Name: Barbara E. Thompson, M.A. and John E. Roe, Ph.D.
Business Name: The Discovery Group
Website URL: www.thediscoverygroup.biz
Social Media Links: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/barbara-thompson/7/708/8b1 and https://www.linkedin.com/pub/john-roe-ph-d/9b/7b6/343
Book Title: The Ten Suggestions for Parents of Teens by John Roe and David Sargent
NFAA Chapter Location: Cameron Park, CA
NFAA Meetup Group Link: http://www.meetup.com/El-Dorado-County-Chapter-Nonfiction-Authors-Association/
Tell us a bit about you. What kinds of writing do you do and what do you do for work?
Our writing focuses on business topics related to “personal and relational effectiveness at work” and on personal improvement and growth. Professionally in our work, we offer training, consulting, coaching, and facilitation in the area of “soft skills” that can save hard dollars.
What are your publishing-related goals?
We are the process of launching a series of information products including an eLearning Course, a public safety-related handbook, and several books in different phases of development. We hope to publish at least 2 of these projects by the end of 2015 and at least 2 annually thereafter.
Why motivated you to want to run a local chapter for NFAA and what do you hope to accomplish with your chapter?
We could think of no better way to keep ourselves on track with our writing projects, and we wanted to encourage and motivate others navigating the challenges and triumphs of authorship. It would be great to see our chapter provide incubation and impetus for a number of outstanding writing projects and helpful books in the days ahead.
What advice would you offer to fellow writers?
Don’t do this alone—get input, get support, and get started!
Please list any favorite books, tools, or resources you would recommend for fellow writers.
We are big fans of a number of Stephanie Chandler’s books which are packed full of ideas and resources for our fellow writers. Because they are so helpful, a number of the ideas from her books will be featured from time to time at our NFAA Chapter meetings.
What do you do for fun?
Cycling, hiking, canoeing, backpacking, and cross-country skiing; also, raising grass-fed beef— John is very involved in community service leadership in El Dorado County agriculture.
Not all of our chapters have co-leaders, how do you think you will complement each other as you share this role?
We think “two heads are better than one,” or perhaps we should say, “Between the two of us, we have one functional brain!” Besides, we have worked together for many years and have found that the diversity of two points of views and two different gender perspectives helps us maintain better balance and objectivity, and we hope to assist our NFAA group’s authors, using that diversity, as they consider how to best approach their potential audiences.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Yes, we would love to have you visit our group, add your perspective and diversity, and move ahead with that nonfiction book project!
