Author Insight: Beverly Mahone

Tell our readers about your background: where are you from, and what led to your current career as a writer?

I am an only child who was born and raised in Ohio. I always loved to write and knew early on that I wanted to be a journalist. When I was in junior high, I was one of the editors for our school newspaper. In high school I was a cheerleader and member of the Forensics team. I was also very active in our Communications Dept as a member of the campus radio staff at Ohio University. I graduated from there with a degree in journalism in 1979. My radio and television career has taken me to West Virginia, Boston, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Saudi Arabia and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Tell us about your current book, Don’t Ask and I Won’t Have to Lie. What’s the story behind the book and the title?

The idea for Don’t Ask and I Won’t Have to Lie was created shortly after I walked out of my doctor’s office in 2008. To make a long story short, I lied to my doctor about taking my medication as prescribed but the medical tests revealed the truth and as a result of not taking my medication like I was supposed to, I learned I could’ve died because my heart had deteriorated severely.

You conducted several surveys during the writing of this book. What were some of the most interesting things you discovered?

The vast majority of people who responded to my surveys online said they would take the high road and tell the truth on the questions I asked. However, when discussing these issues in person, many people admitted they would bend the truth and gave explanations as to why. I think some people use their online identities to shield their true behaviors.

You created a card game that goes along with the book. Tell us a little about it and what the response to it has been.

The response to the Don’t Ask card game has been phenomenal! Once people start playing they get so involved in answering the question that they forget they are competing in a game to win. The object of the game is to discover how like-minded or DIFFERENT you are with your friends when it comes to responding to real-life situations. The idea was created one night while a few of my girlfriends and I were sitting around discussing the book and what we would do in similar situations. One of my friends calls the game, “the deck of dialogue.”

You are an outspoken advocate of Baby Boomer women. What led you down that path and why was it so needed?

Believe it or not, it was menopause that led me down this path. I discovered in my late 40s, totally by accident, that I was going through the early stages of menopause and I had no clue as to what I was going through. No one in my circle was talking about it so I kind of took it upon myself to be the champion for menopausal women everywhere. I wanted my fellow baby boomer women to know that life was not over just because they were going through the change. I wanted them to discover ways to embrace the second half of their journey and to live life to the fullest.

Hollywood and the media wants us to believe a woman has to be young and beautiful to be successful. But I think beauty is so much deeper than the outward appearance. It’s how you live your life and the good you try to do for others. It’s the wisdom you gain and that only comes with aging. And we owe it to the younger generations to pass on our life-long experiences—all of it—the good, bad and ugly.

Many of our readers have a story to tell and would like to write a book, as you have done. What advice do you have for someone who wants to write a book, but hasn’t been able to make it happen?

Keep a journal. I didn’t start out with the intention of writing a book. I was keeping a journal just to document what was going on in my crazy world. You don’t have to sit down with the intent of writing a book from cover-to-cover. You can write a little bit at a time or whenever you feel inspired. I would also recommend joining a writer’s group so you can keep up with deadlines and help others to encourage you through the writing process.

You’re a wife, a mother, and you’re currently raising your grandson. How do you balance your creative pursuits with all of your everyday obligations?

To be perfectly honest with you, I don’t know how I do it but I do know that I am blessed to have a wonderful husband who helps out tremendously. He supports me in all that I do and is truly the wind beneath my wings.

You’re a social media maven, but you also spend a lot of time developing relationships offline. How has your ability to network contributed to your success?

I truly love connecting with people. Anybody can sell you a bill of goods online without ever having met you but when you get up close and personal that’s a different story. My personality speaks for itself. I never meet a stranger but I also get to see others for who they really are.

Do you have any more writing projects coming up?

As a matter of fact I do. 2011 is the five year anniversary of the release of my first book, Whatever! A Baby Boomer’s Journey Into Middle Age, which went on to become an Amazon Best Seller. I plan to do a Whatever! follow-up. My life has changed quite a bit in five years so I want to give my readers an update. I am also working on completing the book I was working on when I stopped to write Don’t Ask and I Won’t Have to Lie. So I actually have two more books that will be coming out in the next year. Well, make that three because I am working on a media book.

To learn about Beverly Mahone or connect with her online visit BeverlyMahone.com.