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January-April, 2024

Giving and Receiving Are One in Truth

by Rev. Jennifer McSween, Ordained Ministerial Counselor

On April 12th, 2017, I announced to the world via Facebook, that I was in the process of writing a book. Until then, the only people who knew that I was doing so were my husband and daughter, and the members of the Authors group coaching program I had joined a couple of months earlier.

To this day, I cannot recall who sent me the email in February of 2017, promoting a webinar for going “From Blank Page To Published Author In 90 Days.” Though when I first read this, I didn’t think it was possible for me, because I had been trying to write and publish a book for the past four years, but found myself struggling to get the ideas out of my head and onto the paper.

For some reason I felt led to attend. So I signed up. I took the Action Step that was given at the end of the webinar. That first step did help me to get the ideas out of my head and onto paper, and I started writing on March 10th, 2017. On April 7th, 27 days later, I had completed writing my entire first draft and made the announcement on a Facebook post. A little less than 7 months later, with the help of Revs Robert and Mary Stoelting’s professional editing, I became a published author.

On April 12th, 2018, the Anniversary of announcing to the world that I was writing a book I felt led to honour the memory, by recognizing and acknowledging the authors in my Facebook community. So… since then, on the 12th day of each month, I select one of the authors in my FB community to be featured as “THE PHENOMENAL AUTHOR OF THE MONTH”.

I create a post on FB… write a review of their latest book… show the cover… and say where copies can be purchased. My purpose for doing this is to lend support to the authors in my community because, featuring an author in this way puts the author and their book in front of another audience while putting their book back in the Spotlight, at least for a little while.

Selecting and featuring a “PHENOMENAL AUTHOR OF THE MONTH” is an absolutely joyful experience for me. Notice, I did not say that doing it “brings me joy or makes me joyful.” The thought of doing it is joyful for me. Doing it is simply expressing that joy in form. So, the purpose of featuring the Authors in my community in this way was never about what I would “get.”

What I do get each time someone is selected as “THE PHENOMENAL AUTHOR OF THE MONTH” is to experience their joy and appreciation for placing them, and their book in front of another audience. And getting another review, having their book promoted and back in the spotlight for a little while. My intention for doing this in the first place. 

In July of this year, one of my author friends in my FB Community, Kelly H., who herself was featured in the past, suggested that I send a “friend request” to an author friend of hers. She thought we’d like each other. I did right away and my friend Kelly was right. Her friend, Debbie S., and I did like each other right away. I learned that she had a birthday coming up in August so I decided to select her as “THE PHENOMENAL AUTHOR OF THE MONTH” for the month of August, as a birthday gift. Well, she was over-joyed, delightedly expressed her thanks and appreciation for being selected. A few days later I received a message from her asking if I would like to be referred to have a written interview about my book, True Forgiveness, and have that interview featured in an online Written Author Interview Blog.

Of course, I was delighted and overjoyed to be interviewed about my book and have that interview published and featured in an online blog. So… I joyfully said, “Yes!” About a week or so later I was contacted by Dee Lawrence, the interviewer and founder of Vocal Expressions Author Interview Blog: It’s a Book Thing, to be interviewed. On Monday October 2nd, 2023 my interview was featured in her Blog and was given a shoutout in her e-Newsletter.

What was done for me as a result of this experience was almost identical to what is done for the authors in my FB community that I select to be “THE PHENOMENAL AUTHOR OF THE MONTH”: Celebrated and Recognized, be placed in front of another audience; have their books promoted by being back in the spotlight for a little while, and be given a shoutout on someone else’s platform. More specifically, I found myself experiencing the same immense joy, appreciation, and fulfillment that I do when selecting and featuring the authors in my FB community, on the 12th of each month.

This felt like I was living the Course’s teaching that “Giving and receiving are one in truth.” In answering one of the questions asked on that interview I remembered the moment I first received the inspiration to write the book. It was 15 years before it was written and published in 2017. And Pathways of Light, in the form of Revs. Robert & Mary Stoelting, were instrumental then also, in my getting inspired. Here’s the link to the interview if you’d like to read about it https://bit.ly/46eYccv.

Revs Robert & Mary… I feel like you have literally been on this writing journey with me… “From Inspiration to Publication”. And… I’d like to extend my deepest thanks and appreciation to you both!

© 2023, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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