Book Journeys Author Interview – February 7, 2013

Dr. Angela Lauria with Helen Noble, author of 25,000 Seeds Where Love Grows

“The book is about the fact that we plant our hopes, our dreams, our desires, and then we have to take the steps to know the actions, not forcing anything, but just allowing the seed to grow, to sprout, and to create whatever our dreams have been.” ~Helen Noble
 

Angela:
Well, hello, everybody, and welcome back to another episode of Book Journeys Radio. This is Angela Lauria from the Author Incubator, and we are here this week with Helen Noble. Helen is the CEO of the skin company BELACREMA, and she is the author of 25,000 Seeds Where Love Grows. So, what we’re gonna do this week is, we are going to talk to here, we’re going to learn what these twenty-five thousand seeds are, exactly, find out a little bit more about how Helen has made a difference in the world and see if there are lessons that she has learned in her journey of transformation into becoming an author that will help you on your journey, so I’m very pleased to welcome with us, all the way from Florida, the nice, warm, sunshine state, Helen Noble. Helen, say hi to everybody!
 

Helen:
Hello! Well, thank you! Thank you for having me on today!
 

Angela:
Yeah, well, thank you. So, I wanna know what these twenty-five thousand seeds are. Tell us about your book.
 

Helen:
Okay, so – in fact, as I discovered – well, first, let me back up and – I took a cycling trip in the Midwest, to Ohio, to farm country. And I went there completely open to whatever would come up, and so, I – I went there, curious. And – and so, what I discovered was how amazing, amazing Nature is, and how – how crops grow, and how incredible the – the whole ecosystem is out there. And so, I discovered that it takes twenty-five thousand seeds to plant an acre of almost any crop. So, whether it’s corn, whether it’s wheat, sunflowers – whatever – whatever you’re planning to grow. But, also – and what really struck me was, in life, just as in Nature, some things grow and some don’t. So, the book is about the fact that we plant our hopes, our dreams, our desires, and then we have to take the steps to know the actions, not forcing anything, but just allowing the seed to grow, to sprout, and to create whatever our dreams have been. So, the characteris –
 

Angela:
Wow. That is just a beautiful metaphor, I think, for so many things in our lives, right?
 

Helen:
It sure is, and – and that was why – that – that was why I was compelled to write this book.
 

Angela:
So, have you – this is your first book, yes?
 

Helen:
This is actually my second book, but my first novel.
 

Angela:
Okay. Yeah. And what was your –
 

Helen:
And in front of it – I’d rather not – pardon me – I had written a nonfiction book and – that related with – business related. And then – then, I realized that – maybe I’ve got a novel in me.
 

Angela:
Wow.
 

Helen:
So, I – yeah, I went from there.
 

Angela:
Very interesting, so when did you write your first book, let’s talk about – I wanna talk about your transformation, really, into the first time you became an author, and – and how – how long, from your first idea to write a book, so I think the second time around is pretty powerful, most people learn, as you have, that book writing can be addictive once you get your first one done. For very few people is the first the last. So, I wanna talk about that first book that you wrote, and we don’t – we don’t have to get into a content, necessarily, but when did you get the idea, and how long did it take you to – to finish that book?
 

Helen:
Well – so, the creative process is pretty amazing, and I was – I was working. I had started my skin care company, and it was work, work, work, and it was – it was separate from the rest of my life.
 

Angela:
Mmm.
 

Helen:
So, if I wanted to have fun, well, I had to – I had to schedule that. If I wanted to have a life, so to speak, well, I had to schedule that, and it was so out of balance, and so – one day, I – I sort of sat with that, and thought, “Wait a minute, there must be some reason I’m in this beauty business.” People would say, “What do you do?” “Well, I’m in the beauty business, I have a skin care company!” All of a sudden, one day, I thought, “You know what, maybe there’s more to me than being in the beauty business. And what does that mean?” So, I sat with it, I – I meditated on it, and I came to know that I’m in the beauty business, and I see beauty all around me. Well, it didn’t take long that I had to write a book, and it just – it just came out of me, so I wrote a – I wrote a nonfiction book called Being Simply Beautiful –
 

Angela:
Mm-hmm!
 

Helen:
– and it – its beauty tips from the outside in. And …
 

Angela:
Oh, I love that! So, well, let me ask you this. If I – this is a hard question, I’m putting you on the spot, so (laughs) – but, if I were to ask you what your – what’s you – what’s your mission, what do you want for women, why are you in this beauty …, what – what is your – what’s your story, there?
 

Helen:
Yeah. I want all women to know how incredibly beautiful, how – how magnificent they really are, so every one of my books – and I’m working on another one now – but the – the main purpose of each book is really to let kno – women know how glorious they are.
 

Angela:
Wow. And why – why is that important to you? Where did you discover that? Have you known that since you were little, or was that something you came into?
 

Helen:
Maybe it is something that I discovered when I was younger, because I – I came up in a very holistic family background, and then I studied Eastern philosophy, so – yeah, I’ve always been – health and well-being has always been an important part of my life, and so, I thought I thought I’d share that with friends. So, I was kind of the go-to friend, and then – friends of friends would have questions, and so – but then, when I was in my fifties, and I started a skin care company, that was when it really became evident to me, that people sometimes really hold on to their youth in fear, rather than experiencing the joy of who we become as we get older.
 

Angela:
.., is that what happens, since the girl who is about to turn forty, and it’s completely obsessing right now? (laughs)
 

Helen:
Oh, there you go, girl!
 

Angela:
This is the perfect time for me to hear that – this interview is apparently just for me, say more! (laughs) And so, wow! So, you started your company, your beauty company was started, actually, when you turned fifty?
 

Helen:
I was – yeah, in my fifties, and so – the way that it started was, I – there wasn’t anything on the market that I liked, or –
 

Angela:
Mm-hmm.
 

Helen:
– and I had sensitive skin, and so – things didn’t feel good, and – and I know – I know something of science and bioscience and medicine, so I was – I’d look at ingredients and I just didn’t feel comfortable putting these things on my body. So I had a background, and I could create my own. And it’s healthy, and it’s nurturing and – and it works, and that’s what was important.
 

Angela:
Wow. So, our theme, in the Author Incubator, is to use your energy, as an author, to make a difference, and many people that come to me have found – and that listen to the show – have had a tragedy happ – frankly, this is a lot of what happens, is that something terrible happened, they’ve gone through something hard, maybe it’s a divorce or the loss of a loved one or a bad experience with an adoption or something, and that caused them to want to make a difference in the world. And they wrote their book, really thinking, “I’m gonna write this book and tens of thousands of people are gonna find it, and I’m gonna help people.” And, along the way, they either ended up starting a business that supported their books to help people or found some other way, as a speaker or a coach or something, to help them make a difference. With you, it sounds like you actually figured out that you wanted to make a difference, and you started with the company to help women have healthier and better skin care products, and then you – after you had your company going, then you started working on a book to help support your company and support that mission? Is that the order of events for you?
 

Helen:
It is the order, although I’d love to say that I was exempt of any pain, but unfortunately all of this came after a divorce.
 

Angela:
So – yeah.
 

Helen:
So … all sort of step out of the nest or get that gentle little – that gentle little nudge –
 

Angela:
Sometimes, not so gentle.
 

Helen:
Exactly, exactly, I’m being kind – but then, that helps us fly.
 

Angela:
Absolutely. Well, that’s great! So, getting – getting back to your book, so, you decide you’re gonna write this book, your first nonfiction book, and from the idea that it – from the time the idea popped into your head, “I’m gonna write a book,” until you are holding the book in your hands, can you give us a sense of what that timeline was like for you?
 

Helen:
Well, it was different with a nonfiction book versus my most recent books. So, what happened with the nonfiction book was, yes, I sat down one day, and boom, boom, boom, I just wrote down all the beauty tips, they were definitive, I knew them, they were powerful, and the book was done. And I would say it took me – it took me less than a year, just less than a year, to – to write it and got it edited and get it out the door. …
 

Angela:
That’s amazing. That is a clear vision.
 

Helen:
It was. And that’s why I … compare it, because the novel, on the other hand, was an absolute mystery. I was stepping out of my comfort zone, I knew that I needed to write a novel, because I needed characters to emulate what the – the – the characters could – could have the stories, just like what you were talking about earlier, about everyone have a story of what happened in order to help them move on, so my characters were learning. I gave them a lesson in life, let’s say, and that was to let go. Letting go of our past, and so I gave each character the lesson, and they handled it in their own way, and I could – I could create stories around that. And that was fun. And that took longer, that took a year and a half.
 

Angela:
Okay. Including publishing and everything?
 

Helen:
Yes, well – I had a – an agent be in touch with me after I sent out queries, and they said it would take two years to get the book out, and I just didn’t have that time element in my mind, so I self-published it, and – I end up doing the marketing, and – and all of that, and – but there’s help to be had when you need it.
 

Angela:
Mm-hmm. And so – okay. And so – and – and what, during the process, really surprised you, what was harder than you thought it would be, what – what’s something that really wasn’t what you expected it would be like? Either your first or second time, I guess.
 

Helen:
I’ll go with the second time, with the novel. Because the novel, of course, is a – a much longer book – I think it was just being diligent, to – to tie up all loose ends, and to be able to take a story, from its inception and give it life, like really breathe real life into all of these characters. So, they – so, I had to create these people with so-called – in the pages – real lives, and that was difficult.
 

Angela:
Hm. And did you experience writer’s block …?
 

Helen:
Well, no, not really, which was amazing. I – you said writer’s block – I would take walks –
 

Angela:
Mmm. Mmm.
 

Helen:
– and my walk became sacred, and I would have paper and pencil and I would just come home with notes, and then, while I was drinking water, I would – I would just sit there with the notes and start shuffling them around, figuring out where they would fit best, so they were just like little creative spurts, or I would leave the house with a question – “What am I going to do with Claire’s problem with Ben?” And I’d just come home with all these notes in all this strange order, and then I would fill in the blanks.
 

Angela:
Wow. So, walking and water are two tips that you would suggest for other writers?
 

Helen:
Oh, that’s right, Angela, yes, absolutely.
 

Angela:
I know, for me, both of those, when I coach clients one-on-one, we spend a lot of time on both of those – for me, swimming does what, for a lot of people, walking does. It just kind of gets y – there’s something, I’m not sure, there’s some science behind it, but, somehow, when your body is moving, it opens up different panels of creativity, and sometimes ideas can come together in a way that racking your brain doesn’t lead to.
 

Helen:
Mmm, …
 

Angela:
And water! I think staying hydrated is really key, especially if you’re having problems of focus, I find that water can really – just staying hydrated and staying on top of that can make a big difference with scheduling time and keeping up with your commitments. Did you make a commitment to write every day, or write once a week? What was your writing schedule like?
 

Helen:
Once the – once that first draft was written, it became exciting to me. So, in the beginning, no, I didn’t write daily. There wasn’t really a schedule, there was just when – when I felt compelled to, but I also knew I would follow through on it. So, I did – I did want to – to write a book, so I was disciplined in that respect, but by the time the second – by the time I got to the second draft, and – in other words, people read my first draft, were brutally honest in many ways – I took the notes and couldn’t wait to start expanding the story. And then it got more and more exciting after I gave those notes to people, after I gave that manuscript to people. By the time I got to the third draft, I was writing every day.
 

Angela:
Wow.
 

Helen:
Because I couldn’t wait ….
 

Angela:
From a place of joy and freedom, not from a place of, “Oh, my God, I have to write or I’m not gonna meet – meet my deadline.”
 

Helen:
Exactly. That right there.
 

Angela:
That’s the big thing. I call that your – identifying your “author feelings state,” or your AFS, that we talk in your Author Incubator about your author feeling state, needing to be in a positive six to a positive ten for writing to just flow, and I actually think there’s a negative spiral, if you – if you write below what I call that positive six state, if you try and write when you’re in a negative frame of re – mind, or even when you’re on a slightly positive state of mind, it can actually slow down your book process. It can slow down your book by creating a negative loop that is un – is unfulfilling, and then you start to have negative thoughts about your book, or about writing, and – and it can pull you down, so one of the things that I teach is, … water or walking or meditation or some other tip – tips and tricks is to get yourself into that positive feeling state before you start writing. Then, what it does is, it creates that flow, so you reach the point where you are always in a positive author feeling state and you couldn’t wait to write, and that’s how you write a book with joy and ease instead of bashing your head against a wall in a cabin in Maine.
 

Helen:
So – boy –
 

Angela:
I think that’s a great lesson. So, if you have made – this is one of my favorite questions I ask every author, and I want you to think of something very specific, I always use the weight-loss metaphor, we’re gonna do a – a makeover, we’re gonna do a before and after story for you. Tell me one thing, out of being an author, that happens – that would not have happened if you’re not an author. So, I’m looking for a – a before and after – before I was an author, this never would have happened, and after I had this opportunity, or this experience, or what? Tell me a before and after story.
 

Helen:
I think it would be that I integrated all the parts of my life, thanks to creativity. So, what I mean by that is, there was a time when, like many people where, work was work, family was family, social was social, and hone – spirituality was spirituality, in other words, things didn’t cross over, things weren’t integrated. The creative process, and especially writing this novel, this last book, really changed the way I view life. The create – the creativity made me cross over into every area of my life, and that was – that was a huge change in me.
 

Angela:
And – and how did that – how did that show up for you? How did that – how did that make – it – was it a happiness thing, or have you met people you might not have met, or have you had different business transactions, is there anything other than the feeling state, which is important, but how did that manifest?
 

Helen:
Well, probably it’s happiness, so it is a feeling state, but – when we feel good about life, it – it shows up in every area. So it shows up in my relationships, it shows up in my – just in everything I do.
 

Angela:
Yeah. That’s the thing I wanted to get to, is, it’s not like you’re just quietly off in a corner being happy, right? That happiness translates into better relationships, better – I’m gonna guess your business is probably done better, or maybe somebody has found your book that ended up making a purchase or doing a partnership or something, and I love to see how those concrete changes start to evolve.
 

Helen:
Oh, definitely. The – the inner reflects the outer, and so, it – it affects all parts of your life.
 

Angela:
Well, that’s absolutely fantastic. So, let’s – let’s split the script a little and tell me what you wish you knew before you became an author. What have you – what have you learned the hard way – maybe not about writing, it could be about promotion or speaking gigs, or what – what do you wish you knew before you wrote your book?
 

Helen:
I wish I had known more about social media.
 

Angela:
Say more about that.
 

Helen:
I really knew that – well, I feel that’s been an area that I have not – that I just haven’t monopolized on, or given that the attention that it needs. So, while the speaking has taken off, and book signings and- and that kind of thing, being a – a person that’s better far better one-on-one – the social media, so far it’s – such a far-reaching. But I had never gotten onto that the way I should, the way other very successful authors have.
 

Angela:
Mmm. And – and so, tell me more, what have you – what have you done, ha – is that something you’ve explored, or –
 

Helen:
It’s still – it still is up there, high on the – the list of things that need to – to really be integrated into the whole marketing plan.
 

Angela:
Uh-huh, okay! So you’ve put it on your checklist, and it’s something you’re gonna explore, but you wish you knew that ahead of time. What – are there other things in terms of marketing, I think a lot of people, before they finish their book, don’t know what the – what the distribution and sales process is like, what their responsibilities are, as an author, so certainly having social media presence is one of them. Anything else that you’ve had to learn on the back end, that, if you knew before, you might have done something differently?
 

Helen:
As far as book signings go, it’s important to stay a couple of months ahead of yourself. So, I might have a good month, and then I – I fell – I fell short in the next month, or – something like that, so it’s important to be looking probably sixty days out to be very effective with scheduling book signings.
 

Angela:
Hmm. That’s interesting, and have you done – you’ve done book signings? …
 

Helen:
I have.
 

Angela:
In bookstores, or where have you done them?
 

Helen:
Both. So, your – your local bookstores will often have – local – local author days, so it’s – it’s good to look at Barnes and Noble, or …, or – any of the – your local bookstores, and find out when they have local author days. And then they’ll ….
 

Angela:
Wow! I didn’t know that one used to …! Nice!
 

Helen:
Oh, yeah, definitely, because they – they do want to encourage local authors, just like the art community wants to encourage local artists to come out of the woodwork.
 

Angela:
Yeah! Wow, okay.
 

Helen:
Another thi – another thing that I did, here’s a tip, is – our local art gallery, that’s like a city gallery, so it’s not the art museum, but it’s like a – a – a night gallery in town. Well – so – I’m also a photographer, I – I love photography. So, while I was – while I was taking this cycling trip in Ohio, I had taken a lot of great photos. So, I thought, “Well, how can I – how can I put all of this together?” So, I went to them with an idea of, could we do a cross-over? A cross-over in art. So the gallery is going to be exhibiting my photos, just for a day, but I also get to do a talk, and they’re inviting all of their database – so, all of their – the people on their list, and that’s another opportunity to sell books.
 

Angela:
Yup. That is wonderful. That’s exactly the kind of thing that, if you went to them, and you said, “Hey, I got some pictures, can I put them up in your – gallery,“ they’re probably not gonna say yes. You show up and you ask that question, and you also have a book, and suddenly, there’s this legitimacy and, really, just a – an understanding – a – a bucket to put you in, and that’s when opportunities open up, so that’s actually the perfect before and after story that I like to tell, about how your life can be different after you become an author in ways that you wouldn’t even necessarily imagine or project, if you didn’t – if you didn’t have that opportunity, as an author. So, I just definitely really want to acknowledge your – your two books, and so – 25,0000 Seeds, and where can people go if they want to find out more about that book? Or, maybe, buy it?
 

Helen:
So, they – yeah, they can either go to Amazon, or they can go to my website, which is helennoble, my name, helennoble.com.
 

Angela:
Helennoble.com, and it’s n-o-b-l-e, and the book is 25,000 Seeds Where Love Grows. And, Helen, it has been so wonderful to share this time with you, I know you’ve given some great tips and advice for other authors in transformation, and – and I know you’re helping people all the time, that you definitely helped people today, so thanks for being a part of Book Journeys Radio.
 

Helen:
Thank you, it was a pleasure.