📖Authors To Watch: Erik Lewin Author of This Is How I Spell Grief #authorstowatch #interview #PUYB

 

 

Erik Lewin is the author of three books – This is How I Spell Grief, Animal Endurance, and Son of Influence – as well as numerous essays published in Ponder Review, GNU Journal, David Magazine, Real Vegas Magazine &Literate Ape. Erik is also a stand-up comedian who performs in clubs and venues around the country. He formerly practiced law as a criminal defense attorney in New York City and Los Angeles. He is at work on a new one-man show loosely based on This is How I Spell Grief.

Erik lives in Las Vegas with his wife and their furry pets.

Visit his website at www.eriklewincomedy.com or connect with him on Facebook and Goodreads.

 

Erik Lewin shares how he turned the profound loss of his mother and father into life-changing growth, with intimacy, warmth and humor. He offers a no-nonsense, commonsense way to create your personal path to acceptance of your loss.

Lewin became an expert in his grief experience twice over, encouraging readers to find their own way, as no two lives or losses are the same. He eschews expert opinions and general analyses of grieving in favor of common sense, letting you know you are not alone in how you’re feeling. He shares how he turned his loss into an impetus to personal change. A former criminal defense lawyer, Lewin is now a full time writer and standup comedian.

This Is How I Spell Grief takes a counter-intuitive approach to self-help; there are no eight simple exercises to get over it. Instead, you gradually learn to address grief on your own terms, to make true and lasting peace with your loss.

Welcome to My Bookish Pleasures. We would love to get to know you and your book! When did you begin writing?

A few years after losing my mother to breast cancer. It felt like the time to express myself.

Describe your writing process. When and where do you write?

I write at all hours of the day, usually out of the house, to escape my purring cats.

Can you tell us about your most recent release? 

This Is How I Spell Grief: A Guide To Healing From Loss And Finding Fulfillment is my take, as a regular guy and comedian, on the at times excruciating and confusing process of grief recovery. I couldn’t find a book to help me; I don’t believe in phases and stages of recovery, or anything so narrowly prescriptive. My hope is that a no-holds barred, honest and intimate approach can be relatable and even uplifting.

How did you get the idea for the book? 

As I said, from the lack of any other book written on grief that appealed to me.

What was the most challenging aspect of writing your book? 

All of it. It’s obviously very emotional, the depths one must touch into, and it required a real persistence.

Do you find it easier to write nonfiction? 

Not necessarily; I have published a humorous novel, Son of Influence, as well as a collection of poems, Animal Endurance: 100 Poems to Keep You Company.

Do you have plans to write fiction? 

I’m not so sure I have another novel in me! Writing the first one made writing the book on grief feel like a cupcake.

What projects are you currently working on?

A one-man show loosely based on this book, with plenty of humor!

What advice would you offer to new or aspiring nonfiction authors?

Be honest and unflinching.