Exclusive Author Interview: Dan Balestrero

Buy the book: Amazon

I recently enjoyed an exclusive author interview with Dan Balestrero, author of Everything I Needed to Know I learned in Hell: Some Thoughts on Turning Darkness Into Light or How to Escape The Mess You've Made. My interview with Dan, below- enjoy!

Tell us a little about yourself… The majority of my career has been spent teaching actors, voiceover artists, and people who want to be VO artists. I’ve also done a lot of presentation coaching for business leaders, sales people, CEOs, and anyone else who talks for a living. I’ve had the privilege to witness the good, the bad, and the ugly in all these different settings.

I’ve directed plays and operas and taught singing for a decade. I’ve performed in everything from Shakespeare to musicals to operas. My absolute love, though, is voiceovers and the process of learning how to control one's expressions and tone of voice in order to facilitate effective communication.

When did you know you wanted to be a writer? It really sprung out of my love of teaching. The concept for Everything I Needed to Know I Learned in Hell came to me when I was in my early thirties. I had watched too many people struggle with the learning process. I knew success wasn’t that far out of reach.

Can you share your journey to becoming a published author?
In 2003, I put out a CD series of my Mastering Voiceover course. Its success, and the ability to reach a greater number of people, really sparked something. Too many teachers are mean to their students. In my opinion, humiliation is not a valid educational technique. I wanted to spread my message of hope and support rather than criticism. After committing the book to paper, I decided to self-publish. I’ve used KDP - the ebook publication arm of Amazon, and Create Space, to fulfill paperback requests on demand. So far I’m quite happy with the results.    

What do you find to be the biggest challenge, as an author? Time away from other pleasures.

What do you find most rewarding, as an author? Accomplishment. Having the words on the page.


What is one piece of advice you would share with an aspiring author? People dumber than you are making a fortune.


Finish these sentences:

I am most grateful for… good people

If I could give my 18 year-old self one piece of advice it would be… be 50

My favorite thing about being a writer is… helping people

My least favorite thing about being a writer is… how hard it is

My goals for the future are… three more books, more self-help and inspiration. The longer I live, the more lessons I have to share!

I love living a creative life because… I couldn’t get a real job

The last book I read was… Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson and Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda


My favorite book, ever, is… Lord of the Rings, Ive read it over 30 times. It relaxes me.


Outside of writing, my favorite hobby is… growing roses


The most important thing to do if you want to achieve your goals is… Never quit!


Do you have any New Years Resolutions for 2017? No more new years resolutions, just keep working!!


Tell us about your books (genre, where we can find them, etc.) 
Everything I Needed to Know I Learned in Hell is an inspirational personal development book. It is currently available through Amazon, both as an ebook and paperback.



Where can readers find you (i.e. website, social media, etc.)?
You can find me by visiting my website masteringvoiceover.com or my blog masteringvoiceover.blogspot.com  I’m also very active on Twitter @MasteringVO and just recently launched a GoodReads account.

What is the book about?

"This book is about ideas that have helped myself and others escape our private hells and achieve unlimited Success. We all have our own self-doubts and small hells that we have to escape from in order to succeed. Over the years, I’ve seen different people succeed and fail, and I've made notes about the causes and traits that seem to create those two outcomes.
I've laughed and cried with many in an effort to discover how to escape personal demons and model the success of others. Other people's success can be inspiring, and sometimes totally annoying, as we try to figure out, “Why not me?”
So here is my personal view of how the mountains of shit can be used to fertilize your orchard of success."

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Stacey Ritz is a bestselling author and award winning writer. An empathetic and compassionate storyteller, Ritz wrote for a plethora of local and national news outlets, magazines, blogs, and websites (copywriter), prior to becoming a novelist. Her book, Covered in Pet Fur  has gained attention from RIVA Media and Animal Planet. She is the Executive Director and co-founder of Advocates 4 Animals, Inc. – a 501(c)3 non-profit animal welfare organization that has saved more than 11,000 lives (and counting). She currently resides in Ohio. Ritz is published through Rockville Publishing. You can interact with Stacey online via Stacey's Book Blog, on Pinterest, and Instagram.

Ritz writes the following genres:
Non-Fiction:
Motivation/Inspiration
Writing/Publishing
Animal Welfare
Fiction:
Love Stories

Click here to view Stacey's fiction books.

Click here to view Stacey's non-fiction books.