I see this a lot in my professional life. I’ve had some real success as an author and I’m grateful for that, but I’m not nearly where I want to be. The business is tougher and more competitive than it’s ever been, and the Internet is starting to make professional writers—those who get paid for what they do—as extinct as blacksmiths and elevator operators. Sometimes I wake up and know that I’m only going to work; other times, it feels more like entering the ring.

Sometimes amazing things happen. That happened for me when a lovely couple offered to host the launch of my book, The Love-Powered Diet: Eating for Freedom, Health, and Joy, at a really remarkable Manhattan location. What a gift! I knew that the venue would entice press people and others who weren’t yet familiar with my work. I was so, so happy. Things were moving right along. Early in May the publisher sent out evites, I went on the road with my other new book, Living a Charmed Life, and everything seemed to be, well, charmed.

But yesterday evening it was discovered that the bulk of the evites were caught in spam filters. All those press people that I’d so hoped to reach weren’t reached at all. My first reaction was, “I can’t do this anymore. I don’t have the stomach for it. How many hopes can you have dashed before you just give up?” (I do have a dramatic side.) 

But after that, the little bouncy toy that I am—and that maybe you are, too—kicked in. What to do? The publisher volunteered to re-send the evites, and I, along with the exceptional event planner who’s been working with me, wrote to everyone on the guest list personally, one at a time. It took half of last night and nearly all of today, except for the hour when I did my radio show (see below). Of course 99% of those people are already booked for tomorrow night so it’s not going to make a huge difference in the turnout, but we did add a line that any media people who want a review copy can request one, and some have. People who wouldn’t have otherwise have now heard of the book and its message: change on the inside first; then make loving food choices. And everyone who’s supposed to be there will be there. I don’t just write stuff like that: I swear by it.

Here’s what I know: I don’t run the world. Things happen that I wish didn’t. I don’t know my destiny and although I think I know my mission, I might even be off on that. I just know that I’d rather be a bouncy doll that comes back from disappointment than a china one that breaks, even if she’s beautiful and almost never gets punched at all.

I did my monthly radio show, “A Charmed Life,” today. You can listen to today’s show and past ones on the Archives at HealthyLife.net. Guests today were Kate Lawrence, author of The Practical Peacemaker: How Simple Living Makes Peace Possible; and Karen Dawn, author of Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way We Treat Animals. These are amazing women with important messages. Do have a listen.