Terry M. Drake is a Licensed Social Worker, National Board Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, Certified Trainer of Ericksonian Hypnosis and Nero-linguistic Programming (NLP).  He has spent the last 15 years learning about himself and others, through his academic studies resulting in his MSW, his professional studies, as a family therapist, program director and his vast training, as well as research into hypnosis, NLP, the law of attraction and positive psychology.

Terry, also has a wealth of personal experiences related to depression and addiction, which he shares in his writings and work with others.  Terry is currently a Director of mental and behavioral health programs for a non-profit agency, a Life Coach and Hypnotherapist in private practice, as well as author, speaker and consultant.

Q: What compelled you to write your first book?

A: It all clicked for me about a year ago.  I was preparing to for a training and doing some research, when I thought to myself that I could write self-help books and teach people how to be happy and successful.  I share a lot from my personal experiences with creating balance and happiness in my life, as well as lay a plan for others to do so.  I am a therapist and life coach, so it seemed natural to take things to the next level.

Q: Tell us briefly about your book.

A: Live Happily, Ever After… Now! Is a self-help book and uses age old, time tested secrets (found in NLP, Law of Attraction, Positive Psychology, and Hypnosis) to teach you how to create the life you want!  The key is learning how much control you have over your life, your beliefs and attitudes about yourself, others and the world you live in.  Once you understand that you are in control (and you will), then you can use the 9 simple steps to begin living the life you want.

This is accomplished by teaching you how your mind works and processes information.  You will then learn how you already use these same methods, with varying results, to get what you don’t want or in falling short of true success and happiness.  Then I will teach you how to reverse this process and develop healthy and positive ways to think, act and feel about yourself and others.  Live Happily, Ever After… Now! is also filled with professional, personal and historical examples that demonstrate how it’s done.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I am promoting my book, myself, working and I am writing a Happiness Challenge.  My second book is going to help the reader understand the benefits of living a happy and active lifestyle, as well as lead them through a week-by-week process towards accomplishing it.

Q: How did you feel the day you held the copy of your first book in your hands?

A: I don’t really know if I can explain it!  It was pretty amazing, especially after spending a year on it.  Towards the end of the process, actually going to print it became pretty frustrating for me and at times I doubted the whole project.  Then, when I saw the finished product, I knew it was all worth it and that I needed to enjoy the rest of the process!

Q: What type of music, if any, do you listen to while you write? Do you need the noise or the silence?

A: I like rock, usually hard rock.  I have to have noise, it helps me concentrate!  The band Pearl Jam would be my favorite and I use a quote from one of there songs in my book, it’s from the song I Am Mine.

Q: When growing up, did you have a favorite author, book series, or book?

A:  Stephen King, all of them, but especially Salem’s Lot.  I loved scary movies and books, actually still love a good scary or suspenseful movie.

Q: What about now: who is your favorite author and what is your favorite genre to read?

A: I’m not sure about favorite author, as I like Jack Canfield, Dr. Robert Holden, Richard Bandler and Hale Dwoskin.  My favorite genre is self-improvement, I consider it to be research and I don’t believe you ever stop learning.

Q: Is there anyone who has inspired, motivated, encouraged or supported your writing?

A: My wife and my editor.  Jenn Bowen, my editor, was very encouraging and was very helpful.  My wife, Lisa, was extremely supportive and at times very inspiring.

Q: It’s one thing to write a book and another to edit it. How do you feel about the editing process? What was it like to edit your book?

A:  I hated and loved the editing process!  Hated it, because it was hard work and at times I felt embarrassed by my original writing.  Loved it, because it resulted in my finished product, which I am proud of.

Q: Now that you are a published author, does it feel differently than you had imagined?

A: Yes, because before it was published all I could do is imagine being published and now I am!  I personally feel a great sense of accomplishment and believe I can accomplish my goal of being a speaker, writer and consultant.

Thank you for this opportunity!  I want everyone to know, that I have a life’s worth of research and experience in Live Happily, Ever After… Now! My 6 years in college, my 10 years of professional experience as a family therapist, program director and hypnotherapist and my 4+ years of studies into Ericksonian Hypnosis, Neuro-linguistic Programming, the Law of Attraction and Positive Psychology.

I also used these to change my life and then when I put it all together and started working in my private practice, I realized how powerful the methods were, not only for me, but for others to.  I decided I wanted to share this and put pen to paper and it flowed out.  I want to share this with you, so that you have control over your life and that you can do what you want to do, be what you want to be and feel how you want to feel.

Learn more by visiting my website www.livehappilyeverafter-now.com and my blog is also on this site.  Or email me at  tdrake@livehappilyeverafter-now.com, follow me on  twitter @terrymdrake or become a fan at Live Happily, Ever After Now! on facebook.  Better yet, buy a copy of my book!