I was right.  Green t-shirt.  Denim baseball cap.  Desk a regular rat’s nest of information on speaking, web design, e-zine publishing, ideas for several future books, inspiring quotes, books he’s reviewing, work for that PR contract, a "to read" pile that “may soon cause a workplace injury” and an to-file-pile of what he’s already read.

There are also several boxes filled with papers.  One is filled with all the information he’s saved on media relations, much of which went into his new e-book, “Get In The News.” He also has a box of lollipops with happy faces on them.  He gives these to people who speak up and answer questions at his live seminars.

With a Happy Guy like this inhabiting writers’ circles and readers’ circles on the web, I though you’d want to know him.  Here is my interview with him.

David:  Actually, I'm a dual citizen of The United States and Canada (and I may have claim to Hungarian citizenship, too!).  My wife and I have always considered ourselves "Citizens of the World."  I don't really feel isolated at all, in part because I am so active on the internet, where we are all citizens of the world.  It's a wonderful community and a wonderful place to share one's writing.

Carolyn:  When I reviewed you book, "Climb Your Stairway to Heaven" I had a sense that you just might be the most positive guy on the planet.  How do you achieve that?

David: Well, nobody has ever accused me of lacking energy.  But I went through a very low period a few years ago.  I virtually disappeared.  There was no "me" left in me.  I turned my back on my friends.  I was just a hollow shell, a real-life zombie, so to speak.  I was completely beaten.

But somewhere, somehow I found the strength to stand up and kick my butt and get out of the very negative environment I had made my home.  All I remember is bursting into my brother's house and shouting out "I'm back!"  It's amazing how empowering that experience was.  When you've come back from something really devastating, it's so easy to not sweat the small stuff.

Incidentally, it has often been said that truly great writers are inspired by turmoil and anguish.  When people say that, I think they are talking about fiction writers, but in my case, as a non-fiction writer, that deep, dark period has fueled my upbeat writing  -- and living -- style.

Carolyn:  Another impression I had when I read your book is that you know psychology inside out, and first hand.  Do you have special training in that field?

David: No formal training in psychology, although it's always fascinated me. When my wife and I started practicing these happiness habits, I began researching what actually makes us happy -- as opposed to what we like to think makes us happy.  It was a real eye-opener for me.

When it came time to write Climb your Stairway to Heaven, I spent three months with my nose in the psychological journals.  I mean, I was at the library literally every evening and all weekend long.  I battled with psychological terms that took me longer to pronounce than it took the State of Florida to declare a President.  Don't ask me if I remember any of them, I just wanted to make sure my book was 100%, beyond a shadow of a doubt accurate.

Carolyn:   I know that you recently moved and that you will be spending more time writing.  Most writers want to spend more time writing.  Can you share how you achieved that milestone?

David: Well, I haven't achieved anything yet.  Along with the move from the heart of downtown Toronto (Canada's Manhatten, really) to four acres in the country (full of delicious raspberry bushes!), comes a move from employee to entrepreneur.  That is to say, I'm giving up my full time job to try to make it as an author, speaker, consultant -- whatever will feed my family and allow me to work out of our home.  So all I've accomplished so far is jumping off the cliff.  Come back to me in a year and if you don't see a giant SPLAT! at the foot of the mountain you'll know I've accomplished something.

Carolyn:  David, we worked on a promotional e-book called Cooking by the Book together.  I learned from that experience that you are an amazing promoter.  Any special training in that field?

David: Thank you.  I have three key talents for which I thank God: writing, speaking, and strategizing.  These make the perfect combination for public relations and public affairs.  Over the past few years, I have been called the most vocal and visible consumer advocate in Canada, conducting over 600 interviews a year.  I've even put together a media relations training video and a special report called Get In The News (which I will soon convert to an e-book to download from my web site).

Carolyn:  What promotional advice would you give to a young writer with her first book in the oven or to anyone starting a new endeavor.

David: I participate in a number of publishing forums on the Internet, and I cringe when I hear people talking about sending out "news releases" to announce their books.  That's not news; it's just an announcement.  (I cringe even more when I hear the term "press release", because I thought we already had a free press.)  A news release releases news; it does not announce a product, not even a book.

A novelist might look for a newsy angle.  You did a showcase job of this with your novel This Is The Place, which highlights the religious tensions and prejudices in Utah -- a topic brought to national attention when the winter Olympics came to Salt Lake City.  You captured the very essence of how to turn a novel into news.  You should do tele-seminars on the subject.

For a non-fiction writer, I would promote myself as an expert in the topic of my book, or in one aspect of it.  That's why I picked The Happy Guy as my moniker (Actually, it started off as a bit of a joke, but people started coming up to me at meetings and calling me The Happy Guy.) and named my web site http://www.TheHappyGuy.com.
For an entrepreneur, again I would look for the news, because your product is not news.  I would ask what expertise I could promote, what special events I could promote.  I could talk about this all day.  In fact, I've put over 30 pages of tips, examples and ideas in my Get In The News report, which I wrote first and foremost for entrepreneurs and small businesses.

Carolyn:  What lead you to write "Heaven?"

David: Truth be told, I enjoy public speaking.  I wanted to speak, and happiness is a subject I'm passionate about.  I figured if I could help people enjoy their lives -- I don't mean just entertain them to temporarily distract them from their troubles -- I would at least have earned the space I'm taking up on Starship Earth.  The book was a natural extension, a calling card of sorts, and I rediscovered my love of writing.

Carolyn:  How do you come up with the symbols and metaphors you use in your writing?  Do you think that is a skill that can be honed?

David: Some came naturally.  I spent a lot of time working on others, and I would say that was one of the most fun aspects of writing the book.  For instance, there is a story about a food services manager who is overlooked for a promotion.  People love that story, because we all know someone who's been outmaneuvered for a promotion she deserves.  The point the story makes is that holding on to the pain of past events is self-inflicted pain.  I asked myself, "What is painful?  What pain could be self inflicted?"  I needed something very plausible, yet totally ludicrous to get the point across.  After many options, I chose "Take Your Hand Off the Hot Stove."

Carolyn: What else keeps you busy besides writing the best little "upper" around?

David: As much time as I can spend with The Little Lady, who is now 15 months old and harnesses more energy than a herd of stampeding buffalo.  I also have a contract to do some PR work, including editing a couple web sites and a couple e-zines, for a young, growing company.

My biggest recent project has been a total head-to-toe revamp of my website (including learning how to write HTML) which should be in place by the end of September. I'll be offering some new e-books, an e-mail course on happiness habits and a free daily motivational e-zine called "The Daily Dose of Happiness".  If anyone wants to sign up for the e-zine, just e-mail me;  I’ll notify them when the revamped site goes "live" , they should let me know at David@TheHappyGuy.com (And, of course, I'll respect their privacy!).

Of course, I continue to speak, which I find pumps me up for days afterwards.  But it does take a long time to prepare for a truly great speech.  And I try to keep reviewing books for a few select web sites, including MyShelf.com, but that, too, is time-consuming.

Carolyn:  How is “Heaven” doing?

David: I am very excited, because it's going to the Frankfurt Book Fair, where foreign rights are bought and sold.  In advance of the fair, my agent has piqued the interest of five publishers in four countries, and we've just signed a deal with a Korean publisher.  It's not a giant deal, but it does mean that Climb your Stairway to Heaven will be published in Korean -- and this is all before the fair even starts!

Carolyn: The drawings in your book are really original.  Where did they come from?

David: I was going to hire a friend to draw cartoons for the book.  My wife said I should draw them myself.  I protested that I couldn't draw faces.  That's when she pulled out a jelly cabinet (figuratively speaking) I had painted for her as a wedding gift.  I had covered it with bright green foliage and drawn cave drawings of our camping trip when I had proposed.  None of the figures had faces.  So I drew the same style of "cave drawings" into the book.

Carolyn: Has your book been reviewed?

David: Yes, and I've received some awesome reviews from The Montreal Review of Books, Carleton University Magazine, Midwest Book Review, and of course from MyShelf.com, to name just a few.  When people read a thrilling novel or a truly compelling biography, they will often say "I just couldn't put it down."  But you don't hear that often about "self-help" books.  I've had half a dozen people say that about my book, including one friend who apologized for not getting back to me one morning because she slept in after reading Climb your Stairway to Heaven well into the night.  I consider that much more of a success than anything a book reviewer can say.

Carolyn: Any other plans?

David: I'm also gearing up for a syndicated column called The Happy Guy.  I plan to self-syndicate, starting this fall -- another case of jumping off a cliff and hoping to grow wings on the way down.  And I'm working on an e-book: The Nine Habits of Happy Entrepreneurs, based on series of articles I wrote for Small Business Canada magazine (and, of course, based on the nine habits in Climb your Stairway to Heaven).
 

Carolyn:  Thank you, David.  Now, all of you who want to feel better, quick!  Look up Climb Your Stairway to Heaven on Amazon.com.  You’ll see why I am enamored with it…and with David.

Author David Leonhardt would hate my negativity.

There are a whole lot of how-to-search-for-happiness books out there.  So why would you want to read Climb your Stairway to Heaven?

My answer, dear readers, is that you won’t nod off when you’re reading this one.  This man can write!  This man knows what he is talking about.  And this guy is wholly, totally and completely an upper of the unmedicated kind.  Something that is important to those of you who are family-oriented like those of you who count yourselves among Kimberlie’s flock.

The fact that Leonhardt is a speaker shines through on every page.  His book includes pop quizzes, exercises, fables, quotes and what he calls “cave-style cartoons.” Also the fact that he is spiritual is evident (although this book is angled toward a general audience.)

If you’re a woman, you will want to pay special attention to the section called “Shine Like a Diamond.”  It’s full of anecdotes that will inspire you.  This book is also full of wisdom.  Trust me, when you NEED an upper, you’ll need this on the nightstand by your bed.

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the author of This is the Place and Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered