Dear Friend,

 

For twenty years, I pursued a challenging and rewarding career in magazine publishing. My partners and colleagues were terrific, and I truly enjoyed my work. Still, the more time I spent writing, the more difficult it became to ignore the overwhelming sense that a new dream was calling me.

 

I'll confess I had many fears and doubts about leaving the comfort of my secure paycheck, great benefits, and a career that had become a huge part of my identity.

 

But one morning in August of 2001 I awoke with such a great sense of certainty that I was to take the next step, I met with my partners and began to make plans to leave the company. Two weeks later, our lives were forever changed by the events of 9/11. I felt many emotions that week, but I had no doubt that I had made the right decision to follow my dream and pursue a career that would let me spend more time with my family.

 

Since then, while the path hasn't always been straight the journey has been exhilarating. Three weeks after I left the publishing company, I signed a contract with The Globe Pequot Press to write "Food Lover's Guide to Colorado." That first project led to several more nonfiction books, most recently "The Rusty Parrot Cookbook" (Gibbs Smith, 2009) that I wrote with my dear friend and colleague Darla Worden. My publishing and sales background also led me to a number of wonderful people and companies that I've collaborated with on communications, PR and marketing projects through my company, Cross Media.

 

If you, too, are wondering whether to follow your heart and pursue a dream that won't leave you alone, consider the words of Gil Bailie:

 

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive."

 

All the best,