I’m starting a new feature on my blog today:  “AUTHOR INTERVIEWS”!  These will be short and, hopefully, informative meetings with Indy authors whose work I think is fascinating, eminently readable, or just downright important.

My interview today is with SHARON FRENCH (aka Sharon FitinFun) who is the author the following three books available on Amazon:

Dry Skin Brushing Survival Guide – Are you concerned about toxins in your system and looking for an effective and inexpensive home remedy to feel better? Well, look no further.

Your Weight Loss Journey Overcome Obesity Excuses – Is your body your biggest regret? Are you afraid you will die a miserable obese death? Bust through your excuses and take charge of your life. You can do it if I did.

I Have Loose Skin on My Feet –Do you need a boost? Anyone with sore tired feet who wants to feel better will benefit from the simple, relaxing and inexpensive strategies found here.

Welcome, Sharon. Can you tell my readers what inspired you to write your first book?

I started my website, Fitinfun.com when I was still obese and at the beginning of my journey. At that point, I was trying hard, with little results. I thought I would die obese and I would never have any fun in my life before it was over.

 Luckily I found a lot of strategies, tips and tricks in my 4 year effort to lose weight. These are all the same things I still do today. I share them in my writing, videos and photography. I try to reach others that are still in the same hopeless place I used to dwell. I know anyone can improve their health with these ideas.

The inspiration for my first book was the need to find a larger audience. Only so many people would visit my website. So, I reached out to those people who read books.

Wow – timely and important information, Sharon. Can you tell us a little bit about your background and what led you to put pen to paper and share your experience with the world?

 I am driven by the 68% of obese and overweight people I see every day when I am out in the world. I learned early not to approach people directly. Most people are not ready to change. It would only upset us both by trying to discuss obesity and health in a one on one situation. The internet provides a buffer that allows me to reach those who are searching for a way to change.

I have always been a writer in most of my career. I’ve written manuals, college courses and tutorials throughout a 30 year accounting career. My writing now allows me to present topics that I feel passionate about. I don’t need to hold back – I just tell it like it happened to me. One of my biggest rewards is the feedback I get from people whose lives I’ve touched telling me that my work did make a difference to their health and life. Those are the emails I love to open!

Is there a specific message in your book(s) that you wish readers to grasp?

I want people to know that they can take control of their health and weight. They don’t need to spend a lot of money on a special diet or program. The tools are within their grasp. All of my strategies are based on eating whole, natural, “real” foods that provide delicious taste, satiety and nutrition.

The biggest key is the reduction in toxic material that enters our bodies. Once we eat less of it and detox the rest of it out of our body our health blooms. My exercise is all easy and gentle since I have arthritis and other health issues. My attitude is vigilant and on guard for any new tricks that the big companies send our way, trying to make us obese and overweight. These “tricks” are simple but our world is filled with products that seem to help but really should be avoided for the best result. I try hard to pass that information on to others who need it.

 What do you find to be the hardest part of writing a book?

For me, the writing is not hard at all. I am verbose and love to write.  The hard part is making the time to do it and not getting side-tracked. I also get stuck in the proof reading stage. I have a long list of words I try to avoid and it is discouraging when I realize how much work I need to put in after my book is “finished.”

You’re not alone in that, Sharon. Now, besides your own book(s), what other new Indy titles are you excited about in 2014?

 I am excited by the works of my friends in author groups I belong to. I do not have time to search for reading material any longer. Since I took on all my internet writing, art and social media, my reading future is clogged with numerous “How To” works as I try to figure out what I am doing.

 What’s next for you? Any new projects in the works?

Today I am proofreading “30 Days to Dry Skin Brushing” a prequel to my best-seller. The “Dry Skin Survival Guide” Both books are about a wonderful, inexpensive DIY detox and skin improvement practice I started at the end of my weight loss. I wish I would have started earlier and my work helps others get started on their way to better health.  My current book tells people how to do Dry Skin Brushing and the new one tells how to get ready for this life changing experience.

 Behind that project, I have several others in the works. The next one is a step by step tutorial about the steps I took to lose weight. I have two “130 pound” posts on fitinfun.com that describe the changes I made. I’m turning those works into longer and more detailed works that people can use to make the same changes.

 The 130 pound posts:

http://www.fitinfun.com/the-most-important-actions-i-took-to-lose-130-pounds-of-weight/

http://www.fitinfun.com/rules-for-eating-to-help-me-lose-130-pounds-and-keep-it-off

Finally, do you have any advice for other writers who are just starting down the self-publishing path?

My advice is to go for it. Since I started publishing on my website four years ago, I hear from many people who wish they could do the same. Every time I add another platform or method I hear the same refrain, “I wish I could do that too.” My answer is that you can do it if you try. Most of my work is something I never did before. I look back on the earliest efforts and wonder how I got the nerve, but without the beginning, there would never be improvement. I’m proud of what I do and I know I help people how find me. None of that would be possible if I did not make the first stumbling efforts.

Thank you for stopping by today, Sharon, and sharing with us. I’m sure my readers appreciate your taking time out of your busy writing schedule to pass on this important information!  To learn more about Sharon and to contact her through social media –

@FitinfunSharon            Goodreads             Facebook

Thanks again, Sharon. If any of my readers have comments they would like to make on this interview, I hope they will feel free to enter them below.  L.