Where is Here?

Good day to you all...

I am sitting here enjoying a coffee, surrounded by thousands of books written by a multitude of authors both first timers and ones with extensive experience...I am at a Starbucks inside an Indigo Book Store.

I am waiting on confirmation from the publisher as to when my first book (Darkness on the Edge of Town) will be available, today or Monday and at what price. I have to write a Bio and choose an exerpt for preview. In this mecca of books I am inspired to become the best writer I can. I want to write for a living...I want to be free to do it all day every day. However, the reality is that I must take back some control and take a job again. One befitting my skills and accomplishments so I can participate in the whole thing call LIFE.

The reality is that I am not making a living as a writer, yet. I have to pay bills, eat, pay more bills, shelter, child support, etc, etc, etc...To do this my energy needs to be focused and positively charged...BUT...there is also the creativity that is the next book in this series. Then, there is all the day to day management stuff, walking the dog, painting, cooking, shopping, showering, laundry, etc, etc, etc...So how do I accomplish my goals...How do I remain positive???

In a recent conversation I was reminded that I cannot do it all. I have to be able to prioritize and get done what "has" to be done first. I have always tried to use a "last to first" planning method...where do I have to (or want to) get to and work backward from there using appropriate timelines and milestones. The challenge becomes those items that are out of my control...and with repect to those, I cannot let them deter me from the positive energy in moving forward.

Frustration, emotional upset and worry can be extreme negatives...I have to tackle each issue head on with integrity and openness...I need to be able to ask for help when I need it. And right now I need some. My networking and job hunt are keeping me hopping. Having been out of the game for a year while dealing with the completion of the book and a myriad of issues has caused that dreaded "gap" in my employment history. I want to work, I am very good at what I do and can do it in a variety of settings. The frustrating part is finding the right organization or senior hiring leader to create a role or take the opportunity to grab someone like myself and be comfortable with the "risk".

As the economy turns we still aren't out of the woods. The jobs available are vast, regardless of what the media people say. There are simply thousands, tens of thousands, of individuals doing the same, job hunting. Being a "novelist" doesn't carry much weight with potential employers. The dedication, the creativity, the marketing of a completely unheard of product (my book and myself) are overshadowed by what have you done lately OR you are over-qualified...How unfortunate!!! The ability to do what I or any of you have done over the past year, writing and completing a novel, is filled with comprehensive learnings and transitional abilities that would benefit any employer.

So, I will continue to stand tall, be positive and believe that remaining integral and comitted to moving forward will result in continued actions that will achieve the outcomes I seek. If any of you wish to share your stories of overcoming the job hurdle or how networking with individuals completely foreign to you helped, please feel free to do so.

On the Book front...fingers crossed that today is the day. I want a full month of selling to achieve my goals for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. If you don't want to buy a book, you may know someone that will or you may want to gift a copy to someone...either way, please help me achieve my goal of 5000 books for Cancer in the month of May.

All the best...Tomorrow kicks off the Drive for 5000!!!

Warmest wishes,

Paul Greene
Author, Darkness on the Edge of Town