The 7 Things Blog Tour

The 7 Things That Made Me Genuinely & Irreversible Happy. Available now at Amazon!

Hello and welcome back!

This begins (Part 2 of 2) in the interview with Rohan Healy, author of The 7 Things That Made Me Genuinely & Irreversibly Happy.

Brendaline:  So what’s been a serious hurdle that you have overcome in creating The 7 Things e-book?

Rohan:  Things have gone pretty smoothly, actually. This is my second book, the first being Greeks to Geeks: Practical Stoicism in the 21st Century, so I kind of knew what to expect going into it, and the writing was not a problem at all. The toughest part was probably the actual formatting. I had to do a lot of studying in order to get the book to the point where it was successfully formatted for the many e-book formats that are out there like .PDF, .EPUB, .MOBI and so on. Bit of trial-and-error involved alright, but it’s all sorted now, and I learned a lot so things should be easier for future books.

Brendaline:  That’s incredible. We definitely will be expecting more good reads from you.

Brendaline:  What authors, books and ideologies have framed your way of thinking?

Rohan:  Since I was young, I read Oscar Wilde, Joseph Conrad, George Orwell, Jonathan Swift, George Bernard Shaw, Robert Graves and the likes, the classics. All of them are geniuses and incredible story tellers in their own right. In my late teens and early 20s, I got more into sacred texts and philosophy like the Bhagavad Gita, Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations, and Epictetus’ Discourses, the Gospel of Thomas, the Tao Te Ching and this sort of thing. I love the likes of Socrates and the Cynic, Diogenes of Sinope as well. All of this has had a huge influence on shaping the way I think, and all for the better!

Brendaline:  Those are epic philosophers! What I like about them is how they make us think about the deeper issues of life, the critical things.

Rohan:  Yeah, it’s great stuff. It’s funny how I got into a lot of the philosophy as a result of my personal issues, depression, panic attacks and so on. It’s interesting how our problems can lead to great personal discoveries.

Brendaline:  Oh yes, that last statement hits home and rings oh-so-true! Give me a second while I tweet this…Okay, speaking of wisdom and life issues, what advice would you give to anyone struggling with their finances?

Rohan:  Another of The 7 Things is learning your legal and financial rights. I know in Ireland the suicide rate has double since the recession started in 2008, to around 1,000 people per year; that’s 3 suicides per day in a country with a population of only 4 million. And that doesn’t count the massive number of failed suicide attempts! The point is debt and the prospect of living in poverty has a very real effect on people’s emotional state; however, a lot of it can be alleviated through education. Bankruptcy laws exist for a reason; crippling debt can be defaulted on with very little consequence if you take the time to learn your rights and apply them. Money or a lack thereof is never a reason to take your own life, or even suffer needlessly, there is always a way out!

Brendaline:  These suicide statistics are heartbreaking, Rohan! Here in the U.S., there is anxiety and fear about the fiscal cliff, rising healthcare costs and taxes. It’s definitely a global issue, and I’m glad you talk openly about dealing with such issues in your book.

Rohan:  There are plenty of real things to be concerned about; however there is a whole bunch of other stuff that is simply scare tactics. It’s really important to find out what your rights and responsibilities are regarding money, debt, bankruptcy and default so that you are not worrying needlessly about something that is not an actual threat!

Brendaline:  (Sigh) I wish a lot more people would understand this sooner, rather than later – when it’s too late. Looking back, what have you learnt from writing The 7 Things e-book? What lessons would you pass on to your younger self, before his writing career?

Rohan:  You know, the thing I wish I could do the most after completing The 7 Things is to send the finished book back in time to my 16 year old self, haha! It sure would have saved me a lot of time, money and worry!

Brendaline:  We hear you!  So what are your plans for this New Year 2013, and beyond?

Rohan:  My main objectives this year are to continue to grow my blog and meet more cool and creative fellow writers, to write more books — I already have two more that I’d like to write, and that by the end of the year I am traveling and playing live music in the South of France with my dad and brother. Hopefully all will go well! I look forward to seeing how this year develops and of course keeping everyone up-to-date on my blog. 🙂 Beyond that I don’t know, just keeping living and creating.

Brendaline:  We would love to hear more about your travels and music projects with your family, any collaborative projects between you guys?

Rohan:  The first thing you’ll see is a picture book written by my dad with illustrations by my mom which I’ll be publishing before the end of January. The book is a collection of sayings in line with non-dualism philosophy. It’s (tentatively) called “The Sayings of Potato Mashi”. He’s a self-realized, non-dualist potato; it’s pretty darn cool, haha. After that, I have two more books in mind, the first on sex and sexuality and the other on music production.

Brendaline:  A family affair; I like that collective creativity! Keep us posted on Mr. Potato Mashi and his adventures!

Brendaline:  Speaking of sexuality and music, these are some of the things in life that make people, how should I say, “genuinely and irreversibly happy”. Is that included in The 7 Things, or are you saving those for your next book projects?

Rohan:  I do go into sexuality a little in the part on relationships however because there was so much to cover in The 7 Things I could not delve too deeply, and so I think the subject of sexuality warrants a book all of its own. The book on music will be more instructional, really directed at those who are interested in writing, recording and producing music. I wanted to write The 7 Things for the broadest possible readership while still remaining potent so I didn’t want to bore people with music production stuff, haha!

I definitely think music and art, both the creation and consumption of them are definitely important to our overall happiness and contentment, the same goes for sexuality as well. First as self-loving and self-sexual creatures and then when engaging intimately with others. 🙂

Brendaline:  Thanks for clarifying. So Rohan, what’s your final takeaway piece of advice for your readers?

Rohan:  I know it’s cliché to the max but be yourself, be absolutely honest and authentic with yourself and everyone you deal with on a personal basis. There’s nothing worse than cognitive dissonance, or living in conflict with yourself, trust me I know. Be clear about who you are, how you are and what you like and don’t like. And don’t worry about how others react; you will only attract the right people and opportunities for you if you are truly being yourself!

Brendaline:  Great. Thanks again for talking about your life lessons here with us Rohan! We wish you all the best of success with your book tour. 🙂

Rohan:  Thank you Brendaline. It’s been a pleasure! 🙂

Click here to read (Part 1 of 2) of the interview.

To purchase your copy of The 7 Things, visit either Amazon or Smashwords.

Available at Amazon.com for $8.61:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AVKZYGY

Available at Smashwords.com for $8.70: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/266109.

Get 20% off from Smashwords.com when you use coupon code: ZE93N

This coupon expires on the 25th of January.

Rohan Healy, the musician

Rohan Healy, musician and songwriter

Rohan Healy is an award-winning, celebrated blogger and is the author of The 7 Things That Made Me Genuinely & Irreversibly Happy: And How They Can Do the Same for You, as well as his debut e-book, Greeks to Geeks: Practical Stoicism in the 21st Century. When he is not busy writing or blogging, he finds passion in being a musician, songwriter, author, professional sound engineer and music producer.

To stay connected to Rohan via social media, click on the social media links below:

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/rohanmusic

Blog: http://rohan7things.wordpress.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rohan-music-page/198079576926823

Twitter: https://twitter.com/rohanforsale