Every time I smell apples baking, vivid memories wash over me of my grandmother carefully rolling out the dough for the crust, watching the red apple peels curl away from her deft knife, and then her sure hands sprinkling the filled pie with cinnamon. Being in her kitchen watching her cook was my island of safety. When the steaming pies emerged from the oven I also felt transformed. Her kitchen was my retreat from the family battleground. As I matured the remembered comfort was displaced with substitute gratifications that became compulsions and addictions. Finally after much resistance and denial I am creating a positive relationship with food, and any discomfort. I am releasing the past to the past. Today, I am reclaiming my kitchen with a packed cupboard of spices and shelves of International, and gluten-free cookbooks. I am choosing to nurture myself through honoring the Great Spirit while opening my heart to all the wonder and love around me.
Our bone deep and heart baring stories are what makes us unique, what excites the reader, and ultimately what makes books fly off shelves. Carl Sagan, “In order to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe.” Jeff Brown’s Soulshaping: A Journey of Self-Creation is a prime example of what Carl refers to in this quote. Jeff evolved his own universe by delving deeply into his shadows and ghosts, while honoring what he first heard as the call of a “distant flute”. Through verdant prose Jeff, the wordsmith, leads us to authenticity through “the challenge of actualizing a soulful calling in a harsh landscape”. While on retreat at Harbin Hot Springs in CA Jeff experienced what he calls a “soul breaking experience”. “As I cried I felt liberated. Crying released the sweeter man who lived inside. Perhaps sensitivity is not a sign of weakness. Perhaps it’s a sign of life.” Any man who can share his feelings on a level this profound is more than an Inspiration, his voice echoes and reechoes like waves breaking on the shore. Like a touchstone I will return to Soulshaping as I continue to weave my own web of soul-shaping. Jeff cofounded the “Open Heart Gang” a group of soul warriors “heaven-bent” on encouraging others to raise their own flag of heart consciousness. Jeff is currently riding on the Soulshaping bus all over North America. For more infoWWW.SOULSHAPING.COM
No matter what the genre, or topic of your expertise, I invite you to have courage and reveal the deepest truth you have to offer. No holds barred will excite your readers. While promoting your material your personal story helps identify you and sell your book. Life is good; it is safe to climb out from under the bushel basket and shine. The brighter your light, the greater the truth you share, the more likely you will bull’s-eye your success.
Copyright Mari Selby, March 7, 2010 www.selbyink.com