From the red carpet at the Ritz-Carlton to being profoundly sick while stuck in terrible Toronto traffic. So much for the glamorous life of a writer. Have I got a story for you!
Thank you for reading MuseInks. I'm Ami Hendrickson. Each Thursday, I share thoughts for readers, writers, and other fabulous people.
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"In many ways, the caterpillar's journey reflects our human experience. There is nothing wrong with being exactly who you are right now, even if you are a chunky green bug."
-- from Maybe a Note Would Help by Kristen Tremonti Reiter
Musings
The last weekend of April, I traveled to Toronto, Ontario, to take part in the red carpet festivities for some of Soul Sparks Press's authors. I went primarily to meet some of my long-time coaching clients and my work colleagues in real life. I also went to introduce myself as the Editor-in-Chief to some of our authors. And, as a Soul Sparks Press author myself, I went to participate in the author experience.
And what an experience!
Lemme tell you: NO ONE does an author event like Soul Sparks Press. Held at the swanky Ritz-Carlton in downtown Toronto, with a red carpet, professional photography crew, tiny fiddly hors d'oeuvres, and more, it was an incredible evening for the 100 or so people who attended.
I met so many of our amazing authors. It was so lovely to put a person with each of the stories I already knew.
I met Tara, whose manuscript on decluttering literally changed my life. And Barbara who spent more than 5 years in her house before finally finding the courage to go back outside.
I met coaching clients who are working on their memoirs and on inspirational manuscripts.
I met Deepika Sandhu, Soul Sparks Press's inimitable CEO, and Maria Camila, Soul Sparks Press's Marketing Guru, who received her passport visa at the eleventh hour and worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make the event a success.
I'm so glad I went.
I told myself this the day beforehand as I drove from my house in Michigan to Canada. I expected the trip to take 6 hours. (Google promised me the trip would take 6 hours. Garmin agreed.) Ah, but I had not counted on Canadian traffic. Shortly after crossing the Canadian border, the traffic started... The closer I got to Toronto, the crazier it grew.
For long stretches of time, the highway became a parking lot. I spent hours sitting in Los Angeles-worthy traffic.
I'd planned to arrive around 3, check into my hotel (not the Ritz-Carlton, for those who might be wondering), and meet Tabitha, the publisher of Life to Paper, that published Dear Alderone in 2024. But I didn't get into town until well past suppertime.
Still... I'm so glad I went.
I told myself this on Sunday as I was leaving town. I met Deepika, Maria, and Taneet, our latest addition to the Editing Department for brunch, then got in my car and headed out.
I knew to expect the traffic this time, so I wasn't too worried--
Until brunch decided it did not agree with me.
And there was no room for argument.
So, for the next 4 hours, in start-and-stop traffic, I simultaneously prayed to make it to the nearest off-ramp and cursed whatever it was I'd eaten.
THAT is an experience I never wish to repeat.
And... while I'm so glad I went, I was never happier to be safely back home.
(Have you ever been traveling and had an unexpected set-back, but were still glad you'd made the journey? I'm interested. Let me know!)
MuseNews
Book Report
Some time ago, I was hired as the copywriter for a book that looked deceptively simple on the surface, but packed a long-lasting punch.
Well, in April, it got published! And the author was kind enough to send me an advance reader copy.
Kristen Tremonti Reiter's Maybe A Note Would Help is a book about writing notes. Personal notes. Notes that say "I'm here." "I can help." "You matter." "You made a difference in my life." "Thank you."
But it's far more than that.
It's about the deep connection that words on the page allow us to forge with another person when we write from the heart.
Kristen tells of how writing one note literally helped her out of a blue mood when she was down. It made such a difference that she decided to write at least one heart-felt note a day to someone new for a year. That changed her life.
I read hundreds of books in a year. Rarely does one stick with me and move me like this one did. I highly recommend it, without reservation.
Next Week:
"No education is ever wasted" was one of my mother's favorite sayings. Good thing I listened to her, or the tractor would still be buried. Have I got a story for you...
Till next week,
May your life be filled with moving missives and red carpets, with no traffic in sight!
I love you all!
Ami
