Author Q&A with Laurent Weichberger

Laurent Weichberger was born and raised in Manhattan, at Westbeth, the first federally subsidized artist housing complex in the USA. In 1986 he started to follow the spiritual master Avatar Meher Baba of Pune, India. After several visits to India, and conversations with Baba’s close disciples (or “Mandali”), Laurent started to work with Don Stevens, a Western disciple of the master. From 2002 until Don’s passing, Laurent and Don worked on facilitating no-cost spiritual seminars, and writing new books, and much more. Laurent is an IT professional, specializing in Big Data and now Data Quality, at a multinational software company headquartered in Belgium. He lives in North Carolina with his wife, children, and their cat Khadija.

1. Tells us about your writing/ published book(s)

2003: A Mirage Will Never Quench Your Thirst: A Source of Wisdom about Drugs, compiled and edited by Laurent Weichberger (Myrtle Beach: Sheriar Foundation).

2003: Meher Baba’s Word & His Three Bridges, by Don Stevens with Laurent Weichberger & Norah Moore (London: Companion Books)

2008: Celebrating Divine Presence: Journeys into God, by Laurent Weichberger, Yaakov Weintraub, et al (London: Companion Books)

2011: The Doorbell of Forgiveness, by Don Stevens with his young people’s group (London: Companion Books)

2016: Forgiveness with Meher Baba, by Laurent Weichberger & Companions (Wilmington: OmPoint Press)

2020: Surrender with Meher Baba,  by Laurent Weichberger & Companions (Asheville: OmPoint Press)

2. Where’s your favourite place to write?

A: In my heart.

3. How do you approach starting a new book?

I usually sit at my laptop, with an open blank document, and dump an outline-ish set of ideas in a giant burst of writing. Slowly, after that, I go back and grab bits and copy them to another document, to create a chapter at a time from the original set of points.

4. What’s your favourite genre to read?

A: Spiritual/Self-help and Poetry.

5. Have you always wanted to write?

A: No. When I was a child I wanted to paint, but when I was 16 my father committed suicide, and he was a painter. I changed my mind and started to write instead. It seemed less risky.

 

6. Do write under a pen name? If so, tell us about how you chose it

A: I am writing fiction for the first time in my life under the name Paige Turner. I wanted a female voice for various reasons, and I like the meaning of her name.

 

7. How do you choose your book’s title(s)?

A: Intuition.

 

8. What advice would you give to someone wanting to write their first book?

A: Don’t edit, just write. When you can’t write any longer, still don’t edit. Hire an editor. An early mentor told me, “You will never be a genius to your editor.”

 

9. Do you do research for your books? If so, what kind of research?

A: Yes. Some research is internal and some is external. By internal research I mean we know intuitively many things which are not necessarily rational or logical. I try to find that wisdom within and share it. Finding external validation and scientific understanding can also be helpful. For example I wrote about my intuition regarding spiritual awareness, and linked it to the work of Niels Bohr whose work on theoretical physics won him a Nobel Prize in 1922. His understanding of electrons around the nucleus of an atom was related my understanding of human awareness in the light of Truth, or spiritual wisdom. It worked well.

10. How do you fit writing into your everyday life?

A: I try to write in the morning before going to work at my IT job. Or, if the family is watching a film in the living room after dinner and it is one I am not interested in, I can sit with them writing with my laptop. We are together, and yet I am focused on expressing myself. I also use time on weekends.

 

11. How do you handle criticism?

A: I welcome criticism. I solicit it from friends and family. Sometimes critical review comes, and I consider it carefully.

 

12. Describe your perfect character to me

A: Believable in thought, word, feeling and action. Most characters are unbelievable.

 

13. Tell me about your current work

A: I am writing a book about love.

 

14. Would you want your book made into a film?

A: The biography I just wrote of Don Stevens could be a movie. It would be inspiring to many. Sure, I would love that.

15. How many books do you own?

A: Too many. I have a storage unit and there are books in there too!

Q: Short books or Long books

A: It depends right? For example a book of Rumi poems, such as Haleh Liza Gafori’s glorious translation, titled simply Gold, was only 112 pages. But it is one of the finest books I own. She did a masterful job, and each page is a treasure, for certain. Another book, such as God Speaks, by Meher Baba, is hundreds of pages, and I have read it over seven times for the wisdom it contains. 

 

Q: Romance or Fantasy

A: Fantasy.

 

Q: Bright book covers or Muted book covers

A: Muted.

 

Q: Ebooks, Paperbacks or Audiobooks

A: Paperback. I am tactile. Electronic devices have a place but not with books.

 

Q: Writing in the Morning or Evening

A: &

 

Q: Finally, what’s the best piece of advice someone has given you about writing, marketing, or just generally about life?

A: About life: “Remember me and I am with you, and my love will guide you.” ~ Avatar Meher Baba