Q1. Hello, can you please introduce yourself? Readers would love to know more about you.
Margaret Lang is a mom, friend, former English teacher of thirty years, real estate agent, and author of Moving Forward: With, Through, and Past Cancer. Grateful for surviving cancer with a greater respect for life and more conscious than ever of becoming 80, she set out to find what it would take to live beyond that number. The result is this book of inspiring stories, her reflections on what she learned, and the discovery that the principles of a long, healthy life can be applied at any age.
Answering the question about how to live past 80 was crucial to me as I turned 80 in August 2022. My sister had just died at 76, the other at 80 and my mom at 83. “What was going to be my fate?” I asked myself.
Q2. What were the key challenges you faced while writing your book “Moving Forward for a Longer Life ”?
The key challenges were two: The first is the time it took to interview the persons in the book and to translate the interviews into their stories. The second was the tremendous time it took to edit. I had a friend, Lori Dzik, help me with that, and we worked together to get the book in the best form possible.
Q3. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?
I taught writing as a High School English teacher for many years greatly influenced by the style of Melanie Hemry who writes for The Believer’s Voice of Victory about people whose lives were transformed. She always starts the article right in the middle of their stories, riveting the reader. I taught that technique and applied it to my writing. My goal was to be as real as possible while giving the reader something to think about.
Q4. What’s your favourite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?
My favorite spot to visit is close to home, not a place to view nature or eat the best foods, but a place to satisfy my quest for finding beautiful objects for home and table decoration. My passion has always been decorating, and my newest one is setting tables. The place is Sunshine Acres, a resale shop benefitting foster children. I not only find bargains; I find joy in preserving what others no longer need nor treasure. I am very interested in legacy. Perhaps my new adventure for table settings will be the topic of the next book. That hobby certainly has me Moving Forward with joy.
Q5. Is there lots to do before you dive in and start writing a book?
My writing is inspired. I get an idea and then start working on it. The first book was mandated by my mentor who told me I had to write about my healing from cancer and back surgery 4 years ago. The second book made sense while I was determining my purpose for the next 40 years of my life inspired by a pastor who has committed to living until at least 120 years.
Q6. How long did it take you to write your book ‘Moving Forward for a Longer Life’?
The writing of the book took about two years- those years interrupted by Covid and my association with a brilliant and exacting editor. I felt the book should do justice to the ones interviewed as well as present a very personal observation of how I was dealing with my future.
Q7. On what platforms can readers buy your book ?
Readers can purchase the book on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and at Xulon Press, the publisher.
Q8. Tell us about the process of coming up with the book cover and the title ‘Moving Forward for a Longer Life’?
When I was going through my cancer treatment, my friend Sue would take me to all my appointments. I did not complain, but she knew what I was going through. Any time something negative came up, she would simply say, “Moving Forward.” That was our motto. I used that in my first book, Moving Forward With, Through and Past Cancer. Deciding to live a Longer Life, I felt it appropriate to use “Moving Forward” again!
Q9. When writing a book how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?
Life and its experiences keep us fresh because they always change. That is why I feel the book is “fresh.” The book is filled with different life stories and has questions at the end of each chapter to challenge the readers to reflect on their decisions to Move Forward.
Q10. Are there any secrets from the book (that aren’t in the blurb), you can share with your readers?
The “secrets” from the book are ones that are not written. Why? Because as the reader interacts with the characters in the book and answers the reflective questions at the end of each chapter, the reader will reveal to himself/herself what perhaps will be life changing revelations. That is what I love about the book most. It has its own future with each reader.
Buy Moving Forward for a Longer Life on Amazon
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