IT Can Happen - Stay Ready!

My pastor has often says, "Stay ready so you don't have to get ready." And I've believed that, even back when I wrote my first book, I was always ready for that offer from a publisher, that call from an agent, the happenstance meeting with a movie producer whom one might bump into at a mall or at someone's house, ready to give them a one minute pitch, clear and concise, prepared to answer any and all questions, knowing that when you're living your passion, you're more likely to live your dream.

From where I sit, and I'm sure from where she sits as well, author Dominique D. Mensah is living her dream. What a difference a day makes when one day you hear that the well-known author and host of his own nationally-syndicated radio show, Michael Baisden, is selecting a featured author and his/her book to be featured during his new weekly segment for the month of February 2011 called The Michael Baisden Book Club - Book of the Week, and then the next day, you find out that you've been selected as the very first author. Monique D. Mensah's book, Inside Rain, is featured this week and from what Monique posted on her FaceBook page, her page and her life are blowing up, as well as her email account and telephone. Also, her kindle sales ranking on both Inside Rain (2010) and Who Is He To You (2009) are now #1 and #2, respectively, in both the Fiction/Drama and Literature and Fiction/Drama categories.

It's great to see this type of thing happen to fellow authors, and I wish we had more opportunities like this that bring exposure to our works. It helps that as a fellow author, Michael Baisden understands the business and the marketing side of publishing, and the mere fact that he started the Book of the Week speaks volumes about his level of caring and support. This week, he's constantly mentioned Monique's name and book title every day, and has posted her website link and interview podcast on his Michael Baisden Live site, and on his FaceBook page, and over the next three weeks he'll do the same for three other authors.

Getting booked on nationally-syndicated radio shows is not easy, yet we know that radio is one of the best avenues to spread the word. At times it seems it's the well known authors who get the most radio promo, but what Michael is doing is he's also looking at new authors, surely some published by mainstream houses and some self-published, like Monique, who can all use a leg up to help spread the word. A book is not worth the paper it's written on if it's sitting on the shelf and no one knows about it.

In Monique D. Mensah's case, it appears a lot of people have read her book and love it. Her book, Inside Rain, has 62 reviews on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Inside-Rain-Monique-D-Mensah/dp/0615379915/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1296793818&sr=1-1

I wish Monique all the best and want her to know that her amazing opportunity reminds all of us authors that IT can happen if we stay ready. Monique submitted what was required, she has a great website and amazing book videos, and from what I've heard she's an excellent writer and editor.

All of this to say that yes, we have to stay ready so we don't have to get ready. Getting ready could mean you miss the knock at the door. Monique was ready, and I say to her and all of the authors that will be announced over the next three weeks, your fellow brothers and sisters-in-pen are proud of you. We see you living that dream!

Continue to write on!

You can find out more about Monique, as well as locate links to purchase her books at http://www.moniquedmensah.com/, and check out Michael Baisden's radio show at http://www.baisdenlive.com/