Are you ready to tap into the potential power of a formidable predator? Shark Sense is about learning to use our instinctive wisdom to supplement logic and is a simple, no-nonsense approach to life’s challenges. Packed with shark attributes, entertaining stories, tips, illustrations and written by a professor and former All-American Athlete who also happens to be named after a Shark, this book will inspire you to take charge of your life. If you are tired of settling for less and playing it safe, then it’s time to activate your inner shark. Using your Shark Sense will propel you toward your goals. What are you waiting for? It’s time to DIVE IN!
Hello book lovers! Today is a day where I will be writing another author spotlight for a well-accomplished author whose work I have loved. As you know book lovers I love learning about authors and the inspiration behind their work, it fascinates me and adds to the depth of the book because the reader will be able to better understand it. That is how the author spotlights were created because I soon discovered that you lovely readers ALSO love learning about author’s, so I am excited to tell you a little bit more about Sharkie Zartman whose book Shark Sense informed and inspired me from beginning to end! I personally would recommend this book to all of those that love self-help books and inspiring stories but really the book can be read by anybody as it is flawlessly written and highly enjoyable. With today’s author spotlight, a biography of the author and an interview between me and Sharkie Zartman will be shared, and I hope that you book lovers enjoy reading it! To kick this off here is an author bio about the wonderful Sharkie Zartman!
Sharkie Zartman is a former All-American volleyball athlete and champion competitor at UCLA where her jersey was retired. She was a member of the U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team and is a member of the California Beach Volleyball Hall of Fame. Sharkie coached volleyball at El Camino College for ten years winning two state titles, three regional titles, and nine conference titles. She is in the California Community College Coaches Hall of Fame. She and her husband also coached volleyball at the junior club level winning two national titles.
Her mission and passion is to bring out the best in people through her writing, teaching, and coaching. She is a best selling author and has written books for her courses at the college, and also books on coaching, sports parenting, aging, fitness, and also self-help inspirational/ motivational books including her newest release, Shark Sense; A Simple Yet Powerful Approach to Reach Your Goals.
Sharkie holds a BS in kinesiology and an MS in instructional technology. She is a professor of health and fitness at El Camino College where she currently teaches Yoga for Health and Fitness and Power Vinyasa. Sharkie also hosts “Sharkie’s Pep Talk” on www.healthylife.net radio and is a certified health coach with the official sanction of the New York State Education Department and the Institute of Integrative Nutrition.
Now, how wonderful does Sharkie Zartman sound?! Sharkie Zartman is a truly exceptional writer and I hope that you lovely readers have a read of the author’s work because you will not regret it! Please see below an interview between me and the author and I hope that you enjoy Sharkie Zartman’s answers to my questions, they are incredible and provide some great advice too!
Thank you for joining us today at Red Headed Book Lover! Please tell us more about yourself.
I am a former All-American Volleyball Athlete, Award Winning Coach, Professor of Health and Fitness, Yoga Instructor, Author and Radio Show Host. I have always tried to inspire others to take charge of their lives through my teaching, coaching and writing. I was raised in the 50’s and 60’s when women’s opportunities were sparse in both athletics and career choices. I have always pushed myself to attain my goals in life, and when people put me down for trying to achieve them, I didn’t listen. For example, when I was in high school and told that I would never make it as a volleyball athlete because I was too small, too uncoordinated and there weren’t many opportunities for women in sports I kept trying. I eventually found a tough coach who helped me to become a success in the sport eventually making the USA World University Games and the USA National Team. Eight years after I met him, we got married. People said our marriage would not last because we were too different, but I didn’t listen, and are celebrating our 47th anniversary this year. YAY!
Could you please tell us readers about your book and what inspired you to write your book?
I was inspired to write Shark Sense a while back when I was in a creative writing workshop with Bobbi McKenna. My assignment was to write a self help book that was unique. Since my Dad gave me the name Sharkie, I have always been a bit different from my friends who all had normal names. However, I liked being different. And Shark Sense includes attributes such as persistence, authenticity, and adaptation that have always been promoted by self-help authors and coaches, but using the shark as a metaphor was a unique twist. The book has 18 chapters headed with a positive shark attribute and then a human translation. There are lots of fun stories to bring home the message and also shark action steps and inspirational quotes at the end of each chapter. I believe that everyone has a champion inside of them that I call their “inner shark.” This book shows how to activate it to move toward your goals. I loved writing this book, and this is the third edition.
What would your advice be for aspiring writers?
Develop your own style and have fun writing. Also, after you decide on an outline, write “fast and dirty.” In other words, don’t edit while you are writing. Just write. You can edit later, and I always suggest hiring an editor that “gets your style” but will make the necessary corrections.
In your opinion, what is the most important thing about a book?
To make a positive impact on the readers. It should be an easy read and NOT difficult to understand what the author is trying to express. It needs to be engaging and have clarity.
What is your writing process like?
Fun, Fast and Dirty. And I do need to have privacy when I write otherwise I get easily distracted.
What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
It depends on the book. I have written a couple of textbooks for college courses, which does require a lot of research. But on a fun-self help book with lots of examples and stories, not as much.
Do you read much and if so who are your favorite authors?
I do like to read and one of my favorite authors is Don Hurzeler. His latest is ; What’s Left of Don. He is a great storyteller and inspires people to go out and enjoy life to the fullest regardless of age. He is quite the adventurer!
What other books have you written?
The most recent books besides Shark Sense have been Win At Aging, #HeySportsParents, Empowered Aging and Have Fun Getting Fit. They are all available on Amazon. I also wrote Youth Volleyball; The Guide for Coaches, Parents and Athletes, and also, So You Think You Can Coach Kids? I am big on making youth sports positive for the coaches, parents, and especially the kids. I am also very passionate about reframing the aging paradigm from being perceived as an inevitable period of decline to instead being a challenge, an opportunity and a privilege.
Any new books in the future?
I am going to revamp my Yoga for Health and Fitness book that I wrote for the college course. I will probably get started on it sometime next year. I want to write a book that makes Yoga for You, without all of the demands to Strike the Perfect Pose. I am incorporating this style in the yoga classes I teach for seniors and they love it.
Its official book lovers, I am obsessed with Sharkie Zartman! If you have liked what you have read about the author and are interested in learning more, then please do have a browse of the links below and be sure to have a read of the preview too! You will not regret it.
Goodbye for now book lovers,
Amazon US – Amazon UK – Goodreads
Author: Website – Barnes & Noble
