A few months ago, The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks was recommended to me by my web team. Obediently (because they know more about this stuff than I do) I added it to my kindle, intending to poke at it in small bits while on the treadmill or waiting out hockey practices.
Once I opened the book that plan flew out the window. The Big Leap is a fascinating book! Much like Smart Self Publishing by Zoe Winters, this book is a fast and enjoyable read, even counting the required moments of introspection. I’ve put both of these books in my world-building category, not because they offer tips for world building in a paranormal romance novel, but because they offer tips for building up my real world: making it a place of strength and inspiration.
I suppose The Big Leap is classified as a self-help book, but it wasn’t just another collection of the trite, ‘you can do it’ cheerleading. The Big Leap is well written and grounded in the experience and expertise of the author. It’s full of tangible insight and advice that I easily applied to my own circumstances.
In short, The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks is all about accepting our strengths and accepting ourselves, while expanding ourselves to embrace all the good stuff life offers. Many people fall into the trap of fear that you can be successful, but only at the expense of your personal relationships. Or that you can have love and happiness, if you’re willing to sacrifice your career.
See, it is a world building book! But in this case not world building for a paranormal romance novel, it’s world building so the paranormal romance author can succeed and be happy about it!
We all have responsibilities and passions that require or call on our time, respectively. But Gay Hendricks assures his readers that a healthy, happy balance is within reach. In The Big Leap, Hendricks has compiled pointed questions to help you nail down what matters most to you and what may have been holding you back in the past.
Through plenty of real world examples, Hendricks makes his points clearly, with good humor and kindness. “Learning from the mistakes of others” isn’t quite the right adage, but the book is written so readers can sympathize and relate to the struggles and then celebrate the subsequent triumphs of others. The Big Leap really is world building for your life!
Live the adventure!
Stop by next Tuesday for the Non-fiction feature of The Fire in Fiction by Donald Maass
