Working with Creative People

One of the great pleasures of working in the public relations field is interaction with a wide variety of clients. In particular I–as a writer and a wannabe musician–really enjoy working with professional writers and musicians. Whether it’s promoting a concert (or a food festival featuring great music) a new CD or book launch, it’s a blast to work with creative people.

Speaking of creative people…an exceptional writer is Melissa Studdard, author of Six Weeks to Yehidah, which just last week shot to #6 on the Amazon.com Hot New Releases in Children’s Science Fiction & Fantasy Chart upon release, ranking in the top one percent of all books on Amazon.

Studdard’s debut novel follows Annalise of the Verdant Hills and her two walking, talking wondersheep in their travels to ever more outlandish places, meeting outrageous and enlightening folk on their journey to discover interconnectedness in a seemingly disconnected world. Readers discover with them how just one person can be the start of the change we all strive for. A delightful and thought-provoking story for all ages, Six Weeks to Yehidah is more than an adventure story.

“Studdard intersperses elements of music, magic, myth, Native American iconography, and mystery that leave the reader yearning for a sequel. Although, like Harry Potter it is technically a children’s book, adults will be just as mesmerized by the trials and travails of the cheeky and courageous Annalise,” said Aparna Mukhedkar of the journal The Criterion.

“In many ways, Six Weeks to Yehidah is about tolerance and acceptance of ourselves and others,” said Studdard. “It was also important to me to share certain wisdom traditions with children, and I absolutely knew that the best way to do this was through narrative. I wanted to share philosophies and ideas in a way that would be fun and exciting for the kids who read the book. We all know how gruesome canonical fairy tales can be, and, of course, these tales are based on an older model of human thought and behavior,” Studdard said. “I feel like we need new stories that more accurately reflect who we are becoming, and which give us something to aspire to. The subconscious mind is a powerful thing, and the stories we tell our children are an important facet of who they will become.”

Check it out–it’s a fantastic book.

Tomorrow, news about another artist…the folk troubadour who’s currently making new fans across Europe and getting ready to “drop” a new CD: Dan Coyle.