And a Step to the Right…

Guest Blogger: Ken La Salle

Those of you who read last month have probably noticed the Rocky Horror reference that ties these pieces together. I felt it only fitting that, when talking about the pursuit of my own dream, I call out something a bit nonsensical.

That’s how it is following a dream. Sometimes, you can’t expect things to make sense.

That’s been my life recently, getting ready to promote a book I never thought anyone would want to read, a book about my search for the meaning of success. But one of the keys to living my dream, as I have learned so often, is that it never pays to do it half-heartedly. If you’re going to live your dream, it means living amidst nonsense and surrendering yourself to it every single day.

That’s how it was after I signed a contract with Sullivan Maxx Literary Agency. My agent, Jeanie, believed in my book whole-heartedly but I knew finding a publisher would be an uphill climb. Possibly, straight up!

I committed myself to looking for ways I might get the word out to publishers. I had no idea exactly what that meant, but I knew it would involve swimming deep into a wide expanse of nonsense. I think this is a feeling most dreamers can understand. You might have no idea what you’re doing, but you’ll do it, anyway. “Knowing” isn’t essential; the dream and that burning in your gut to make it happen is all that matters.

I had been listening to Jackie Kashian’s terrific podcast, The Dork Forest, for a while… basically because I’m a dork. Comic book collectors, video gamers, and nerds of all stripes – these are my people. It was only after listening to one of her guests talk about his search for meaning in life… and then hearing another… and another, that I realized how Climbing Maya could be a part of it (because I’m sharp like that). Jackie has been great and, while we have not connected yet, her encouragement led me to the next step.

I thought, “Well, that didn’t happen.” And I proceeded to feel sorry for myself, which I do well. Then, a thought hit me: “You’re not going to stop there, are you?” It was silly, thinking I’d contact other podcasts and try to get on one to help promote Climbing Maya. I mean, it was nonsense; that’s what it was!

Two months later, I was sitting at my desk at home, getting ready for a Skype call from Douglas Lain. Doug Lain is the host of the provocative philosophy podcast, Diet Soap and he had agreed to having me on as a guest.

I wondered, “Who do you think you are? You’re not a philosopher. You’re just a guy who wrote a book and now you’re going to try and sound like some kind of expert? You’re going to sound like a jerk!” I became a 46-year-old pillar of self-doubt. Could I really do this?

But another voice inside of me said, “This is what you have been working for. This is part of your dream. Maybe it doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t have to make sense.”

And then, Doug was on the phone. I’m fortunate that, although he and his usual guests come across as very knowledgeable every week – I mean intimidatingly so – he was also very down-to-earth and easy to speak with.

Last month, the podcast went live. I laid down with my wife one night to listen to it with her. When it was over, I looked over at Vicky in the dark and asked, “So? Did I sound like a jerk?”

As it turned out, I already had a publisher by the time the podcast aired and Climbing Maya will be released soon by Solstice Publishing.

I don’t know if there’s ever a step in anyone’s dream that comes easily but I do know that if we embrace our dream and go for that crazy ride, it cannot help but be worthwhile.

You can check out The Dork Forest at www.thedorkforest.com.

The Diet Soap podcast is located at http://dietsoap.podomatic.com/.

My discussion with Doug Lain about my book Climbing Maya can be found at http://dietsoap.podomatic.com/entry/2012-01-30T01_51_45-08_00.

Look for Climbing Maya, coming soon from Solstice Publishing, at http://www.solsticepublishing.com/.

About the Author

Novelist and Playwright, Ken La Salle grew up in Santa Ana, California and has remained in

Ken La Salle

the surrounding area his entire life. He was raised with strong, blue-collar roots, which have given him a progressive and environmentalist view. As a result, you’ll find many of his stories touching those areas both geographically and philosophically. He’s also very funny. His plays are often seen in theaters on the west coast of the U.S. and many of his books can be found in ebook format on Amazon.com (for the Kindle) and Smashwords.com (for all e-reader formats). Climbing Maya, An Exploration Into Success by Ken La Salle is coming soon by Solstice Publishing.

• Ken La Salle
• Rocky Horror
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