A former television producer and college professor, Dr. Jean Raffa changed directions in midlife to discover and write about her passions. Informed by over 30 years of psychological and spiritual study, her books and teachings guide others to growth and self-empowerment. To be released in October 2020, her newest book, The Soul’s Twins, is about reconciling differences between masculine and feminine, overcoming oppositional conflicts, and finding balance to live a more authentic life. It “offers a self-guided journey to wholeness and enlightenment by transcending masculine-feminine oppositions.” To celebrate the upcoming release, we are delighted to share this Q&A with Jean Raffa. Swenson Book Development: What has the journey of writing The Soul’s Twins taught you personally? Jean Raffa: I started this book in the early 90s. About 540 pages later, I realized I still had much to learn. Intending to return to it one day, I set it aside and started a different book. Then three years ago, a series of synchronistic events came together to rekindle my passion for The Soul’s Twins. But tackling it was still so daunting that when another synchronicity led me to Jill Swenson, I asked for her help. She was the midwife I needed. The Soul’s Twins gestated for 27 years, but the timing for its birth couldn’t be better. Neither I nor the world were ready for them in 1993. We are now. Writing The Soul’s Twins taught me two lessons. First: If I commit myself to a realistic goal I passionately believe…

Six or seven years ago my advice to aspiring authors of nonfiction books was to build an audience platform by blogging. An example of how critical blogging could be to securing a publishing contract can be found in the case of Ann Marie Ackermann, author of Death of an Assassin: The True Story of the German Murderer Who Died Defending Robert E. Lee. After an initial assessment of her manuscript, I had recommended she start a historical true-crime blog, and she did. In fact, the editor of the ideal book series at Kent State University Press became a fan of her blog and invited her to submit a book proposal. Her book won a 2018 IPPY in the True Crime category, closed a 180-year-old cold case, and has also been translated into German where it received critical acclaim and was recognized for its scholarly contribution to the history of forensics. Today, blogging may or may not be something an author decides to invest time and energy in. If your authority as an author is based on your subject-area expertise, it remains an important goal to have a visible presence on the internet establishing your credibility. Whether blogging is the best means to achieve that goal depends on you and your project. It may be more important to be listed as an expert source available to journalists and appear as a credible source in news publications covering your subject area. HARO (Help A Reporter Out) may be a better fit to…

The Soul’s Twins: Emancipate Your Feminine and Masculine Archetypes by Jean Benedict Raffa releases today, November 17, from Schiffer Books. A former television producer and college professor, Dr. Jean Raffa changed directions in midlife to discover and write about her passions. Informed by over 30 years of psychological and spiritual study, her books and teachings guide others to growth and self-empowerment. Humanity today is plagued by a loss of meaning and alienation from self and others. The result is unprecedented levels of divorce, depression, anxiety, addictions, suicide, and crime. Because societal institutions have failed to resolve these and other everyday problems, it is now the task of each individual to heal and unite their divided self: body and spirit, conscious and unconscious, feminine and masculine. Drawing on Jungian psychology and wisdom traditions from world religions, Dr. Raffa offers a self-guided journey to heightened self-awareness and compassion for oneself and others. A self-assessment tool called the Partnership Profile gives readers a personalized status report on their inner forces, including the maturity of four feminine archetypes, four masculine archetypes, and a newly emerging archetype of egalitarian partnership. This awareness, combined with suggested practices, empowers readers to address their imbalances and create the lives for which they yearn. This guide for all who desire greater self-fulfillment and freedom to be themselves describes four masculine and four feminine archetypes in everyone. Watch the book trailer here. Reviewer Linsey Stevens, editor of Iphelia: Awakening the Gift of Feeling, writes, “The Soul’s Twins is incredibly well…