Monday, May 21, 2012

Thank you, Dr. Maya Angelou

Thank you, Dr. Maya Angelou

Writing your first book is quite an adventure. I'm going to use this blog to share my experiences as a first-time writer, in hopes that (in case you want to write a book or you know someone who does) it will help with some of your "challenges" as you begin your journey.

My first advice is to never give up. You never know when your miracle will happen. My book, Your Little Light Shines, a quantum physics look at the bible, took a number of years to write.

Because my background is marketing/advertising/graphic design, I printed 100 advanced copies using my own (commercial) printer (I'll share tips about that later). My intent was to send copies to everyone I quoted in the book, as a courtesy and I also did not want to violate any copyright laws.

Imagine my amazement and astonishment when on November 16, 2011, my telephone rang and the caller id showed Maya Angelou. Because I answered the phone and the call was "live", the only way I could make my friends believe that she really did call was to take a picture of the caller id on my phone. I think I had to make myself believe it also because the experience was so surreal. If you want to know more about the experience right now, you can go to my website, www.yourlittlelightshines.com and it will link to amazon.com where you can peek at the book's forward. Dr. Maya Angelou said she found my book to be FETCHING! After Dr. Angelou's call, I danced and shouted and danced some more.

When I think about Dr. Angelou, I cannot describe what an amazing woman she is. Dr. Angelou did not know me at all—not at all, yet she took time from her very busy schedule to reach down, grab me by my hand and lift me up with her words (in "that voice") of encouragement and advice. Yes, this is the same I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, On the Pulse of Morning, Phenomenal Woman herself www.mayaangelou.com. What kind of person does that? What kind of soul does that? Because that experience doesn't happen very often (to me), I call it a miracle and I think of Dr. Angelou as an angel. I've written her to let her know that without her words of encouragement, I would have faltered on this project. How do you thank someone for being an anchor in a storm? Thank you, Dr. Maya Angelou!

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