Last week a publisher requested the complete manuscript for SOS United States. Has the journey to find a publisher and/or agent come to an end? Has the manuscript arrived in port to be “fitted out” for publication? The answer—I don’t know. But what I do know is that a company was sufficiently interested based on my query letter and chapter samples to request the rest of the manuscript. That alone is good news.

While I would certainly not seek to place myself anywhere in the orbit of J.K. Rowling, I do recall the stories of the many years it took for her to get the first book in the Harry Potter series, the Sorcerer’s Stone, published. Unless you’ve been living under a literary and social rock, the rest of her epic story is history.

One thing I’ve learned over the years is patience when bringing a new creative work to market. Whether this be a film or a book, the journey is largely the same. I remember like it was yesterday the years it took to get my first feature film, Justice Is Mind, produced. This was followed by several more years before my second feature film, First Signal, saw the light of day. But light they did see to various audiences and accolades along the way.

The adage, if it were easy, everyone would do it, applies to just about everything we do in life. Prior to my work in the entertainment industry, I remember the years it took to bring my former publishing company to life. But life it did for just over 10 years with the publication of the world’s largest magazine for the sport of figure skating. That achievement is still one of my proudest moments.

But with these moments of glory comes sacrifice. Peaks of grandness are followed by deep valleys of quiet when we wonder if anything will happen again. I know many creatives that go through the emotional roller coaster from literally walking the red carpet to vacuuming one. That’s what makes the achievements so much sweeter because we understand what we have to do to achieve our dreams. As I do on a daily basis, I tell others—keep submitting—keep presenting—keep putting yourself out there. While it may sound obvious, it’s all about being present.

What still continues to be present on my end, are the continued positive comments First Signal receives on YouTube. While the film has done extremely well on Tubi and Amazon, the audiences on YouTube truly resonate with independent films, the efforts to bring them to life, and the stories they present. Indeed, it does make for a good day when I receive a well-crafted comment/review from YouTube.

Speaking of reviews, I visited the Audrain Auto Museum in Newport last week for their latest exhibit Stars of 30. This “best of” exhibition returns favorite classic vehicles from their first 30 exhibitions to Audrian’s showroom on Bellevue Avenue. My favorite—the 1963 Aston Martin DB4 made famous by the James Bond movies.  To sum up my review in one word—stunning!

Next pitch.