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Interview with Tim 'Dr. Hope' Anders : Page 2 of 3
Tim 'Dr. Hope' Anders Interview"A simple act of kindness spread through out the land
A. Not nearly enough. Again, I'm hopeful that this interview will get more people aware of the contest and thereby increase the number of participants. Q. What has made you desire to support teachers? A. I've known teachers and have heard numerous stories of teachers that have gone into their own wallets to pay for supplies, books and other things for their students. I want to take part of that burden away from them. So any teacher can go to my website and click on Teacher's Corner and get free stuff, like a curriculum, learning games and 50% off of any of our storybooks and CDs. Q. Dr. Hope, that is an awesome gift you are giving educators and children! I thank you! You were in and out of foster homes and state dormitories as a child. How did your experiences inspire you to write books with positive messages for children? A. It was my mother who gave me the tools I needed to cope with those environments. It had always been a dream of mine to pass on those positive attributes to help those in need of inspiration and an attitude adjustment. Q. What inspired your book Laughing Day? A. Laughing Day is a story about a lad that learns how a simple act of kindness can make immense and unexpected changes in the world, the inspiration for which was my mother's never ending acts of kindness toward everyone she knew or met, no matter their situation. Q. You have four books in your 'Life Lessons Series' — Laughing Day; Chip, the Little Computer; Wonderful Wuzs; and The Frog Who Couldn't Jump. Which book in this series is your most popular? Is it the book you thought would be most popular? A. Chip, the Little Computer is the story of a little computer that learns to believe in his dream no matter how devastating the obstacles in his path become. This story of perseverance is the most popular. I have no thoughts as to which story would resonate the most with the public. They each have an important lesson that if learned will help the reader for the rest of their lives. Q. You say that you want to make the world a better place through your writing — have you been given any feedback that you are achieving your dream? A. Yes, I have received many positive letters and comments from teachers, parents, kids, and even from several celebrities like Betty White, Charlton Heston and Priscilla Presley, to name a few. Q. You offer visitors to the Laughing Day website the opportunity to read your children's books in their entirety online. What prompted you to give away these storylines for free? A. My number one interest is in getting these "Life Lesson" tools into the hands of children. For those who can't afford to buy the books, I still want them to be able to learn from the story, so it's there for all to read for free. Fortunately, enough people buy the books which allows me to keep the website open. Q. I absolutely applaud your generous spirit. I also appreciate your support of military families. You donated 200 books to the Marine Corps so that parents overseas could be taped reading to their children, and the children could read the same book at home. Did you hear any feedback from those military families? A. Unfortunately I was never in direct contact with those families so we never heard from them. We did however, get many heartfelt 'thank you's' from the officers and servicemen in charge of the project. Q. A quote on the Laughing Day website says: "Child abuse kills more children in America than do accidental falls and drowning, choking on food, suffocation or fires in the home." With a portion of the profits from your books you support Childhelp USA. Through your writing have you supported any other charities/people groups? A. We have been lucky enough to be able to afford to help out on a monthly basis with a local food bank and a couple of homeless shelters. The amount fluctuates depending on book sales. Continue to Interview page 3 » |
Q. You acknowledge the truth that many teachers spend their own money buying books for their classrooms. Your