Interview with Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein

How did you become involved with the subject or theme of your book? 
I became involved by working with girls and women and being a girl, now a woman myself. I saw as a clinician and as a female that again and again we are so sensitive, so intuitive, so caring and often we fall off of our horses and loose our stride if we feel deflated, hurt, ignored, etc. I decided to find a way to help girls feel stronger, more resilient and courageous, via fiction!

What were your goals and intentions in this book, and how well do you feel you achieved them? 
My goals are several: an enjoyable fiction read in diary form; a good set-up for parents and daughters to chat and communicate about lots of growing up issues, via the pages themselves and/or the questions in the back; girls finishing the book feeling really upbeat, having identified with the heroine, the girl, and feeling stronger and more courageous about aspects of their own lives. 

What did you enjoy most about writing this book? 
I loved the girl coming alive and writing the pages rather than feeling I was pulling her along! There is a stream of fictional beings that authors often talk of joining up with as they write and it is true! The girl knew that she wanted to visit her aunt and find out secrets in the family and she decided to have a happier ending to the book than I initially expected. She knew things could get better, no matter how down she felt!

Are there underrepresented groups or ideas featured if your book? 
The underrepresented groups and ideas are the perceptions and feelings that we all had growing up. Once we are older we tend to minimize or ignore or forget the real feelings and insights we had as children. I don't want us to forget, because great wisdom, courage and the capacity for fun and renewal lies in those childhood memories! Find them again in yourself and treasure them as you see them in your kids!

About the AUthor

I have been a positive psychologist in private practice for the past thirty years. In the course of working with my clients, I originated the idea of THE ENCHANTED SELF(R), a positive psychology therapy where I teach people how to recognize and utilize their strengths, talents, skills and even lost potential. I have developed a number of methods, including using our memories to rediscover what is right about ourselves and our lives, rather than what went wrong, helping people to overcome adversity, experience positive emotions and live the good life!

Since developing this concept, I've been able to use many tools to bring the Enchanted Self to everyone, particularly women and girls. I've written many books, starting with THE ENCHANTED SELF, A Positive Therapy, and then Recipes for Enchantment, The Secret Ingredient is YOU! My books for girls are very popular, as they are great fictional reads and also help deal with many of the questions that trouble kids as they move into the tween and teen years. The Truth, Diary of a Gutsy Tween and Secrets, Diary of a Gutsy Teen are the first two books in this series.

I really love to teach and educate about happiness and how to benefit from positive psychology in ways that let us lead lives of meaning and happiness. You can find me all over the place on the web. 

enchantedself.com | thetruthforgirls.com | Facebook | Pinterest | Barnes and Noble | Amazon | Goodreads

Barbara will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn host.  Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found at the Goddessfish Promotions Blog.

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