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

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

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