My Publishing Journey
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When offered a book contract, I was thrilled! I puffed up my chest and thought, "I am finally being recognized for my writing talents!" I will never forget the feeling of opening the box of my very own freshly published books! It was a feeling of success and fulfilled yearning!
I learned a lot by publishing with a traditional publisher:
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Their Marketing strategy;
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How they funnel authors into bookstores;
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Website development;
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Royalty distribution;
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Printing and Distributing;
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Events!
About a year after Brinley Discovers Santa was released, my publisher went out of business. They offered back to me the rights to my book. Without question, I paid the fee, and made the purchase. They emailed the PDF copy of my book. I downloaded it to a thumb drive, put it in a drawer, and essentially forgot about it.
Six months later, while cleaning out the drawer, I stumbled upon the thumbdrive containing my book. I asked myself, “What am I going to do with this now?”
My publisher’s bankruptcy turned out to be a fun
and informative opportunity for me!
I looked into self-publishing. There's a lot of information out there, and I did a lot of research. When I got down to it, self-publishing required very little effort or money to accomplish. Within just a few days, my book was republished under my own brand new publishing company: Wonder Storm Productions, LLC!
Have you ever Googled, “How to publish a book”? Daunting, right? There are limitless ways to publish a book, and a million do's and don'ts. Everyone has an opinion, but there's only one that really matters - yours! What do you want? How do you want it? I can help you play toward the writing goal you dream of because I have navigated both traditional and self-publishing worlds!
I understand the steps toward publishing and am able to hold those answers for you while you walk through the step you are currently navigating.
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I have been traditionally, self, and vanity-published and have respect for each;
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The term Writer's Block can mean many different things - I'll help you figure out how they show up for you and how to navigate them so you can have fun while writing your book;
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You will learn to understand your personal Why: The real reason you’re an aspiring author!
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You'll learn about copyright and the library of congress control number (LCCN);
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My team consists of layout & design artists, illustrators, and editors to help you on your journey;
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You will learn to venture through the writing process (from pen-to-paper; manuscript-to-publication) while experiencing delight in every step of the process!
Publishing a book might seem overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be. I hold the step-by-step tools to get your book written, printed, and published. You hold the key to discovering and sharing your voice. Together we will reach your goal whether that goal is to open a box of freshly printed, published books, writing a family cookbook, or developing a script for a play. The first step toward reaching your goal is to Imagine It! Let's start there and see where your dreams will carry you!
My Journey to Coaching
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In 2016 my daughter went to college. It happened to be the same week that my mom was diagnosed with stage iv lung cancer. Four days after dropping my daughter off at college, she shattered her leg while longboarding on campus.
My daughter and "Mommer" both had surgery on the same day, at the same time, for very different reasons. I was 2,000 miles away from Mommer and my daughter. I didn't know where to be, so I went to work.
This was the only way I knew how to do life that day.
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I was so lost.
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Mommer passed away three weeks after her diagnosis; 3 weeks after sending my daughter out into the wild world. My thought on repeat was, "I just lost the two most important women in my life at the same time." This was my bathroom floor moment; which is really saying something because I've been through quite a bit.
Through my grief, I became angry, bitter, and resentful. My pain was so deep that I pushed people away believing they could never understand what I was feeling.
One morning while readying myself for work, A name popped into my head. It was the name of a long-time friend of mine. We hadn't connected in over a decade. The first time I heard it, I was sitting on the floor of my shower crying. All morning long, I kept hearing his name repeated in my head.
I decided to message my friend. "Hey! Your name keeps popping up for me. How are you?" Immediately, he responded, "I'm great, Brooke! Good to hear from you. How are you?"
His question gave me pause. I could either lie, you know, how ya do and say, Oh I'm fine! Things are great in my world. Kids are growing up... Blah-blah-blah.
Or I could pay attention to what was happening and be honest. I realized there must be a reason his name came to me, so I texted back, "Actually, life's pretty shitty right now."
He responded by asking me to stop what I'm doing right now and buy the book, Steering By Starlight. He said, "Read it, follow the activities, even the ones that seem weird. I promise your life will shift."
I got on Amazon and ordered the book. It arrived the next day, and I immediately began playing with the activities. True to his word, my life began to change. I learned how to listen to the sensations in my body and what they were trying to tell me. I began to release cultured ideas of how I *should* be living, and learned to navigate toward things that feel good to me! I learned when my body was giving me a Full-Body-YES, and what a NO feels like. When I started to follow the truth of my body, magical things began to happen.
I was invited into an elite book-club filled with inspiring, empowering women; I attended the International Women's Summit and heard from and met the most influential women of our time; I was invited to be a part of the Masterminds group for that bi-annual summit; I was invited to attend a retreat on Maui. Each of these happenings seemed to be lead by miraculous steps leading directly to the next miraculous happening. It was magical.
In the middle of a labyrinth on Maui during that retreat, I saw the truth of my painful blocks: the bitterness and resentment that I was harnessing - that I was choosing to harness. I learned to gently untangle that which held me in that pain. I began to understand that my personal blocks come from the stories I tell myself about what I believe to be true. Throughout my entire life, my mind had been filling in the gaps for situations I didn’t understand. I began to notice that my stories were a dangerous place in which to live; they were full of one-sided beliefs and misunderstandings.
My question became: “How do I get out of my head and live from my heart?” That was the quest I began to venture, and the reason I decided to go into coaching.
Joy is the simple process of noticing what feels good and what feels bad. There's nothing to be done with the information - no action needs to occur! By simply noticing, you are able to shift from longing to living. It's a learned process that I can teach you in just one session.
The tools I discovered in my journey of self-discovery which shifted my life from one of stress and inner conflict to the one I experience today that is filled with joy and bliss, are the same tools I use to coach my clients. I know these tools work because in 2019 I was tested in them again when my husband of 16 years surprised me by asking for a divorce. I knew things between us weren't perfect, but I had no idea that was coming. Immediately, I was able to center myself and hold tightly to MY truth. I was able to navigate the divorce gracefully and wholly centered throughout the process. I was able to fill myself with everything I needed to pursue a life of my dreams. Using these magical-life tools, I have found an unbelievably supportive relationship filled with laughter and fun, the home of my dreams, and a career I absolutely cherish.
I am now a Master Certified Wayfinder Life-coach & Instructor! I am living my life, every single moment, with intention and passion. Join me!
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You're here for a reason.
Let me help you honor that, and offer you a free session.
Learn where your heart is guiding you!
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