Saturday, October 6, 2007

A Week of Dreams Coming True

The past few days have reduced me to tears of joy a number of times. The good karma shared by this online community of writers is spilling over onto everything and fills me with hope and optimism.

Among the pieces of great news I’ve been honored to share in this week:

Amy McKinnon, dear friend and inspirational blogger from The Writers Group has a book deal for her first novel, Tethered. Amy’s posts and her gentle support and encouragement have helped sustain me since my first day of blogging. This is wonderful news for a woman who has worked so hard, dreamed so big and been so generous with her fellow writers.

Carleen Brice at The Pajama Gardener, new terrific friend and fellow Denverite has just been informed that her upcoming debut novel, Orange Mint and Honey will also be released as an audio book. Orange Mint and Honey will be released in February. Congratulations and I’ll be imagining Angela Bassett or (dare I say it) Maya Angelou reading your words.

Therese Fowler at Making it Up, author of Souvenir, also debuting in the US in February and already available in the UK, has just sold rights to her book in the 10th foreign country! I’m imagining what Souvenir will look like printed in Japanese. Congratulations Therese!

And my latest bit of vicarious happiness was delivered by our neighbor, Marti Reid this morning. Marti is a jewelry designer who has recently rented studio space in one of the Denver arts areas. The studio is a cooperative gallery and this weekend the foot traffic from Denver Arts Week has been phenomenal for the Grace Gallery.

Marti stopped by this morning to invite Scott and me to see the gallery and to share a story. The gallery is adjacent to a small courtyard and one of the people working with Marti and her partners this weekend also does volunteer work with homeless youth in Denver. The man asked if he could borrow an easel to set up in the courtyard to display the pencil drawings of one of the young men he’s worked with. Marti began to help him set up in the courtyard and realized that the pencil drawings would blow away outdoors and offered to hang them on some open wall space inside.

Later on, David, a young man who’d been homeless and on the streets at fourteen came inside. Marti thinks David is probably in his early twenties now, and he’s found a place to live and has a steady job. David was stunned to see that Marti had hung his work inside the gallery. A while later, David stopped in again. Tears filled his eyes when he saw a “sold” sign next to one of his three drawings. Later still, he cried again when he saw that another of the three pieces had also sold. He looked Marti in the eyes and told her that after this weekend, he knows what he wants to do with his life.

There was not a dry eye in our kitchen.

Dreams come in all shapes and sizes. What a privilege it is for me to share in so many.

17 comments:

Charles Gramlich said...

Good to hear some happy stuff. Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

It sure is good. And the circle goes unbroken as you share. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Do you realize how many exhausted bees made that honey? All buzzing around, wondering where it went?

Ello - Ellen Oh said...

All of those are lovely stories. Thanks for sharing. And that last story was very special and touching. In a small gesture of kindness a person's life can change.

Sustenance Scout said...

Fantastic news all around, Lisa! Love the story of David. Funny that I also thought of Maya Angelou for Carleen's book, probably because she also has such a distinctive voice.

Anonymous said...

What a wonderfully uplifting week. Thank you for sharing such monumental good fortunes. Posts like these always raise my energies ten fold!

Patti said...

lisa: i am filled with awe. so much wonderfulness...so much love.

oh, and your post on being silly in the presence of an author one loves, and i said i had never done that? sheesh...today of all days. see the comments of my latest entry.

~the horror~

Shauna Roberts said...

Thanks for sharing these joyful stories. I needed some cheering up, and your post made me smile.

Larramie said...

Love this, Lisa! Dream big, work hard and believe -- or, in David's case have someone believe in you -- that wondrous things happen on a daily basis to us all.

Anonymous said...

Great stuff, congratulations.

Carleen Brice said...

You're the best!! Thank you!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for reminding us of all the good stuff that has happened. Especially David's story; that certainly warmed the heart.

Anonymous said...

I love this post...it DEFINITELY uplifts me to see how many people I admire all over the blogosphere are finding their well deserved success. And I can't wait to put up a post like this for you. :)

David's story was beautiful.

Lynne Griffin and Amy MacKinnon said...

Thank you for your good thoughts, Lisa. What an honor to share good news with the likes of Carleen, Therese, and David.

Amy MacKinnon

Melissa Amateis said...

Lots of amazing things happening - all of them wonderful. And what a touching story about David. Methinks there is a story there...

debra said...

This is the stuff that makes our lives have meaning. We just pass it on. Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

Your story bought a tear to my eyes. What a wonderful week you had.
Thanks for your posts - all of which are an inspiration to me, as I try to complete my dream adventures!

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Literary Quote

It is worth mentioning, for future reference, that the creative power which bubbles so pleasantly in beginning a new book quiets down after a time, and one goes on more steadily. Doubts creep in. Then one becomes resigned. Determination not to give in, and the sense of an impending shape keep one at it more than anything.


Virginia Woolf