Faith Jones...Thank You for the Christmas Miracle...

 

Remember Faith Jones from the last post...overwhelmed by the unlikely Synchronicity of her last name, Jones, connecting her in a magical way to Amy Jones, until recently, Amy Ford's married name, only hours before Christmas Eve I sent her an email to her "admin" account on her web site, not ever expecting her to respond ever, or certainly not for many weeks or months if ever...well, the Storytelling Fairies will have their way, and they have and use other resources to promote the telling of good stories, that is stories that serve the...Greater Good.

Not only did Faith respond in a personal email within hours of receiving it and on the eve of Christmas when everyone is usually overwhelmed with preparing for the big day, but she actually sent Amy's information to her literary agent to review...

I can't tell you how on so many levels, how remarkably unlikely that was...if you're in the writing/publishing business you know that for every 1,000 writers who knock on the door, only one is let in...and of the million or so books published each year, probably less than one in 1,000 will sell more than a couple hundred copies, but that said, without a doubt Faith Jones deserved to land an agent who could open the door to a successful career as a writer. She's paid the price as a child, paid her dues in college after breaking free from The Family, and had a national media connection to all but guarantee that she would be able to sell many many books.

I just ordered a copy of Faith's book, SEX CULT NUN...why do people buy books, because they connect with the author after seeing, hearing, or reading about them and their story. Big Time Publishing is a business. Agents don't make money, publishers like HarperCollins don't make money, unless the author they represent can sell books and Faith's agent knew she could and would.

 

Though author Amy Ford has a similar story to tell, she has yet to make a substantial media connection or on her own to prove to an agent that she can sell books. 

Amy still has work to do, and I knew that before asking Faith to help her, but I sent the email anyway because for the vast majority of writers, the inspiration to write, maintaining hope that one day your stories will find an audience, those things become the reward for the daily grind, along with, of course, the intrinsic satisfaction of creating literary art on the printed page.

Stay tuned and I'll keep you posted on Amy Jones, that is, Amy Ford's quest to find her audience!

 

 

 

Faith Jones...Amy Jones...Yes, More Synchronicity!

 

Those delightful Storytelling Fairies were so faithful while I was working on Hawthorn Moon, but that project is on pause, waiting for the author to review my editing, so I've shifted to reviving a ten-year-old project with great potential. 

I met the author, name, Amy White, at the time, a wonderful storyteller, and during a several-years period we wrote her memoir, Shave Slowly, and a novel based on her life, Lovely Beast, both under the pen name, Amy Ford. 

Amy was an adult entertainer, burned out over a lucrative 10-year career, and shifted gears to a simpler life in wilderness of northern Michigan.

Right now I've reconnected with Amy who is interested in reviving her writing career. First, I updated her blog:

https://amyfordshaveslowly.blogspot.com/

...then, began writing a script for a pilot episode for a limited TV series based on her life as an adult performer, Shave Slowly, based on her https://shaveslowly.bandcamp.com audio recordings. So, you're asking...when is the Synchronicity coming???

Yesterday I was listening to NPR's Fresh Air interview with now famous author, Faith Jones.

 

https://www.npr.org/2021/12/21/1065757559/sex-cult-nun-faith-jones

 

https://www.amazon.com/Sex-Cult-Nun-Breaking-Religious/dp/B08YZ7F2ZP/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=Faith+Jones+book&qid=1640124977&sr=8-3 

 

Until recently Amy’s name was…Amy Jones. I couldn’t help but respond to the Synchronicity connection to her both her name, that would have been enough, but also Amy's story!

As Amy’s editor at Heritage Press I was aware of all the changes in her life. While on retreat in the U.P. of Michigan, Amy met and married, her name now legally, Amy Jones. Ahhhhh, the powerful Synchronicity emerges...Faith Jones...Amy Jones! 

Both were victims of a cult; Faith, The Family, Amy; Jehovah's Witnesses. Each had to summon both courage and strength to break away and establish their independence. Both had aspirations to be motivational speakers and life coaches as well as authors. 

Believing this connection was a "tip" from the Storytelling Fairies, I reached out to Faith:

https://faithjones.com/contact/

After sharing information about Amy, I asked Faith to recommend Amy to her literary agent and suggested that she and Amy really should meet some day…thinking that based on their backgrounds they could become great, fast friends..

 

So, time will tell...famous people like Faith Jones are inundated with requests, but I won't be surprised if Faith responds. It wasn't that long ago that Faith was in the same desperate place that Amy found herself when fighting to first break away from the Jehovah's Witnesses, then, retreating to lick her wounds after 10 years in the flash-for-cash business, marrying a man who turned out to be a monster, divorcing, and struggling to find a new purpose in life.

Time will tell...I'll keep you Posted...