The Canadian author bursts on to the literary scene with a soulful delight
I recently had the chance to ask some questions to my friend and first-time author Talisha Matheson. Her debut publication titled Soul Talks dropped on November 2nd, 2021 and is available on Amazon, Indigo Bookstore and A Different Booklist among other outlets.
1. What do you want your readers to know about you and Soul Talks?
I’m an introvert so answering this question is going to be difficult but I will try. I have come to the conclusion that I express myself best when I put pen to paper. A part of me is removed from the here and now and there is a sense of freedom when I write. So I suppose Soul Talks is my freedom song of sorts. It enabled me to put past pain, and all of the thoughts and questions and musings that tend to run rampant in my head onto paper and in a setting where I am having conversations with people through the written word. I deliberately wrote the book as if I were having an intimate conversation with another person because I feel that is where we can shed off the perceptions of others and truly be our authentic selves. I want my readers to know that Soul Talks is not about having all the answers; because none of us do, but rather it’s about having the courage to ask the questions to start important conversations with the hope that everything else will fall into place from there. I think if one person gets something from this book, then my job is done.
2. What sparked your interest to write this book?
In late Summer 2020, I felt stuck. I knew I needed to do something creative but couldn’t figure out what it was. I was given the idea to write a blog and as I tried to figure out what it would be about I realized three things about myself. I often ask random questions, I love deep conversations where I can gain perspective and understanding and I love to write so why not put the three together and see what happens. And everything started to fall into place. So amid the fear, I did it and it received great feedback on my first few posts. By November I had multiple people ask me if I was going to write a book and honestly, I had just gotten over the fear of writing a blog, a book was the last thing on my mind. Something changed in February where I made a decision to stop hiding behind a screen and really put my work out there and that’s when Soul Talks was born.
3. You chose to self-publish your book. How did you like that process?
I love the idea of self publishing because it gave me creative freedom to say what I want to say and how I want to say it. It was also a stress free approach where I knew the book would be distributed globally. I will definitely self publish again.
4. What do you hope readers get from Soul Talks?
I want people to be able to read the entries every week and walk away and reflect on at least one of the many questions asked. I want them to be able see themselves in some of the weeks and I hope it leads to a deeper understanding of themselves and their relationships. I want people to have a sense of enlightenment and develop the courage to ask tough questions because I feel the more questions we ask the more understanding we will have of ourselves, our situations and the people in our lives.
5. Why do you think candid conversations are so difficult to have in relationships?
I think fear is a big one. We are often too afraid to ask certain questions because we are not prepared for the answer or are too afraid of what the other person will think of us.
Also, I think a lot of our relationships hover on the surface and lack depth and authenticity. A lot of our love relationships fail to have friendship as a solid foundation and our platonic relationships are often quite shallow and lack full transparency. I think there is a solution though, I think once we work on what is beneath the surface within ourselves and remove the need to make who we are at our core, palatable, it will reflect in how we show up in our relationships. When this happens, I think all forms of communication can take place without issue. Simply put without depth we can’t have authenticity, therefore we can’t have healthy communication or healthy relationships.
6. Ok so, some people would assume that most introverts in the world would have a difficult time cultivating relationships in an authentic and transparent way. Do you agree with that?
Definitely not. I think most introverts are really good at building relationships, what may translate as difficulty I think is merely us being cautious as to who we allow in our sacred space. It’s quality over quantity for introverts and Trust, authenticity and transparency are qualities a lot of us deem important and are often non-negotiables in our friendships and love relationships. So, if we do nothing else, we take our time ensuring who we surround ourselves with is good for our Souls.
7. How important is it for people to have an understanding of themselves before they can have impactful relationships with other people?
I think this is extremely important. When people don’t have a clear idea of who they are at the core of their being and understand themselves I don’t think they are equipped to truly know what they require in a partner or what they have to offer their partner. I think this is why many relationships suffer.
8. What is the significance of the 52 week journey for you?
We live in a world of instant gratification and I think we often need to take more time to reflect on interactions and give the thoughts and feelings time to settle. Setting up a 52-Week journey allows time to reflect on each reading for a full 7 days to provide space to have meaningful conversations with ourselves and others.
9. Aside from Soul Talks, you also have a writing business. What services do you offer and how can people get in contact with you?
I partner with Solopreneurs and small businesses in any industry and help them set themselves apart from their competition, by using the power of words. I provide content and message clarity and other writing services required to stand out from the crowd. Currently, I can be reached on Instagram @iamtalisham and soon they will be able to connect with me directly via my website www.talishamatheson.com.
10. What's next for you now that Soul Talks is out in the world?
I don’t want to give away too much but there is something brewing that I believe is going to be highly impactful. That’s all I’ll share for now, but it’s something I am very excited about!
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