About Maria Teresa De Donato:
Born and raised in Rome, Italy, Maria Teresa De Donato, Ph.D. moved to the States 24 years ago and has been living here ever since. After having started writing at a very young age and getting published when she was still in elementary school, Maria Teresa studied Tourism and Foreign Languages at I.T.T. "J. F. Kennedy" and later Journalism at Scuola Superiore di Giornalismo "Accademia" in Rome. Once in the States, she graduated at the American College of Journalism. Her extremely versatile and eclectic nature, her variety of interests and her holistic and multicultural approach not only to health but to life itself enabled her over the years to publish works of different nature, this including some poems which obtained Honorable Mentions and even the President's Award of Literary Excellence, and hundreds of articles on a variety of topics, which she first wrote while collaborating with different US and Italian magazines and journals. She is the Author of several books.
Maria Teresa is also a Certified and Registered Traditional Naturopath, Classical Homeopath, and Life Strategist, and holds a Bachelor, a Master and a Doctoral degree in Holistic Health with Global College of Natural Medicine and Certifications in Naturopathy, Homeopathy, Nutrition and Herbalism. A a Life Strategist she holds certifications in Conflict Analysis, Negotiation & Conflict Management, Anger Management, and Communication Strategies for Couple. She started her coaching activity more than 35 years ago and has been helping and transforming people's lives ever since. She is an active Member of several professional organizations.
What inspires you to write?
Everything has the potential for inspiring me. It depends on the circumstances and probably on my mood. I might be wondering about something, asking me questions about why and how, and deciding to investigate in the matter. This process, for instance, inspired me to write The Dynamics Of Disease and Healing: The Role That Perception and Beliefs Play In Our Health and Wellness as my dissertation, which I later published along with its shorter and kindle version Disease and Healing Dynamics.
Tell us about your writing process.
My writing process follows my thinking, observing and meditating… Sometimes ideas and thoughts come
to me and I write them down right away and maybe later I rephrase them. Some other time I might stay in what you might call a contemplative state … waiting for my thoughts and ideas to “manifest” and then, once they come, I start writing at the speed of the light. There are no rigid rules, as I see it. I know myself and I adapt to the circumstances. Sometimes I find it useful just to go out for a walk and meditate, while leaving my thoughts flow through me rather than try to control them…
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
That might happen… but more in my head than aloud…
What advice would you give other writers?
Just to do your best and find your own voice. As a Naturopath, I firmly believe in the uniqueness of each and every single being. That being said, I don’t think that there are “rules” to be rigidly applied by everybody. What works for me might not work for someone else and vice versa.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I researched a lot, read about many experiences from different authors, contacted several publishers but after having received many rejections, some of which were positive letters nonetheless, which even stated that they might have later regretted not to have accepted my manuscript(s) I had enough. I decided that I didn’t want to lose my time that way…and opted for self-publishing. When you are not already a well known author… there are not many doors which will be opened to you. So, “I did it my way!”
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
Difficult to say, though I am witnessing to the birth of so many amazing initiatives that it makes me feel optimistic. I feel that the publishing industry is going through a drastic change and might become something different in the future, though paper will still be used to produce them. There is nothing that can replace the charm of holding a book in your hand. No PC/kindle can give you that feeling…
What do you use?: Co-writer
What genres do you write?: Fiction, Non-fiction, Biography/Memoir, Spiritual/Religious, Mind-Body-Spirit, Self-Development/Motivational/Coaching, Historical
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Maria Teresa De Donato Home Page Link
Link To Maria Teresa De Donato Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
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All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.
