after another from the sundry shop, a walking distance from our low cost flat, while she was preparing our meals.

At that time, I was in my last few hours preparing for my examination. I was summoned by her when she discovered that she ran out of cooking oil. She has to shout repeatedly because I concentrated on my study despite our flat is as big as pigeon hole. 

I had no other choice, but to set aside everything I was doing. I rushed to get the cooking oil back. However,  upon return and just about ready to begin my revision. 

She called me again and without much hesitation I immediate answered her. She told me to get onions for her as she just discovered that she ran out of stock.

I had to put everything aside and rush to the shop again to buy for her. 

After my second return but before I warm up my seat, I was  called again, this time she wanted me to get her another item. I was a bit annoyed, and told her to list down all items she need in a list, without any diplomatic tone. She replied with a strong reason that she couldn't do so because she is illiterate. 

Instantly, I brush aside her reason and counter attack her to either draw it down or paste the picture on a piece of paper so as to remind her.

After many years I left my house to pursue my higher studies in Selangor, I still see her practicing till today and the impact I left on my love ones.

What really made me happy was to see someone I love benefiting from my creative way of doing thing to improve her lifestyle despite she had always given excuses of being too old to learn. 

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