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Gale Minchew, PhD

Inspire • Uplift • Motivate • Empower

The Human Element

Over the past weekend, I exhibited my books at an amazing event, Through The Veil: Paranormal, Metaphysical & Spiritual Gathering.  This was my second year at the event, and it was no less inspiring than the first time.  Included in the presentation lineup were paranormal television celebrities such as Chip Coffee, Joshua Gates, Ben Hanson and John J. Oliver, as well as incredibly gifted spiritual and paranormal professionals and authors such as Panache Desai, Don Simmons, Dakota Lawrence, and Larry Flaxman.  A truly fascinating lineup.  While I had an opportunity to visit a couple of the presentations, I spent most of my time selling books at my table.

I know, I know…the big question is, “How did your books do?” I have a simple answer to that…it’s not about my books.  Yes, a strange concept perhaps, but what meant more to me was the incredible power of the human element.  I met so many wonderful people this weekend.  The friendships that were renewed from last year, and the conversations and friendships forged this year made me richer than I was before the trip.

So, why is it that so many people are consumed by the tangible rewards one receives from daily life?  Like most authors, I would love a sell out.  But really, I want something more.  I want to hear other people’s stories.  I want to get to know my fellow exhibitors, what do they do, how did they get to that point, who are they, really?  I want to get to know my potential readers.  I want to discuss topics of interest we share.  I want the opportunity to explain how I developed my story lines and share my thoughts on writing with others.  I want to talk to aspiring writers who visit my table and encourage them to keep at it and to let them know they can achieve their dreams with perseverence.  In a nuthell, what I want is to be a friend.  To me, that one friend is more rewarding than a hundred books.

I invite you to think about this the next time you schedule an in-person event, a book signing at a coffee shop, exhibition at a book fair, or perhaps as a guest speaker for an author panel…remember the human element.  Take the time to share a bit of yourself with your potential readers and fellow exhibitors or authors, offer encouragement or support if that is what they are looking for, listen to their stories with interest and truly hear them.  You never know who you may be talking to…the next best-sellling author, an up and coming literary agent, a future nationally syndicated radio host, or best yet…a friend.

Special thanks to inspiring friends: Jimi Merk, your gifts never cease to amaze me.  I’m so glad you liked my use of the beautiful pendant you created in my newest release, Shadows of Truth.  Dee, it was wonderful to see you again, sweet friend.  Shelly, Lori, Laura and LeeAnn, I look forward to long and fulfilling friendships with each of you.

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Retired Guest Blog Entries

The Sidewalk Ends Here…

May 11, 2011

I don’t remember any books from my childhood.  At least, that’s what I thought.  When I first tried to conger up memories of reading, I drew a complete blank.  Yes, I couldn’t think of one single book!  So, I decided to delve a little further into my mind and came up with the cute teddy bear board book my mom read to me as a toddler, Cinderella, and The Princess and the Pea.  I still have that little teddy bear book and will always cherish it.  But, can that really be all I remember reading as a child?  Pulling those memories from the frayed edges of my mind soon buried me under a wave of book covers and authors.  Oh!  What about the Sweet Valley High series by Francine Pascal?  I read that series incessantly during my teen years.  I remember spending so much money on those books…and it became a challenge…buying, reading, and arranging all those books on my shelf in chronological order.  Then, a little further back I remembered some required reading from middle school…Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume and the life and writings of Edgar Allen Poe.  I admit, I didn’t care for Judy Blume, but I was fascinated with Edgar Allen Poe…The Raven, The Tell Tale Heart, The Masque of the Red Death, The Pit and the Pendulum, and so on.  But, I still wonder why they had Poe as required reading for a 13 year old!  It was probably my fascination with Poe that led to my interest in crime/suspense/mystery novels.  So, it was only logical that by high school, I had moved on to Dean Koontz, Stephen King, and Anne Rice. 

I continued to ponder the books I read as a child and found that with all the authors, titles, and genres flowing through my mind, I continuously returned to fourth grade.  It was a magical year, I suppose…a time for trading stickers with my friends, staying out of the clutches of boys chasing girls on the playground, and my first introduction to poetry.  Now, I admit I would have done almost anything to not go outside for recess, as you can imagine!  Quite coincidentally, my fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Joyce Sigler, had an exciting project for me and a friend in lieu of play time.  At recess, she would tape a large sheet of white paper on the wall and place the overhead projector in just the right spot for maximum size.  She would then place a transparency on the overhead glass, and my friend and I would carefully trace the letters and drawings onto the plain white paper.  That simple job made me feel important!  And, unbeknownst to me at the time, I learned about poetry and how to make that funny little lower case ‘a’.  I mean, who really writes an ‘a’ like that?  Ultimately, I ended up reading the entire book from which the transparencies were made.  What an exciting experience at such an impressionable time in my young life!

You may wonder what poetry could possibly fill a fourth grader with so much excitement.  This poetry was magical, complete with funny drawings…a book filled of stories such as Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout who would not take the garbage out, a crocodile who went to the dentist, and little Peggy Ann McKay who was so sick she could not go to school today!  Yes, Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein became my favorite book that year.  That year became one of my most memorable years in school and, by my estimation, served as a catalyst for my growing love of books.

I now share Mr. Silverstein’s books with my own children.  Not only Where the Sidewalk Ends, but A Light in the Attic, Falling Up, and The Giving Tree, as well.  Will my fourth grader have the same memories about reading these books as I have?  Probably not, but I hope to make an impression as great as that given to me all those years ago by one very special fourth grade teacher and Shel Silverstein!

*This entry first appeared as a guest post on basicallyamazingashley.com in May 2011