Welcome, #RRBC’s “SPOTLIGHT” AUTHOR for September @JohnJFioravanti! #RWISA

Hello, all!  I’m here today to welcome back Author, John J. Fioravanti, RRBC’s “SPOTLIGHT” AUTHOR for the month of September.

John was one of the first members of RRBC to hold this illustrious seat and today begins the first day of his SA tour.  I am so honored to host him and introduce his latest piece of work, “REFLECTIONS:  Inspirational Quotes & Interpretations.”

Take it away, John!

I’m grateful to Nonnie for opening up my tour today and also for arranging this special month in my honor!  I am a LifeTime Member of the RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB and although I took a sabbatical from the club a couple of years ago, I have returned and reprised my role as MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR.  I’ve dropped by Nonnie’s blog to share a bit about my book, REFLECTIONS.  

Why did I write a book like this?

The first thing that comes to mind is that I enjoy thinking deeply about the meaning of life and how to live it well. I recall listening to professors in philosophy classes as a university student and feeling baffled. I was being challenged to look beyond the obvious superficialities in life to dive deeper and discover meaningful ideas I had not considered before. I found the experience stimulating. It was also humbling because I realized that I didn’t possess all the answers.

I recall that my favorite religious studies professor often reminded us to stop obsessing about the answers to life’s questions and apply ourselves diligently to understand the questions. The first time I heard that I looked at him as if he had three heads! Eventually, it dawned on me that we can’t possibly know where to look for answers if we don’t possess a thorough understanding of the problem. Of course, at that time, I suffered under the delusion that life’s questions had definitive answers that represented the ultimate truth. Good grief! I had become intellectually arrogant.

My studies in history led me to discover many great thinkers who were produced by different cultures and belief systems. Next, I had to learn to overcome my own Christian, North American prejudices and really listen to the words of these men and women of wisdom. The struggle to understand forced me to explore the depths of my own spiritual being.

Today, I enjoy reading inspirational quotes because they evoke within me the same challenges I wrestled with during my university years. As I re-read a quote, I think about Father Henry Hall admonishing us to understand the question – or in this case, the words of the quote.

Once I think I have a handle on the meaning of a quote, I’m faced with the inevitable question, “So what?” Good question. How are these words meaningful? Can they help me as I navigate through life? As I struggle with this test, I begin the reflecting stage of the process. Often, I don’t know where this deep interior dive into the depths of my soul will lead but I hope I’ll emerge with conclusions that are helpful.

Essentially, these reflections are for me. Yet, when I started using them as blog posts, I discovered that they provoked others to reflect and share their ideas. I was pleasantly surprised to be drawn into some interesting discussions online. That got me thinking again.

I published REFLECTIONS – Inspirational Quotes & Interpretations to share my spiritual journeys with the selected quotes in the hope that the collection would help readers to think about how these words of wise men and women down through time can help to improve their own lives.

Since publication, a few readers shared with me that they keep a copy of this book handy so they can read one reflection each day and think deeply about it. That made all of the effort worthwhile!

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Author Bio:

John Fioravanti is a retired secondary school educator who completed his thirty-five year career in the classroom in June, 2008.

Throughout his career, John focused on developing research, analysis, and essay writing skills in his History classroom. This led to the publication of his first non-fiction work for student use, Getting It Right in History Class. A Personal Journey to the Heart of Teaching is his second non-fiction work; it attempts to crystallize the struggles, accomplishments, and setbacks experienced in more than three decades of effort to achieve excellence in his chosen field.

John’s first work of fiction is Passion & Struggle, Book One of The Genesis Saga, and is set within Kenneth Tam’s Equations universe (Iceberg Publishing). He claims that, after two non-fiction books, he’s having the time of his life bringing new stories and characters to life! Book Two is Treachery & Triumph.

At present, John lives in Waterloo, Ontario with Anne, his bride of forty-six years. They have three children and three grandchildren. In December of 2013, John and Anne founded Fiora Books for the express purpose of publishing John’s books.

Connect with John via…

Twitter:  @JohnJFioravanti

What an interesting post!  Thank you, John, for enlightening us as to the WHY behind this magnificent book!  I say that because it is truly amazing.  When John first published this book, he gifted not only me with a personal, autographed copy, but he also sent copies to both my daughters and also to my husband.  We have all read and immensely enjoyed the inspiration found in this gem of a book.  Pick up your own copy today and I assure you, you’ll feel the same.

To my visitors:  Thank you so much for dropping by today to support John and his work.  Please drop by the “SPOTLIGHT” AUTHOR forum at RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB to find out more about John’s time in the spotlight.

If you’d like to be featured in one of the many wonderful hot-seats held by RRBC members, we invite you to JOIN US!  We’d love to have you!

See you next time when you drop by to WATCH NONNIE WRITE!

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