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Interview With Paula Langguth Ryan

QUESTION:  How hard was it to decide to declare bankruptcy when you were just 21 years old?

Paula Langguth Ryan:  I grew up in the Midwest, in a family where hard work and your word were the most important factors.  Having found myself in financial difficulties and going bankrupt created a great deal of guilt.  Having gone through what I write about--bankruptcy and rebuilding my credit after bankruptcy--means I've been where my readers are right now.  Being able to connect with my readers and let them know that they're not alone is very important to me.

Q:  I understand Bounce Back From Bankruptcy is in its Third Edition, how did you come to write this important book?

P.R.:  I started writing BOUNCE BACK FROM BANKRUPTCY in 1995, after I'd picked myself up AGAIN financially, after falling for a credit repair scam while I was trying to rebuild my credit.  I realized that there really wasn't any book out there that could walk me through what I needed to do to rebuild my credit.  My friend Michele was going bankrupt about that time and kept calling me with questions and finally asked me to just write it all down for her...how to pick the right secured credit card, how to go about making sure her credit reports were updated correctly, how to apply for a car loan without having to pay an outrageous interest rate.  

Having been a financial writer for a few years, it was pretty simple for me to write my personal experience and add information that others would find helpful.  I'm pretty proud of the [latest] edition, with all its new chapters that cover material I originally didn't know about--like how to save your house, or deal with canceling reaffirmation agreements, things like that.

We're always doing research to make sure the most current information is included in each edition and we're always here to ask questions when people come across a situation in their own lives that we might not have considered.

Q:  What other books or resources might people find helpful as they start reestablishing credit after bankruptcy, or if they're in the process of considering bankruptcy?

P.R.:  As I write more and more about finance, I've found that there are a few books that jump out at me as being extremely helpful and influential.  James Caher's book, DEBT FREE, is invaluable for anyone who is considering bankruptcy.  Stephen Snyder, author of CREDIT AFTER BANKRUPTCY, bought the first two editions of my book and bounced back from bankruptcy before he wrote his book -- so I have proof once again that my advice works!

Outside the field of bankruptcy and recovering from bankruptcy, there are a few other books I'd highly recommend.  The first would have to be Dale Carnegie's HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE.  The next would be Catherine Ponder's THE PROSPERITY SECRETS OF THE AGES.  I also really enjoyed THE ARCHITECTURE OF ALL ABUNDANCE by Lenandra Carroll. Finally, I'd recommend STRAIGHT TALK ON MONEY by Ken and Daria Dolan.

I'm also very proud of the resources we have available on my website, www.ArtOfAbundance.com. You can get the entire free series Heal Your Relationship With Money on the website, or you can download a free copy of my newest book, Giving Thanks: The Art of Tithing, which dispells everything you think you knew about this pre-Biblical prosperity tool. It's changing lives all over the world. In fact, someone has already gifted me with a free Spanish translation and recently someone just offered to translate the book into German.

Q:  What are you working on?

P.R.:  Right now, I'm working on three new books. I'm finishing up the final draft of BREAK THE DEBT CYCLE—FOR GOOD! which is based on the workshop I do across the country, and I'm expanding HEAL YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH MONEY into a book. Finally, I'm working on a book that's very near and dear to me called FROM YOUR MOUTH TO GOD'S EARS. It's a really slim but powerful book that shows the power your words have to create the life you truly desire.

Q:  What else would you like to tell people who are recovering from bankruptcy or considering bankruptcy or a bankruptcy alternative?

P.R.:  I think the most important thing I can tell my readers is that their past financial mistakes are just that: THE PAST.  As R. Marston says: "The need to continue with your past mistakes exists only in your imagination."

The important thing is to develop a strategic plan to get yourself over this financial hurdle and onto the path toward financial security and a firm financial footing.  That's what I tried to provide in BOUNCE BACK FROM BANKRUPTCY.  My aim wasn't to provide an overview of what to expect when you declare bankruptcy.  Bankruptcy attorneys are much better at that than I could ever be.  My goal was to provide a map for what to do AFTER you declare bankruptcy.  The 52,000 readers who've read my book so far seem to agree that I accomplished my goal.  So far, only one person has ever returned a book--and that's because he was looking for a book on "how to declare bankruptcy."  I'm pretty proud of that record, and I hope my publisher is too--because I'm counting on them to publish my next three books!

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