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Hello Beth, thank you for answering a few questions for us! Please tell us about the latest project you’ve worked on.

I host a weekly Internet radio show, "Relationships 101" on www.webtalkradio.net on it,  I interview  bestselling authors, famous people, and ordinary people doing extraordinary things.  Each show is a very creative project in how I think about, come up with a different angle, and prepare for each interview.

My latest big project is my third book, Marriage Isn't For Sissies: 7 Simple Keys To Unlocking The Best Part Of Your Life!, published in December of 2008.

Do you also do speaking engagements or seminars?

Definitely.  In addition to in person seminars, I do teleseminars, since travel funds are limited in this economic climate.  I am a born teacher, and I’ve always gotten rave reviews from meeting planners and seminar participants.  My doctoral major was Higher Education with a minor in Educational Psychology, and I repeatedly was called a master teacher. 

How has your education, profession, or background helped you in your writing career?  Or conversely, how has your writing success helped you in your profession? 

Because I have been a family and marital therapist for over three decades, I have lots of stories to tell.  This, of course, has helped my writing immensely.  And since psychotherapists make their living as wordsmiths, my writing has augmented my work with patients as well.

What kind of other works (books, scripts, poems, etc.) have you published?

In addition to Marriage Isn’t for Sissies, I have written two other books.  With both, I was asked to write them.  Helping Men Change:  The Role of the Female Therapist was born  when an editor asked me to write about what I was presenting about at a national family therapy conference.  She said she had been looking for the right woman to write this book for 2 years.  “If you want a contract, you’ve got it.”  The other book, Longing for Dad:  Father Loss and Its Impact, was the result of the insistence of the publisher of Health Communications, Inc. who also heard me at a seminar I gave.  Longing for Dad is still in print after 11 years, and is available in the Chinese, Czech, and Turkish languages.

In addition to these books, I have authored over a dozen articles juried by my peers and two chapters for the classic family therapy text Ethnicity and Family Therapy, Volumes 1 and 2.  I’ve been interviewed for stories in USA Today, Better Homes and Gardens, Cosmopolitan, The Miami Herald, the Christian Science Monitor The Edmonton Journal, The Oklahoman, Fortune, and dozens of others.

I was hired to write ten articles on grief for the Johnson & Johnson website www.strengthforcaring.com.

Is there any aspect to your profession that gets you in touch with your readers directly?

The only way that happens is if people go to my website www.AskDrBethErickson.com, and leave me a question that I will answer directly to them via their e-mail address.  Also, when my patients or consulting clients purchase my books, I get feedback that way.

What will your next project be?

Marriage Isn’t for Sissies is the first in an –Isn’t for Sissies series.  The next book I am incubating is Remarriage Isn’t for Sissies.

What kind of work is the most rewarding or satisfying for you?

My work with patients, and my interviews with guests on my radio show.  I devour the people contact.

What can you recommend for writers who are just getting started and are trying to make a name for themselves?

1)    For both fiction and nonfiction authors, taking noncredit writing classes is a wonderful way to be inspired and to learn from others.  In my city, (Minneapolis, MN), we are fortunate enough to have The Loft Literary Center that offers such classes.  I come away every time with my senses opened and with renewed vigor for writing. 

2)   If your locality does not have such a resource, find a writing coach who can challenge you, support you, give you constructive criticism, help you think through what you want to say, and keep you on track.  This person does not need to be in your same area, as there are many coaches who work by telephone and e-mail.

3)   If there are conferences in your area of expertise, start attending.  And as soon as possible, start presenting seminars within the conferences.  That’s how I got started with all 3 of my books.

What is your favorite book/work published?  Is there a favorite?

Old Man and the Sea, Nicholas and Alexandra, Night of the Radishes, The Speed of Trust, and Seasons of a Man’s Life are probably my all-time favorites.  

Who is your favorite writer/author?

Sandra Benitez and Ernest Hemingway for fiction.  Joe Vitale for nonfiction. 

Thank you Beth! We wish you great success with your next book in the Isn’t for Sissies series!