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| Image by Peter Jensen |
Just in time for the Holiday Season - a brand new second edition of Life Outside the Box with additional content!
Print and e-book available!
In Canada -
Amazon.ca http://amzn.to/2e93lNc
In the U.S -
Amazon.com http://amzn.to/2fLIMqA
Barnes and Noble http://bit.ly/2fphhyK
Author signed copies are available for purchase through the author's website at www.marilynrwilson.com/books
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This final excerpt is very special to me. In some ways it is the final note and in some ways the beginning note. Let me explain.
I began my journey as a writer by answering a Craigslist ad for submissions. My career as a writer expanded when I co-owned a Vancouver magazine from 2007-2012, Here we featured articles on exceptional individuals who were a part of the local fashion industry - designers, models, hair-makeup-styling artists, fashion week/event producers, boutique owners and more. It wasn't a fashion magazine - it was about their journey to embrace this career.
It was a wonderful but overwhelming time as I learned to write, edit, be the face of a magazine, sell ads, mea culpa for faux pas's and more - all in the public eye. Then in May 2012 the magazine folded and I entered a very dark space. I felt lost. I still had my writing for Raine Magazine in the U.S., but that was only a couple articles every quarter. There was one glimmer of an idea - to write and self publish an e-book of my favourite interviews. But I just couldn't seem to find the information I needed or get a schedule set. I didn't know where to start.
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| So great to see not only Julie Salisbury but fellow writers Eugenea Couture and Alyson Jones at my launch. Image by Peter Jensen |
I really don't remember a lot of what Salisbury talked about as from the moment she started speaking, I was overcome with a strong emotion. I just knew that this was the mentor I had been seeking who would be able to support me on this journey. When I met with her to discuss a contract a few weeks later the same thing happened. This still happens every time I hear her speak.
Although a lot of steps on my writing journey came before this moment, this was the true beginning of my commitment to write #LifeOutsideTheBox. It has been a journey of highs and lows - even a moment I wanted to throw in the towel - but Salisbury and her team were always there in support.
So while Julie Salisbury is the final chapter in my book, she was also there at the beginning to open the door to a path that led me to fulfill my life purpose. I love interviewing people on their lives and I love sharing these stories with the world. From the bottom of my heart - thank-you.
As one of her mantras is about finding your purpose, I decided for this excerpt to share a moment when Salisbury realized all her achievements didn't make her happy - they were a list given her by others. To find out what happened after this moment, you're going to have to read her chapter.
"A position opened up in a company called Fine Arts Developments when Salisbury was in her thirties. The new job required constant travel to the Far East for up to three weeks at a time—the Philippines, Bangkok, Thailand, and Taiwan. Some might consider it fun, but for Salisbury it became a chore and a wake-up call.
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| With husband and business partner Greg Salisbury |
Salisbury was stunned. For years she had been travelling the world, but hadn't really seen it. She had been isolated in a glass bubble of protection that kept her carefully walled off from poverty. She finally began asking herself the questions that had been slowly bubbling up, 'Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing with my life? What does all this mean? Why am I here?'
For Salisbury, it was a defining moment. 'I think this realization of a disconnect was my epiphany.' Up to this point, her life had been lived according to a checklist defined by society. It hadn’t brought satisfaction. It was time for a drastic change and the one that presented itself was totally unexpected.
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Update November 2016 - It's been twenty months since the launch of Life Outside the Box and I find myself immersed in the process of writing book two in this series. Where does the time go?
The journey for me of writing Life Outside the Box was extraordinarily difficult—terrible self-doubt was a constant companion. What a relief that reader response and industry reviews have been overwhelmingly positive. It has affirmed for me that the timing was right and continues to be right to share with readers the different ways people choose to live their lives. People are bombarded as never before with societal expectations. We need to be reminded the journey we are on is ours alone. There is no one right path to follow; there is no one correct way to live—we are each extraordinary in our own way.
Be sure and keep your eye out for Life Outside the Box #2, tentatively due for release in the Spring 2017. I can't wait to share ten new and amazing stories with you.
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