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  • Amy Shannon

Indie Author Showcase: Kate McGahan


Kate McGahan was nominated as an Indie Author who deserves appreciation and acknowledgement of her work. I am pleased to present this author a showcase blog post.

Author Bio:

Kate McGahan has been a hospice grief counselor and clinical social worker for 35 years. The first Jack McAfghan book was released in 2015 following the loss of her dog and the unexpected loss of her father the following day. She has more books and genres forthcoming. Kate brings stories to her readers in an entertaining and thought-provoking way. Her books are teachers but they read like storybooks. When you learn something new you grow, when you grow you heal. It's By Design. She writes each and every book to heal something in the reader.

Intensely spiritual, Kate sprinkles subtle seeds of faith to strengthen the reader's personal spiritual path. While you think she is just entertaining you, she is also planting seeds and teaching you new ways of looking at yourself and those you love. Kate's books will change the way you think. You will never look at life or death or love the same way again.

“The Interview”

Tell me two things about yourself that are separate from writing. (1) I've been a Writer since I was 4 years old. It took me 54 years to become an Author. Oh that's about writing... can't seem to break away. Ummmm. I wanted to be an English teacher when I was growing up, but there were too many teachers when it came time to go to college so I ultimately ended up in Social Work. While I have had a most satisfying career in Social Work, I still would like to have been an English teacher! Most of us know what we want to do before we grow up.

(2) Seven years ago I had everything. The luxury home in Sedona. The eldercare business in New York. The eldercare business in Arizona. The SUV. The bank account. Perfect health. A seemingly secure future. Then the housing crisis came and everything changed. I lost everything I have just mentioned. Now I live a simple life, humbled by my experience. I have never been happier and I am now able to be the author I have dreamed of being. I would never go back to my previous lifestyle and while I do not technically have a "secure future", I am able to live a day at a time having learned to live in the moment. Which, to me, is even better than a secure future. The future will take care of itself as long as I have faith in something greater than myself, which I do. In the meantime I enjoy my life for the first time in my life.

Why do you write? Because I can't not write. I have never ever suffered Writer's Block (knock wood), on the contrary. I am writing at least a dozen stories all at once right now. I write the moment I wake up and I'm writing just before I fall asleep and grab all the moments in between. In my journal, my dayplanner, notepad on my phone, voicenotes, the memopad on my laptop.... It is a blessing and sometimes a curse!

Brag about ONE accomplishment as a writer. Starting out as a New Indie Author I was oblivious to what is required for marketing. I kept learning, growing, connecting with mentors. I never thought I'd understand the Marketing and the Algorithms etc, much less be able to integrate them into my authorship, but gradually the marketing has become a part of me. A lot of it comes natural now. Every day is different but last week each of my first 3 books were in the top 100 in all of their categories. My current book up for Pre-Order is #1 New Release and Best Seller in several categories and it isn't even finished yet. I'm glad I made it a point to overcome my fears and ignorance about marketing.

Name up to five people who inspire you 1. Alinka Rutkowski - Creator of AuthorRemake.com I paid significant $ to join her remake group and it's the best money I ever spent;

2. Author Adam Houge - Has published many inspirational books and now assists authors in indie publishing. His heart is good and he has learned by losing everything (as I did see #1b). There's a difference between those who give up and those who press on and are rewarded for doing so;

3. My old fiance, Don. The one I never married because he was so busy living in the moment that he didn't have time to do the responsible things. He always did what was important however. He loved his family. He loved his life. He loved me. It takes hindsight to see that he was further ahead than I was.

4. My friend Lois. She has lived and loved a lot of life and she has come to love me too! Whenever I'm running low, "Lo" inspires me to look at things clearly and to keep me on task.She has kept me on task with my writing and she has taught me to love the way she loves -- Clearly, without criticism -- with acceptance, unconditional care and always looking at the glass half full. P.S. Had I not gone through losing everything in Sedona, I would not have known Lois -- so she has also taught me that nothing is All Good or All Bad. Everything just IS... part of a Divine Plan.

5. If I may sway from the 'person; to the people -- not just 1 person but 101. My Jacklights. Book 3 is dedicated to the Jacklights. A group of people who gravitated to my original support group on Facebook who have graduated into my book launch, marketing, support team. They are the fuel when my reserves are running low. They always support, encourage, appreciate, validate -- and remind me that writing is my mission and my gift.

If you could sit down with anyone, living or dead, and have a conversation with, who would it be?

Ellen Degeneres

She has created a beautiful life for herself despite the adversity that holds most people back from pursuing their dreams. She has a powerful following. She makes a difference in the lives of others. She has a great heart. She is generous. She Is one of the funniest people ever. She loves dogs..... and quite simply I would like to be on her show. Lol.

Books:

The Jack McAfghan Trilogy

1) `Jack McAfghan: Reflections on Life with my Master: A Dog's Memoir on Life After Death

2) `The Lizard from Rainbow Bridge: The True Tale of an Unexpected Angel

3) `Jack McAfghan: Return from Rainbow Bridge

4) `Only Gone from Your Sight: Jack McAfghan's Little Guide to Pet Loss and Grief

5) `One Heart's Journey: Lyrics of an Imperfect Life (Poetry, copyrighted 1999) Synopsis:

Only Gone from your Sight: Jack McAfghan's Little Guide to Pet Loss and Grief

"The loss of a pet is one of the most significant losses in life. Our pet is the one who was loyal beyond loyal and who loved beyond love. Even though we always guessed we would outlive them, when the time comes we are never prepared. This little guide is the perfect gift to give someone who has lost a loved one. Based on the wisdom and teachings of our favorite four-legged grief counselor, Jack McAfghan, his Little Guide to Grief is designed to be an easy read that brings comfort, validation and support at our greatest time of loss. It can better prepare you before a loss, will help you to make peace with the decisions you may ultimately have to make and it will help you to understand that the end of this life is not the end of life at all." "Grief is an emotional rollercoaster. You will have your ups and downs and moments of terror and brief moments of peace. You can only go as fast as the ride will take you. But remember: it Will End and You Will Be Okay." ~Jack McAfghan

Website links:

Final Thought …

My Motto: "The more you love the more you lose. The more you lose the more you learn. The more you learn the more you love. Life is the school, love is the lesson. You cannot lose."

~Kate McGahan


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