SPOTLIGHT: The Book Was Better

Dan Millman's inspirational semi-autobiography, Way of the Peaceful Warrior, was first published in 1980, but soon went out of print due to lackluster sales. It wasn't until the book was republished in 1984 by formerly-retired publisher Hal Kramer that word of mouth began to build, and the book was on its way to becoming an international bestseller.

Now, more than twenty years later, producers of the movie adaptation are attempting to follow a similar path to success. After a dismal limited release in June 2006, Peaceful Warrior was recently rereleased using an innovative marketing strategy. Instead of traditional advertising, Sobini Films gave away $15 million in free tickets for the film's opening weekend, hoping to generate enough buzz to make the film a box office success.

I'm a huge fan of author Anne Perry and her historical series, both William Monk and Thomas Pitt. Plus I've collected all of her Christmas mysteries. I missed meeting her last year at the Love Is Murder conference in Chicago, so I was determined to go this year and meet her. I took along A Christmas Secret for her to sign, and bought a new Monk mystery at the conference. She signed both and we had a chat.

Later in the day it was my turn to sign my books after I appeared on a panel, so I found my spot and took a seat. Author Tasha Alexander was seated beside me, and Anne Perry was at the next table. Tasha writes historical mysteries (mine are modern day, set in Metropolis, IL, where I live, but I do love a good historical, so I'm a fan of Tasha as well).

Before long, our lines thinned out and Tasha scooted her chair over to Anne Perry's table to chat. That gave me the courage to slide my chair over, too. Tasha and I chatted with Anne Perry between her book signings, and she was extremely gracious to the two of us newbie writers. I'm always in awe of a well-known, bestselling author who is willing to chat with lesser-knowns about the business, and share tips on writing and selling.

I had assumed she was in the midst of a tour of America. Then she said she'd flown all the way from Scotland just to attend Love Is Murder. She's a grand lady, and I'd drive six hours again in order to spend time with her. Anne Perry is one gracious author, and meeting her changed my writing.

Perry treats her writing like a business, showing up at her desk at a set time, writing for a set amount of hours, and researching like crazy. Perry inspired me to take my time at the computer more seriously. And she has four different series going at any given time. Whew! I'm working on two series, and struggling with that. Did I mention she's a grand lady?