A Conversation With Author, Dr. Joe Sivak, M.D.

1.What led you to write your book and was there a pivotal event you can share with our readers?


It was a story that was within my psyche and my soul that was just dying to burst out onto paper. We all have a story inside of us. In the end we all have our own personal hell, our own struggles, that are no more or less exceptional than anybody else's. But I wanted my future generations to understand where they came from. Most off all, Alzheimer's disease is such a lousy process, it affects 5 million, and one of the worst parts about it, is the isolation is causes in families. I thought the book might actually help somebody and cut down on that isolation. It's hard for me to really imagine any huge endeavor without maybe benefiting someone, and that pushed me to finally get it done.



2.How do you approach the creative process ?


It seems to approach me, more than I approach it. When it does and I don't know what the predisposing factors are exactly, but it is a beautiful thing. When I have to find it, it is labor intensive, requires a ton of focus, and too many other things like responsibility and a certain exhaustion from expending energy and spirit in most other areas of life, compete strongly and usually beat the hell of the creative process I am trying to find.

3.Are there any influentials in your life that have encouraged you to stay the course as an author?


No one is really discouraging, but the whole process of staying with it comes from within. Writing is deeply a intimate and an introspective process, no matter what genre, as far as not giving up, I think my parents taught me that. As the saying goes, "to thy own self be true"

4. Can you clarify the basic premise of your book?


It is a memoir that traces the process of Alzheimer's disease thought the eyes of a teenager and years later those same eyes as an adult and physician. It also covers some of the struggles it take to become a doctor that most people think they understand but don't, and a general commentary on health care, society, our aging population and a bunch of other sociological issues.

5.What do you hope to teach your readers?


Start treating the elderly with honor and respect they deserve. Start talking about Alzheimer's for real, even if it does not affect your family, you can't catch it by understanding it, and for those affected, you are not alone.



6. Apart from writing, what other endeavors, or hobbies are you involved in?

I like to travel, anywhere, exploring any new places, cultures, learning and absorbing. I like staring up at mountains, then of course wine tasting, tango, watching football, working out, reading.




7. What would you say to someone thinking about becoming a writer?


Write because you love to write, because you need to write. Your writing be it fiction or memoir or whatever is a deeply personal and intimate look into your heart and psyche. Don't expect anybody else to see it that way. Selling books and giving a part of yourself and your toil and effort and creativity etc are two disconnected things. Don't give up if you truly need to have a published work, there are many ways to do that now more than ever. Most importantly, keep perfecting your craft of writing.




8. Do you have any plans for the future- work related and/or personal?


I am working on a novel about psychiatric residency.

9. Describe a typical day in your writing life.


Most days wishing I had the creative energy to put it together and longing to write, when I get it or it comes to me, sitting down, reviewing what I have, sometimes being inspired sometimes annoyed, and then moving on, thinking about my characters, looking for symmetry, and letting the story flow from my psyche through my hands to the keyboard and onto the screen. sometimes I like it, sometimes, it was more well meaning when it was still in my head.

10.Tell us something about yourself outside of the job of writing- your interests, an experience you want to share, something you are proud of / or have overcome


Well I pour out a lot of that in the memoir......

but I guess sometimes I feel really fulfilled, when I am out in nature for like more than a couple days, have not shaved, have no real contact with industrialized and digitalized civilization, connect with the campfire and the stars, then I feel really connected to the earth, and to humankind back through all the ages, sort of you conscious mind merging more easily with the collective unconscious, and that is a pretty fulfilling thing.




Book Info:

The true life account of a young man living with the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease in a parent. The disease was diagnosed in his mother when the author was seventeen years old in 1979, long before Alzheimer's disease was a household term.

The book candidly traces with graphic detailed description and dialogue the course of the fatal illness.
The emotional issues of such pivotal events as the loss of autonomy of driving a car and entry into a nursing home are experienced through the eyes of a young son. From a concurrent viewpoint Alzheimer's is explained with the wisdom of a 21st century physician who has personally experienced the emotional anguish, and thus the fact-based journey is a truly unique dual-perspective Alzheimer's memoir. The story juxtaposes the active uphill battle to become a doctor set against the backdrop of
the passive helpless struggle of losing a parent to the disease.

The narrative provides explicit commentary on the modern plight of the physician and the global connection family members of an Alzheimer's victim painstakingly share. The unusual, seldom before elicited insights of the dual-perspective vigorously address universal issues such as coping, hope, futility, humiliation and societal bias toward the disease throughout the text.

About Joe Sivak:

Joseph J. Sivak MD is a board certified adult psychiatrist with twenty years of experience in direct patient care. He has taught and lectured in the United States and internationally in the areas of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Mood disorders, and chronic suicidal ideation. He completed medical school at Hahnemann University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, and Residency Training at the University of Rochester. Dr. Sivak has served on the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Alzheimer's Association and the Northland Chapter of the American Red Cross and hosted a weekly mental health Radio Program for eight years on KUWS- Wisconsin Public Radio. Currently Dr. Sivak serves on the legislative committee of
the Minnesota Medical Association, is a assistant professor at the University of
Minnesota-Duluth College of Pharmacy and is in full time private psychiatric in Duluth.

Practical ideas for putting dreams into action

Book Review

I enjoyed the book's structure which is comprised of fascinating epigrams, refelctions, as well as insightful, and practical exercises whereby the reader can put ideas into practice. This format, it seems to me allows the reader to convert any abstracts presented, into real life experience. As a result of the concrete nature of the exercises, the reader can wrap his or her head around the concept of "dreaming bigger," more easily around their mental planes.

Wise teaches the reader to vigorously pursue their full potential in a most down to earth way. The author presents case studies which further illustrate how dreaming big is within the reach of every person.

This book is ideal for persons who want more creativity and inspiration to come into their lives, and are willing to invest time to work through the detailed exercises.

Wise has also provided an array of free resources that the reader can access via internet download, hence giving the book added value.

To learn more about Julie Wise, visit: http://www.juliewiseconsulting.com or click on the blog title above to be taken to her webpage.

Julie Wise: An Interview:

1.What led you to write your book(s) and was there a pivotal event you can share?

Last December, I was in the midst of writing a book about a three-month journey I'd taken in Ireland in 2008. Suddenly the idea for Dream BIGGER came to me and wouldn't let go. It insisted on taking center stage, showed me the title, structure and contest, and all I had to do was commit to writing every day. Three months later, the draft was done.

2.How do you approach the creative process when you decide to write?
I like to ease myself into writing each day. I rarely start before 10 a.m., and then I focus on writing for 2 to 4 hours. I keep a special file on my laptop that serves as a journal for each book I work on. The first step is to write an entry in the journal. It might be about how I'm feeling about a particular stage in the writing, or ideas for the next section, or even admitting that I'm drawing a blank. The process of writing down some thoughts there seems to open the door to a productive writing session on the book. When I finish writing for the day, I go back to the journal and add some comments about how it went. That provides closure, and then I generally take a walk or go and do something physical to get myself back into the world around me.

3.Are there any influentials in your life that have encouraged you to stay the course as an author?
My father was my earliest influence. He encouraged my love of reading (it helped that he owned a bookstore!), and he was always writing - humorous poetry, short anecdotes, a newspaper column. Even though I have written throughout my life, I saw it more as a creative outlet. I wrote poetry, short stories, had a newspaper column and was a newspaper editor for a number of years. I even wrote two books that I set on a shelf. It was only when I came back from Ireland that I decided to take my writing seriously and actively pursue it. Being a published author was a dream I'd had since childhood. And dreams are like that - they never let go of us even when we try to ignore them!

4. Can you explain the premise of your book?

I believe that we all have dreams, things we’d like to do, be or have in our lives. As we become adults, we often set these dreams aside because they don’t seem “practical” or “realistic” and we focus on getting jobs to pay the bills. Sometimes we reach for our dream and things don’t work out, so we give up. There’s a price to pay for not living our dreams – we become unhappy and frustrated and wonder what happened to the person we used to be. I wrote this book because I know there’s a better way! By acknowledging our dreams and taking steps each day toward achieving them, we connect with who we really are, life becomes more enjoyable and we’re a lot more fun to be around!


5.What have been some of your high and low points in being a writer, and in the process of promoting your book?
High points: the writing itself (always my favorite part); choosing the cover; the moment of holding the printed book in my hands for the first time; the book launch; and all the wonderful feedback from readers and reviewers, complete strangers whose lives have been changed by reading the book; finding it on Amazon for the first time, and getting my first review.
Low points: the l-o-n-g process of getting the book from draft to print (although in my case it did go quite quickly - it just seemed like forever to me!); the challenge of getting into bookstores (getting it online is the easy part); not knowing which of the myriad steps will lead to the breakthrough in marketing and sales.

6. Apart from writing, what other endeavors, or hobbies are you involved in?
I'm betwixt and between right now. I've always been a dancer (flamenco for the last six years), and now I'm looking for something new. I'm doing more cycling, sailing and cross country skiing this year, and considering trying my hand at pottery. I'm always reinventing myself, and I think that's what keeps life exciting.

7. What would you say to someone thinking about becoming a writer?

Write about what excites you, whether it’s in a blog, a journal, emails or newsletter. Read and notice how your favorite authors write. By writing you’ll develop your style, and by reading you’ll learn more about what captures a reader’s attention. Creative writing courses can be helpful. I also belonged to an editing circle for a few years. We’d meet once a month, share ten pages of whatever we were working on at the time, and give each other constructive feedback on our material. Being with other writers occasionally can help keep you motivated, since writing is a solitary profession.

Above all, live life fully. Then you’ll have far richer experiences to share with your readers.


8. Do you have any plans for the future- work related and/or personal?
I'm continuing to promote my coaching business (working with people to create the life of their dreams), and getting back into writing the book on my journey through Ireland. Promoting Dream BIGGER continues to take up the majority of my time at the moment, along with the related contest - the Dream BIGGER Reinvention Challenge. I set that up to encourage people to voice their dreams, either through a video or written story, and I'm offering great prizes that will help the winner make his/her dream a reality. People can find out more at http://www.dreambiggercontest.com The contest only runs til November 29, so time is of the essence!

10.Tell us something about yourself outside of the job of writing- your interests, an experience you want to
share, something you are proud of / or have overcome
I'm particularly proud of my two children because they are both living the life of their dreams. After they graduated from university, they set off to see the world, and are continuing to do so. My son has been teaching English to young children in Hong Kong for four years, after cycling across Canada by himself, travelling by freighter from Vancouver to Korea, and flying from Seoul to Hong Kong, and finding a job within a week of arriving. My daughter is currently in Australia, after taking a summer job on a Greek Island leading horseback tours, travelling through eastern Europe, living and working in the UK, and travelling around New Zealand and Tasmania. Both of them keep their lives simple, work to save enough money to do more travelling, and love every minute of every day. How many of us can say that about our lives?