Follow Your Dream!

September 26th, 2008, 7:56 am by Chip St Clair

Many of my readers were not mistaken in the assumption that I finally emerged from the darkest recesses of my cave to join the world of the living — if only for a brief moment.  One would think that I have the luxury of Internet in my cave, where I could easily blog every day as was the intended promise.  However, to shirk the duties of child advocacy, survivor collaborations, legislative work, and of course demands from the publishing world on not only my memoir, but for my upcoming historic fiction novel — well, let’s just say a matter of prioritising has prevented me from sharing with you a daily dose of classic ideals.

Without further ado, I’d like to share some photos of my emergence into the light, during what was known among my kind as “The Read This! Author Tour” presented by the book distributor Levy Home Entertainment.  I was honored and privileged to join 26 other authors as we toured by bus 9 Meijer stores throughout Michigan in 3 days.  This multi-genre tour took us from Grand Rapids to Rochester Hills, shooting the book sales for Meijer stores through the roof at nearly 3500 total sales and counting.

Having the opportunity to chat with other authors was a fabulous experience, one of which I’d like to think great friendships were forged.  You see, authors are a unique group — pensive, sensitive, passionate.  But most of all, I think the most endearing quality about authors, for readers that is, is that authors had a dream, and they followed that dream until it came true.  The readers who visited the authors on this tour wore expressions of being mesmerized, in awe.  I think even on levels the reader fails to understand,  it is the simple fact that they stand in the presence of dreamers, of those who had the courage to keep dreaming until that dream came true.  Let all those readers who visited this past weekend bask in the moment their own dreams will be realized, and let the authors they visited with stand as living examples of the possibilities that lay before them.

Now for the pics — please enjoy (and for a list of all the authors I joined on the tour, keep reading):

 

Meijer Read This Author Tour!

Cherry Adair       CT Adams & Cathy Clamp       Jessica Anderson       Allison Brennan       Kathryn Caskie       Colleen Coble       Kresley Cole       Jordan Dane       Deeanne Gist       Tom Grace       Kristan Higgins       Elizabeth Hoyt       Angela Knight       Leslie Langtry       Jade Lee       Robert Liparulo       Susan Mallery       Monica McInerney       Sophia Nash       Deborah Raleigh       Gena Showalter       Chip St. Clair       Roxanne St. Clair       Sherry Thomas

 

Continue to Soar!

- CS

No Man an Island

July 17th, 2008, 2:59 pm by Chip St Clair

 

When we find ourselves captured in the embraces of our fears, our doubts – when we are losing ground and find no relief from the scorching heat of reality – we seem to find refreshing shelter and comfort at last in those around us.  Not just around us.  Those who stand by us because they CHOOSE to.  They see qualities and successes in us when sometimes all we see are failures.  These are our friends.  They are not necessarily family, but they can be as long as they uphold that unwritten law of respect and loyalty that sometimes is taken for granted among family members.

 

These are the people we turn to when the chips are down, when we hit the wall in the race, when all the sugar in the lemonade has collected to the very bottom of the glass and you’re out of water.

 

But how often do we turn to these people when things are clicking, when we feel on top of the world?  Not just to share the euphoria and celebrate, but to THANK them?  Because face it – you could not have done it alone.  Everyone who chooses to be around us (and I say this because those we choose to be around do not always reciprocate) no matter how small a role, is adding to our greatness – is helping to propel us to that next level – is giving us the strength to soar!

 

If you look at your life as a machine, every part, every person has a role to play to produce the finished product.  You could not take credit for the machine’s success if not for all the parts working together.  Be grateful to those around you who work to make you happy, to make life not only easier, but enjoyable.

 

My blogs will be littered with all kinds of gratitude as you will read in your visits to Fine Point.  I’m truly blessed to have so many people in my life who are a part of me in some way.  Take a look at my blogroll for a glimpse into some of the key people in my life – Mark, author of the riveting and fun blog, The Spyglass Chronicles, is one of the most incredible, noblest men I will probably ever meet.  He is the president of my foundation, an ultra successful business man who runs a security and P.I. company (not to mention a spy shop), and still makes time for his friends and family – no matter what kind of day he is having!  He’s really stepped up in many regards as my ‘adopted father’ for which I am so thankful I have no words to express.  Doug, of Red Pawn, is a successful (and awesome!) entrepreneur who knows web design and site management like nobody’s business – plus he’s an Ayn Rand fan . . .  Ruth (who doesn’t blog because she’s too busy giving every second of her day to everyone else) is the most generous, sweet, kind soul in this universe (next to my wife of course, who if you are wondering why I’m not including her – anyone who has read my memoir knows it’s sort of her memoir, too.  At least partly.  There is way too much to write when it comes to her so you’ll have to read the book!).  Then there are so many others who I may embarrass later:  Lauren, David, Reece, Dave, Sarah & Michael, Richard & Patricia, Rob, Jenn, Mike, Sameer, Bob, Alison, and soooo many others (you know who you are!) . . . Then there is my wife’s family . . . Then there are my great friends, Thomas & Karin, across the Atlantic . . .  Then there are my new friends like fellow author Laurie Perry, who wrote a fabulously heartfelt, yet funny book Drunk Divorced and Covered in Cat Hair, and who also maintains an incredibly successful blog Crazy Aunt Purl (on which my book was discussed yesterday in one of her incredible book giveaways).  My wife and I had the pleasure of meeting her at the Book Expo ofAmerica in L.A. last month, and I tell you you’d be hard-pressed to find a kinder and more genuine person who really took the bull by the horns when life threw her a curveball (with a little help from a ball of yarn and a glass of wine!).

 

So there you have it – a little insight into my life, into what makes it run like a well-oiled machine (well not exactly . . .)

 

Take stock of your life and who chooses to be in it.  I used to think I was lucky, but in truth I’m not.  In the words of Emerson:  Shallow men believe in luck, strong men believe in cause and effect.

 

Your friendships are thus because you EARNED them.  And anything that is earned, must be maintained – so to that end, thank those in your life for choosing to be around you, and return the favor by being loyal and true.

 

You’ll have to bear with the inexcusable negligence (a bit harsh?) in maintaining my daily blog – between my advocacy work and the NEW, that’s right, NEW novel I’m working on, my free time leaves little for much else.  What’s it about you ask?  Historical fiction, first of a series of three installments, sweeping epic from Ancient Babylon to the English renaissance . . .

That’s all you get . . .

 

Continue to Soar!

- CS

Shoes of Compassion

July 8th, 2008, 9:38 am by Chip St Clair

As you’ve seen in previous blogs, I try to offer words to inspire and motivate — occasionally I will use anecdotes to illustrate a point or help give insight to a new perspective.  Why, you ask?  Because as I’ve written about in my memoir, my own life’s lessons have taught me that reality rarely changes, only our perspective of it.  To this end, I hope to enlighten your realities with a fresh perspective so we may all enjoy the quality of life we deserve (and nothing annoys me more than watching people get in their own way on the road to happiness!).

Keep an eye on the other pages on this site, as well.  I have a few comments to moderate in the Solve the Mystery forum as well as in Conversations with Butterflies.  Once things begin rolling along and my readers discover this

Embracing the Seasons

July 3rd, 2008, 6:32 am by Chip St Clair

 

I’d like to share a story of a father who wanted to teach his four sons a great lesson.  He called the four young men to his side and patted each kindly on the shoulder for he was a good father and they good sons.

 

            “It is now the dead of winter, when the cold wind blows,” he said to his eldest son, “I want you to travel to the southernmost border of our land.  When you return, say nothing.  Just remember what you see.”

 

            “Yes, Father,” the eldest said, and left to saddle his horse.

 

            The father looked to his second eldest son and spoke.

 

            “When the sun begins to warm our faces and spring arrives, I want you to then make the same journey.  Speak nothing of your journey upon your return.  Only remember what you see.”

 

            “Yes, Father,” spoke the second eldest.

 

            “And you, my son,” the father said, facing his third son, “when the summer sun is hot and high in the sky, you, too, will make the journey.  Speak nothing, only remember.”

 

            “I will, Father,” nodded the third son.

 

            “And you,” the father spoke to is youngest, “you will make the long journey to the south in the autumn when the nights grow cooler and shorter.  And when you return, gather your brothers and come to me.”

 

            “I will do as you ask, Father,” spoke the youngest.

 

            Each son did as his father requested.  Each made the long journey to the southern border, and each spoke nothing of what he saw upon his return.  When the youngest son trotted in on his steed accompanied by a brisk autumn wind, he sought out his brothers and all returned to the side of their father.

 

            “You all have done as I asked,” spoke the father.  “Now, I want each of you to tell me what you saw.”

 

            “I saw barren limbs and withered trees,” spoke the eldest.  “All appeared dead.”

 

            “No, no!”  Spoke the second eldest.  “I saw it.  I was there!  There were trees full and leafy and green.  I rested in the shade beneath them.”

 

            The third son shook his head, “The trees I saw had beautiful, fragrant white flowers.  The scent was sweet and intoxicating.”

 

            “No,” insisted the youngest, “the trees at the southern border bore plump, yellow fruit.  They were crisp and delicious, and made the long journey home pleasant.”

 

            The sons soon began to argue of what each had seen and who was right.  The father raised his hand to silence his sons.

 

            “Tell us, Father!” begged the eldest.  “Tell us who is right!”

 

            “All of you are right, my sons,” spoke the father wisely, “for all of you saw the southern pear grove, yet each during a different season.  You see, sometimes you may visit a pear grove in your wanderings through life, and sometimes you will find fruit, while other times it will be barren.  But that does not mean it will always be so…”

 

Always remember, life is a pear grove, sometimes fruitful, sometimes barren.  But this is a natural cycle of life and of nature, providing us many harsh and glorious seasons to test our strength of character and resiliency.

 

And in your own wanderings you may come across someone (I know you know someone like this . . .) who tries to tell you — no, I should say INSISTS upon you that the pear grove is barren because they saw it barren (also known as the ‘Life sucked for me, It’ll suck for you’ person).  This is the individual who opens the train window while you are trying to build a house of cards (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, read the Analogy of the Train in the last blog for instructions on how to deal with this person).

 

Sunrise always follows sunset.  Blue skies always follow grey.

 

Hope is courage to wish for the foreseen possibilities.  Faith is showing strength to the unforeseen possibilities.  Wisdom is knowing when to exercise each in time of need.

 

Knowing a better day will eventually come into your life is half the battle of seeing one.

 

-CS

Be the Change

July 1st, 2008, 6:24 am by Chip St Clair

Change is usually something we react to, not generally something we initiate.  Of course, life seems to have this odd little habit of noncompliance with our overall game plan — cars break down, companies downsize, tragedy always strikes in one way or another.  But I think it would be interesting to note if the current object of blame for the setback in our lives is actually the result of a prior RE-action or chain of RE-actions to change.  It’s time to ask yourself if you find you are feeling at the mercy of change, always RE-acting instead of acting.  It’s time to assess your ability to deal with change, maybe even your perception of change, as sometimes great opportunity can be hidden in the unexpected.  How many times have you looked back at some minor tragedy (and I say minor because believe me, there are MAJOR tragedies!) like a break-up or job loss and said ‘That was for the better’?  It’s time to ask yourself if you are living life or is life living YOU?

Imagine life is represented by you riding on a train — it’s moving forward, you’re on it.  Now imagine you have a deck of cards on the table in front of you, representing all of your hopes and goals in life.  The higher you build a card house, the more success you have — and remember you were given no rules on how to accomplish this task so you are only limited by your imagination.  You began stacking cards and building your house, when all of a sudden the train hits a bump and your cards scatter.  You resume your task, perhaps a little frustrated, but nonetheless you rebuild to the point when disaster struck.  Another bump, lights go out.  Now your cards tumble to the floor, so you continue the task down there now, hands trembling and unsteady, hunching over this house of cards.  A man across from you opens a window, blowing your card house down again.  Another bump from the train, lights go out again.  But you keep RE-acting to your environment, now obviously not playing with a full deck, and trying and trying and trying . . .   See a pattern here???

How does this sound?  After the second time the train hit a bump and the cards fell, get up, pull the emergency brake to stop the train, get off, buy some glue, get back on, and then YOU decide when the train starts again — after you’ve built a solid foundation.  And while lumbering along the tracks, if someone tries to open a window, get up and close it (yes, you can throw him out of it first) then resume building.

This is the difference between action and reaction.  Remember, you have more control over what happens to you than you think.  It just takes courage and determination, and not letting anyone or anything stand in the way of your goals.  The essentials in life are peace, happiness, and love — that’s it.  If you find yourself not traveling in that direction, it’s time to make a change, not wait for it.  Life won’t hand it to you, you’re going to have to take it.  As Gandhi said, “We must be the change we wish to see in the world.”

Welcome to Fine Point — my blog designed to captivate, educate, and inspire.  A daily dose of everything passionate to enhance the world, from child advocacy issues to arts and literature.  A fresh perspective on current events, infused with classic ideals.  Feel free to explore the site:  a book club reviewing the finest in contemporary and classic literature, a mystery forum for the amateur sleuth in you, and an invitation to be a part of the riveting new series, Conversations with Butterflies, where your story could help change the world.

Be sure to check out the fine folks associated with the blog roll, whom I’ll be chatting about in a not-too-distant post.

Thanks for visiting, and enjoy.

Continue to Soar!

- CS

Coming July 1st — Stay tuned!

June 24th, 2008, 6:34 pm by Chip St Clair

Chip St. Clair will soon be launching his new blog to inspire, captivate, and educate.

Feel free to explore the site as we continue our countdown!