So, who am I? Currently I am a professional basketball player in Europe, playing in Montenegro. I am finally living my dream, but I’ll be the first to say that the road getting here was the hardest road I have ever taken. It all started when I was about four years old and started playing recreational basketball in Northern California. It was clear then that there was something natural about the way I played which was surprising because genetically I was not predisposed to be an athlete. Nobody in my family played sports in high school and I can’t think of any relatives of mine who competed in any form of athletics at the college level. From there I was very fortunate to have a coach that played an important role in my development as a basketball player. Coach Tuttle was my recreational basketball coach from when I was 8 years old to when I was about 12. He was my best friend’s dad who had played college basketball at BYU and had coached many different teams around the area. He had seen my natural talent from a young age and was instrumental in helping me to shape it into a skill. He taught me the fundamentals and helped me to realize my potential. For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be a professional Basketball Player, but I think it was him that helped me to realize that it could become my reality. In the sixth grade I had my first setback. School basketball tryouts came around and every boy you can imagine showed up to try out. There were two days of tryouts and well over 60 kids to evaluate. You can probably guess what happened next. The coach saw me shoot about three shots over the two-day period and I slipped through the cracks and got cut. This might not seem very substantial, but for a twelve-year-old kid that thought he was the most naturally gifted player in the school, it was devastating. It hit me even harder the next year when the same thing happened. I saw that I had to decide. I knew I loved the game, but did I love it enough to pay the price for it? That was the year my mindset started to change. I also realized something important: I thought I would reach my dream by simply showing up. I thought that I was the most talented kid there, but natural talent doesn’t mean anything after Mighty-Mites. If I wasn’t willing to put in the time, I would never be great.
Today we talk about Blood Sweat and Tears,a book by Heath Sheridan, published with our publishing house Europe Books.
Europe Books had the pleasure of interviewing the author Heath Sheridan, to get to know him better, what was the moment that led him to the writing of his book Blood Sweat and Tears, as well as what messages he wants to convey to his readers.
Below you can find our interview. Take a seat and enjoy your reading!!!
- What was the moment in your life that led you to the writing of your book?
When I began my professional basketball career, I was a short player coming out of a small college, so there wasn’t much of a demand for a player like me overseas. I wasn’t sure where to start, so I searched for any books, podcasts, Facebook groups, etc. that might be able to help and couldn’t find any direction whatsoever, so I would say I decided then that once I knew the industry well enough, I would write a book to help players that are in the same situation I was in.
- What particularly significant experiences in your life find expression in your book?
My career has been full of ups and downs, but I would say that I have had more setbacks in my career than most other professional athletes have had, so I tried to emphasize some of those experiences to show how I overcame each obstacle.
- What are the messages you want to convey with your book?
The main message I wanted to convey in this book was that if you want something bad enough, you will make it happen. I came from a family that wasn’t sports-oriented at all, didn’t have a single connection in the industry and had no genetic advantage in basketball, but was still able to achieve my dream, because I wanted it bad enough and focused on it until it was a reality.
- How did it feel to see your book published?
It feels good. I am excited to have it as a memento from my career and everything, but really my goal with it was to help other players that are struggling to find their way, so I think it will feel better when I can see if the book helped anyone.
- Are you planning to write more books?
I am open to the idea of writing more books, but as you can clearly see from reading my book, I am no literary expert. So, for me, I wouldn’t write another book just to have written one. The only reason I would write another one is if I felt like the content would be beneficial in some way.
Europe Books thanks the author Heath Sheridan once again for taking the time and answering our questions. We are really pleased to have walked alongside him on the editorial path that led to the publication of his book Blood Sweat and Tears. We wish him the best of luck for his book and for his future works.
To you, my dear reader, I wish this book offers you some interesting food for thought to start or continue to have an attitude and a mentality capable of fighting to get what it is strongly wanted. In fact, it is of fundamental importance to remain attentive, focused and motivated until our personal dream has become reality.
So, my dear reader, all I have to say is to enjoy this inspirational reading!
Your editor!