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Writing, Publishing, and Marketing THE POWER OF COMMITMENT: The Miracles that Unfold By Jerelyn Craden vessieflamingo@yahoo.com http://www.vessieflamingo.com Jerelyn Craden's passion for storytelling has taken her from theatre and television to experiential event marketing, and the publication of her first novel, “Vessie Flamingo Outshining the Moon.” Recipient of the ACTRA Award for Best Television Variety Writer (Canada's Emmy equivalent), her broadcast credits include: television sitcom, family/adventure, and animation series. She continues to create concepts and content for Fortune 500 companies, and speak to groups about the importance of self-love and allowing yourself to shine. THE POWER OF COMMITMENT: The Miracles that Unfold There's a quote by Goethe (Germany's “king of literature”) that I hold near and dear, which fully supports a true story I'd like to share with you: “Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth … that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no one could have dreamed would have come their way.” Now, for the story…Two years ago, I chose to put the bulk of my income stream on hold (as Creative Director/Writer of experiential event marketing) and commit to writing a novel that was kicking, screaming and pleading to get out: Vessie Flamingo Outshining the Moon. Without a significant nest egg in place, this appeared to be a crazy idea at my “booming” age; but, I felt totally compelled to take the leap and just do it! By February 2006, the manuscript was finished: Vessie, an overworked jingle writer gets stuck in her car in the worst blizzard to hit New York City, when her life flashes before her, and her Inner Child appears and challenges Vessie to change her life and live authentically. It's about finding the courage to say, “no” to what you don't want in your life, “yes” to what you do, and then taking the leap and creating it. Alas, Vessie's story, in this regard, greatly paralleled my own. And, as Goethe promised, the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. The phone rang. It was Marilyn Harding, Founder of Artemis Foundation, Toronto. “Jerelyn, if you can get Vessie published in time for the Yoga Fair I'd love to have you sell copies at my booth.” Oh my god. Yes! But, the Yoga Fair was only 2 ½ weeks away. So many additional elements needed to be created and determined: Dedication, Acknowledgments, Bio, cover art, page layout: font, size of font, chapter titles, icons, proof reading, and by the way … who was going to publish it? Uh … me? I quickly lined up a POD (Print on Demand) publisher who wouldn't guarantee the delivery of copies by that date, but swore they would try. My Inner Child or Higher Self or whatever part of me showed up for the challenge got me working 24/7. Sleep no longer knew my name. My pillow lost its identity. But, “miracles” began to support this seemingly impossible venture; and, two days PRIOR to the event, copies of my novel arrived on my doorstep. Providence was definitely supporting my commitment. Fast Forward –– Two months later I was in a slump. Because readers were posting incredible reviews on my blog: vessieflamingo.blogspot.com , I wanted more than ever to create awareness about the book. But, without a PR budget, how? One afternoon, after spending hours emailing editors of various publications in an attempt to get Vessie reviewed, a friend phoned and invited me to attend a seminar that evening. I thanked him, but said I was feeling pittsy and just wanted to stay home. He insisted: “I have a strong feeling you're going to meet someone who can help you. You've got to come!” Once again, Providence held out its hand. My friend introduced me to the manager of a major talent agency as the author of a great new book “who needs a publicist and has no money.” He laughed, then said: “I'm going to give you the name of a wonderful publicist I've known for years. Tell her I suggested you call.” Next morning, after explaining my situation to a warm voice at the other end of the phone, she said: “Jerelyn, I'll read your novel and if I love it, I'll help you. If I don't, I won't.” Three days later she phoned. “Let's go for it!” she said. Joy, elation – I felt so grateful I thought I'd pop. Three weeks later, Toronto's Metro news listed Vessie first in their Top Four Book Picks. And, shortly after that, composer Lynn Harrison felt inspired to write a song about Vessie which was aired several times on CIUT radio's morning show, Take Five. You can hear this lovely song, which beautifully conveys the desire to live authentically and let yourself shine, at: www.vessieflamingo.com. Another miracle of Providence took place when my path crossed, Jill Hewlett's, the Host of Aurora Cable TV's “Body, Mind, Spirit.” She was to host a Women's Forum I had been invited to speak at, which I was extremely excited about. We were discussing how she might introduce me when we were informed that the event had been cancelled. Sorely disappointed, our conversation continued as we discovered our mutual love of yoga meditation. I had been mediating since the late 60s – ( Vessie om's her way through her journey) – and, Jill had spent time traveling through India on her spiritual quest. Before I knew it, she had invited me to present Vessie at two of her women's circles and guest on her talk show. I was thrilled, but, anxious. Although readers were calling Vessie, “a funny, inspiring page-turner,” it was a fictional story about self-empowerment and living your passion, not a “how to” book. It was, in fact, a pioneering genre. Would it compel women to share similar experiences as Vessie's: Learning the importance of self-love, listening to your Inner Child, dealing with sibling rivalry, The Toxic Boss From Hell, intimate relationships, and most importantly – allowing yourself to shine? The women's circles were a huge success. Time flew by with laughter, tears, and energetic sharing. So, dear Boomers … I encourage you to say goodbye to hesitation. Commit to your passion and dream(s), and watch as the power of Providence supports and guides you: ”raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no one could have dreamed would have come their way.” |