AUTHOR INTERVIEW / YOUR CROSSROADS. YOUR CHOICE. BY EJ APICELLO

Welcome to EJ’s real, crazy, emotional, probably too honest journey. She is an everyday girl in this everyday world trying to keep her head above water. Within the pages of this book you will learn about the things that have broken EJ down and the steps she is taking to build back up. You will see, that this story is written in a unique, general, conversational voice, which was her choice. She wants you to be able to picture yourself in her shoes, relate her trials and tribulations to yours and see that you too can find your happiness. Even if you don’t realize this yet, every single one of us possesses things inside of ourselves that we didn't know were there. It took EJ’s life taking a crazy right turn and dumping her at the lowest possible point before she could see the strength within herself. We are not defined by what we do, we are defined by the choices we make. EJ decided when she put pen to paper that she wanted her choices to start defining her as strong, confident, secure and above all else, happy. So, who am EJ? How about who she was - a self-loathing shell who put everyone else’s happiness before her own. Herein lies a story about finding that happiness and all of the ups and downs along the way. See who EJ was and who she is trying to become and maybe, somewhere in there, you will find out a little about yourself too.

Her latest book is the self-help, Your Crossroads. Your Choice.

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About the Book:

Welcome to my diary, my journey, as I tripped and crawled through the darkest time in my life- when I witnessed  people that I held incredibly close to me shatter my very existence with their words and actions. The things within this book spine are extremely raw and exceptionally real. You and I are

going to get very close, the details in this book, although oddly general, are incredibly specific. Yes, I realize what I just said and as you read my words you will see what I mean. As you silently gasp and mentally bitch slap me, please be kind because my story is just that - my story. It is not any more or less special than yours. In fact the only difference between our stories are the choices we made at each of the crossroads in our lives. For most of my life the choices I made were not based on my happiness but on everyone else’s. This book describes what I have experienced in my journey to finding my happiness and hopefully never letting it go. Sadly, it took me thirty six years to find the strength I need to detoxify my life and self-view and find someone who is worthy of my awesomeness. Thirty six years to shatter the negative foundation I had built shatter the ultimate representative I created to hide behind and begin the process of building a new foundation. Only this foundation will be built on strength, confidence and above all, happiness. So take a minute or thirty and sit with my story for a while. You never know what you might find out.

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Thanks for this interview, EJ.  Can we begin by having you tell us about yourself from a writer’s standpoint? 

Well, I think I always knew I needed to write, but I struggled with the what. Until this book came around. It flew from my fingers almost faster than I could type. Probably because it was happening in my real life and I needed to write it down to make sure that I wasn’t imagining it!

When not writing, what do you like to do for relaxation and/or fun? 

I love to read, I average about two books a week. I also love to hang out with my two kids, they are the light of my life. And of course I love to get tattooed. It is an addiction for me!

Congratulations on your new book! Can you give us the very first page of your book so that we can get a glimpse inside? 

I challenge anyone to argue with the following oh so utterly simplistic, almost ridiculously too easy to be real, truth. Here it is, people, be ready for your mind to be blown! Every choice has an opposite choice. And these choices come at a crossroads. A crossroads you are in control of. So go ahead, try and come up with a reason to argue that what I speak isn’t the absolute truth. I’ll wait. Come back when you realize you can’t think of a single one. Please don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I enjoy being right; I just know it’s hard to argue with such an insanely logical and straightforward truth. You see my readers, my new friends, it will hurt less if you accept this to be so. Everything in our world has two opposing choices, and these choices sit at our own personal crossroads, forcing us to embrace either the right or the wrong, the easy or the hard, the light or the dark. Throughout this book, you will see how I am working through this arduous journey with you by my side, priding myself on being a woman of logic and facts, but let’s be clear: I also believe in Santa, the Tooth Fairy, and unicorns!

What can I say, it gives me intense pleasure to know that while you read this book you are going to be kept on the edge of your seat! There will be sexy steamy bits, utterly hopeless bits, raw emotional bits, hilariously funny bits, and pathetic whiny bits. But I promise, if you stick with me, at the end of it all, there will be mostly strong, empowered, utterly-confident bits. But who knows, right?

Would you say it’s been a rocky road for you in regards to getting your book written and published or pretty much smooth sailing?  Can you tell us about your journey? 

Emotionally, the journey has been complete and utter hell. There are some points over the past few years where I look back at who I was then and that person makes me cringe. Hitting rock bottom is not fun. Trying to pull yourself out of that pit is hard work that I wish I had the luxury of focusing 24/7 on. But I have a full time job, I am a mom, and I have a life so it has been quite a rocky road for my internal self. Getting published was not difficult, just arduous because I did a ton of research before deciding to work with Page Publishing to have my book published.

If you had to summarize your book in one sentence, what would that be? 

Your crossroads, your choice, your happiness.

What makes your book stand out from the rest? 

I think the style in which I wrote it is quite unique for a self help book. People who have read my book or excerpts from it have said that it felt as if we were close friends sitting down having a drink and sharing some meaningful conversation. I am really proud of that because I write like I think and I speak like I think - so the reader is getting a glimpse into the very deepest parts of me.

If your book was put in the holiday section of the store, what holiday would that be and why? 

April Fool’s Day because you would be convinced that some of the stories were a giant joke!

Would you consider turning your book into a series or has that already been done? 

I am currently working on the sequel to this first book. I recognize now that I wrote this book out of anger and hurt and betrayal. I want to write the next one from a place of healing and kindness and a little humor.

What’s next for you? 

Have Ellen DeGeneres catch wind of my book and have me on her show! Oh and also continue to work on the healing sequel to this book!