The Power of Positive Thinking

For Writers:

Jessie Humphries is a fab author and friend of mine. I read her first book, Killing Ruby Rose. I asked Jessie if she’d tell us a few secrets about her success. Enjoy!

Guest Post by Jessie Humphries

I believe in the power of positive thinking. After all it’s THE SECRET (ya’ know, the book THE SECRET ;).

The basic premise is this: Good things come to those who put themselves out there and believe.

So at the beginning of 2014 (my debut year as an author) I allowed myself to dream big. I wanted to throw a HUGE book launch in my hometown of Las Vegas. I started brainstorming and through some leap in mental logic, I came up with a KILLER idea: Ask the rock band The Killers to participate somehow!! Totally realistic, reasonable, and rational idea, right?

Since two members of the band went to my high school and currently live near me, I felt like I had a chance…a Shot At the Night (a Killers song). So I contacted the band’s manager, we had a couple meetings, things were discussed, and ultimately…

I succeeded!

I was able to get a special Ruby Rose designed guitar signed by Mark Stoermer of The Killers. Here’s a pic of the Killer guitar:

(This is my “Creative Director, Meleah Smith, who ran the whole book-launch-shebang like a boss.)

Beyond The Killers, I was also put in contact with two other killer dudes:

·
Anthony Zuiker, creator/writer of the TV series CSI, who also went to my high school. He donated a bunch of books, scripts, memorabilia and a visit to the set of CSI, which all went to the school district writing contest that I sponsored. The winner won the guitar, a laptop for herself, a laptop for her teacher/mentor, and that awesome trip to the CSI set.

T Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com and creator of Downtown Projects (DTP), which is an organization dedicated to revitalizing the old Downtown area of Las Vegas. DTP was a huge supporter of my book launch, donating immeasurable man-hours, ideas,
support, and venues to make the whole thing a huge success.

So the moral of the story is to not be afraid to reach out to people and believe in your big ideas.

Did all my ideas pan out? No, but… some were amazing triumphs.

Did everyone who I asked end up helping in a significant way? No…but many people contributed in a way that surpassed all my wildest expectations.

Did the first book I ever wrote become a best seller? No…but Killing Ruby Rose became an Amazon #1 Bestseller on the Teen & Young Adult chart within a week of its debut.

So whatever you’re doing: writing your next bestseller, planning your launch, reinventing yourself in another genre, career, or whatever…

BELIEVE
IN YOURSELF AND YOUR BIG DREAMS!

Love,

Jessie
Who Took A Shot At the Night

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