Notes from the Publisher

Grey Boy with the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” book in which he is featured

The silver lining of the pandemic was that creative people became more so. Many of our favorite artists immersed themselves in prolific songwriting, some collaborating with other musicians. The result is a glorious flood of great new music. After temporarily pausing print publication in March 2020, I spent the beginning of lockdown trying to figure out how to keep Smooth Jazz News afloat. During those 17 months, and only producing three digital-only editions, the uncertainty of COVID-19 and the effects it would have on my normal life and work eventually sunk in. That’s when I finally hopped off the futile hamster wheel of struggling to maintain my business and surrendered to an alternative way to be productive. Several decades ago when I was planning my departure from the corporate world to pursue a writing career, I was constantly advised to “write what you’re passionate about.” So, I wrote about smooth jazz. After a few submissions, I got my first piece published. It was a feature about the Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival. This was followed by ongoing assignments for local publications and, in 1999, my launch of Smooth Jazz News. Two decades later, the global pandemic shuttered the smooth jazz industry, including my magazine. With no events to write about, and nothing for our clients to advertise, we had no revenue to afford the expense of printing and distributing a magazine. So, I decided to revive my freelance gig.

I enrolled in classes to learn various styles of the craft: everything from copywriting and travel writing to op-eds and personal essays. Soon, I was pitching articles about smooth jazz to The New York Times, AARP The Magazine, Business Insider, Huffington Post, The Washington Post and Conde Nast Traveler. Those pitches were either rejected or the editor ghosted me. Then, I began writing practice essays about my other passion: cats. And, as fate would have it, I saw a call for pitches from Chicken Soup for the Soul for their upcoming cat book. I immediately fine-tuned two stories I had in the works about my rescue cats, Lily and Grey Boy, and submitted them. On April 12, 2021, I received an email from the assistant publisher. She said, in part: “Your [Grey Boy] story has made it to the first phase of our selection round for ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Clever, Curious, Caring Cat.’ Only a small percent of the submitted stories have made it this far. Congratulations on being in the final round!” It was accompanied by a contract and the following statement: “Filling out the permission form does not guarantee that your story will appear in the book. However, we do need your signed form in order to consider your story. A majority of stories in this round will appear in the book, but we do not make the final decisions until about a month before the publication date.” Ironically, I received her second email on June 30, the day we resumed publication of the print edition of Smooth Jazz News. She confirmed that my Grey Boy story would be included in the book, and that it was on the way to the printer. She also explained, “Your 10 complimentary copies of the book will arrive a few weeks prior to the on-sale date and you will receive your payment approximately one month after the on-sale date.”

I was so honored that my story—one of thousands submitted—would be featured in a book series that evolved from the original “Chicken Soup for the Soul,” a book that sparked the inspiration for so many changes I made in my life, including leaving the corporate world to pursue writing. Last month, I received copies of the book, which is on sale now at most bookstores and online retailers, such as Warwick’s in La Jolla, California (www.warwicks.com/ book/9781611590791) and Amazon.com. As an added bonus, the Chicken Soup for the Soul organization is donating royalties from this book and its companion book, “Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Hilarious, Heroic, Human Dog,” to American Humane. This is part of the company’s widespread support for animal shelters and pet adoption, which includes the donation of their brand of pet food to I WAS SO HONORED THAT MY STORY— shelters nationwide. As I celebrate this ONE OF THOUSANDS SUBMITTED— accomplishment, I’ll be WOULD BE FEATURED IN A BOOK SERIES heading back to Avalon, THAT EVOLVED FROM THE ORIGINAL California, for the 34th Catalina Island JazzTrax “CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL,” A BOOK Festival in October. It was THAT SPARKED THE INSPIRATION FOR SO the last festival I attended pre-pandemic, and, two MANY CHANGES I MADE IN MY LIFE. years later, it will be my first one since. Now that vaccinations for COVID-19 are increasing, especially within our older demographic, and venues are implementing mask and vaccine requirements, I feel safe attending indoor events. This allows me to indulge my main passion of smooth jazz in a magical setting. And, I can’t wait to hear our favorite artists perform some of their latest compositions when they hit the Catalina Casino Ballroom stage this fall, as well as those on the Dave Koz and Peter White Christmas tours this winter.