This is a real adventure book for grown-ups, a travel-memoir-life skills book. “Naked Determination: 41 Stories About Overcoming Fear” begins with the tragic death of the author’s husband and her realization that now she has to conquer life alone. Remembering 41 of her best adventure stories helps. One highlight is Gisela’s account how she gets to meet Heinrich Harrer, the former teacher of the Dalai Lama. He encourages her to go to Tibet as soon as possible because “the Chinese will destroy Tibet.” Gisela follows the advice and reaches the “Roof of the World” in 1987 when Lhasa was still a barely-touched paradise. Other stories include travel experiences in China, Mongolia, Russia, shooting movies, meeting a real sky marshal who shows her the gun strapped to his leg, dating a boyfriend trans-Atlantic and much more.
Find inspiration to conquer life with naked determination. This is what Gisela Hausmann, author of ‘Naked Determination: 41 Stories About Overcoming Fear’ has personally done in her life, and today she has generously set aside a little time to chat with me about how she’s conquered her life. Gisela, thanks for joining me today. One thing that was struck by about you book was how many diverse stories and places you’ve woven through the pages. How far did you travel the course of the stories?
I traveled almost 100,000 kilometres
Wow, that’s a huge number of kilometres. With that many kilometres it’s easy to see how you’ve so many distinct anecdotes. When you were looking back on your adventures while writing this book, what did you find most rewarding about the writing process?
The best thing about writing this book is that I could show that “real adventure” is still possible. I grew up in this incredibly pretty but boring little town. There was nothing to do; so I became voracious reader. A steady guest at the public library, I read absolutely every travel adventure stories I could get my hands on. Eventually, I decided that I needed to become an adventurer and see the whole world. Though I did not achieve that goal I managed to travel almost 100,000 kilometres around the globe. “Naked Determination: 41 Stories About Overcoming Fear” keeps the stories alive.
I think that you did achieve the goal of becoming an adventurer. Maybe it wasn’t as rugged as you originally pictured, but with the number of kilometres you travelled I don’t think it’s fair to say you aren’t an adventurer. With so many adventures under your belt you have seen the world from so many points of view and angles. What was the most important thing you hope readers take away from your memoir?
Don’t wait! Start working your dream today. Things change. When I traveled to Tibet in 1987 I never thought that it would possible to build a railroad to “the roof of the world”. Still, the Chinese managed to do it. The thousands of tourists who travel to Tibet now change Tibet.
I’m glad you didn’t wait to see Tibet before the location of your dream changed. One of your dreams is obviously to write books. How have you tackled the concept of your own ‘author brand’ or marketing plans to get your voice out to the world?
LOL, I created my own author brand – I publish “naked (no-fluff) books.” There is a huge market for writers of the naked truth, especially in nonfiction. Some of my “naked books” are: Naked Determination, 41 Stories About Overcoming Fear, NAKED WORDS 2.0: The Effective 157-Word Email, NAKED TEXT: Email Writing Skills for Teenagers, Naked Eye-Opener: To Reach the Dream You Must Forget About It, Naked News for Indie Authors How NOT to Invest Your Marketing $$$, NAKED TRUTHS About Getting Book Reviews, NAKED TRUTHS About Getting Product Reviews on Amazon.com: 7 Insider tips to boost Sales.
You have been busy! And I really love seeing how you’ve got that ‘naked books’ idea working in such a way that you can write across a huge variety of topics, but bring them together to be marketed by a single author. Well done. As you’ve seen success within the writing, publishing and branding space, do you have any top tips for other authors?
Write the first book for yourself – to learn! Do NOT publish with a traditional publisher so you can fix errors and strategies and learn the trick that help you reach your audience.
The advice to self-publish to learn how to reach your audience is one of the best recommendations I’ve had from an author before. Thank you very much for sharing that with us. Before you return to plotting your next adventure I’m hoping that you might be able to show us a little more of your spirit through our quietly quirky quick fire questions. Let’s kick off the fun with: What is your favourite song or music to work by?
A different song for every book
I like the idea to change the soundtrack for each new writing adventure. What is your day job when you’re not embarking on your new adventure?
Email evangelist and PR-coach
E-mail evangelist, now there’s a job that you don’t see being advertised everyday. I like it! Moving back to what you like, what is your favourite quote?
“Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.” – Napoleon Hill
That is so true. What is your zodiac sign?
Taurus, but I like my Chinese zodiac sign – the Tiger – better. I think it’s much cooler to be a Tiger than (basically) a bull.
Yep, in the battle of bull versus tiger, a tiger wins. What is your favourite ocean?
Personally, I have seen with my own eyes: the Atlantic and the Pacific. They are both beautiful in different ways. I am not to keen to see the Arctic Ocean. I don’t like cold temperatures
The Arctic probably isn’t too bad in summer. I have to agree, I’m still not sure I’d want to swim in it, but it would be fantastic to see it’s beauty. What came first, the chicken or the egg?
The egg! It is inconceivable that a chicken just materialized by itself. It’s too complex.
*Laughs* Chickens just don’t pop into existence out of thin air do they? If all of the world is a stage, where does the audience sit?
I am not overly religious but that’s my proof that God exists. “If all of the world is a stage” AND “the show must go one” somebody’s got to be watching – God. Even with news reports being delivered 24/7 from around the world, no one person can see “the whole show.” Hence, there must be a God who is watching.
That’s an intriguing theory, and I like that you’ve considered it from multiple viewpoints. What is your favourite flavor of ice-cream?
Chocolate Raspberry Truffle
That sounds awesome. Speaking of awesome, what is your favourite word?
Adventure
*Laughs* Adventure it is! Gisela, thank you so much today for sharing a little insight in your world of adventure and I hope that you inspire readers to get started on their own adventures today!
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Excited to read the book we discussed today? Find it here on Amazon: ‘Naked Determination: 41 Stories About Overcoming Fear ( ASIN: B009WCYASU )‘.
Want to find out more about Gisela Hausmann? Connect here!