The Inspiration Behind Hatch: A Change Your Life Guide
By Jamie Linn Saloff
I hadn’t seen my brother for over twenty years, then in early August of this. year, we were fortunate to finally meet up. After going out to dinner he laughed and said, “Do you remember this?” and he proceeded to tell a story about three-year-old me when I took a crayon
and wrote all over the foyer floor. My mother, apparently frustrated by the unending antics of an active three-year-old (she had me late in life), handed me a rag and commanded that I “clean it up.” According to my brother, I looked up at my mother and declared, “You’d better get some Ajax because this (expletive) isn’t going to come up.” And thus began my career as a writer.
Shortly after, I would work tirelessly to carefully create connected swirls and tall loops on a scratch pad. I filled page after page. Once again, my mother’s critique did not come off favorably. “Why did you ruin this tablet?” she asked. “I’m writing a book!” I declared.
Fortunately, my next foray into writing, a hand-typed, error-filled, 4x5 sheet of paper containing my eight-year-old bio, finally found “publication” when my mother glued it permanently into my baby book.
All this foolishness aside, I think this means I always knew I would be a writer, that I always knew I would write books, I just had to find my way. That would take time, effort, struggle, frustration, and so much more as I traveled along my way to publication.
After I married, I tried my hand at writing articles for magazines. Being rejected by Brides, and others, I tried for smaller and smaller publications. I remember being thrilled to have an article appear in a magazine focused on coupon clipping. My first paid article featured my mother’s home business, which appeared in a collecting magazine. Still, my “career” in writing wasn’t exactly moving forward, nor was it profitable.
About this time, I attended a seminar on getting published. The speaker also hosted a weekly round table at his home for a handful of wannabe authors. He taught us how to review other’s writing (does it make you feel?) and how to attend to the business of writing by sending query letters. From this focused study, I sold my first book, The Collector’s Encyclopedia of Cowan Pottery. Not long after, I sold my second, The Publishing Center. But neither of these books were really what I wanted to write about. My husband kept teasing me that I should “write something that sells like a JFK Conspiracy book” but instead, I started writing about how I transformed my life.
Most of my life I struggled to find my place. I didn’t seem to fit into normal circles. As I began to find my way, my life broke wide open. Amazing things began to happen. I knew I wanted to share what I’d learned with others. I wanted them to know, no matter what you’ve been through—illness, trauma, grief, etc., these are the things that make you into who you are meant to be. Having been in a place where I never believed life could get better, I found myself driven to share my story and help others so they too could follow their heart and break open their lives too.
Although I initially pursued publishing that book traditionally, along my path to writing it, I began helping the formerly mentioned mentor take his books to the new-on-the-scene Lighting Print (which would later become Lightning Source). From this, I quickly found myself in the business of helping other authors self-publish. (I am now semi-retired from that endeavor). My own books floundered while I gave other authors my attention.
During those years, I also began giving a lot of my time as a
volunteer for a writer’s organization. I met so many helpful
people—authors, agents, editors—and learned so much from them. Most of
them were happy to give back because someone did the same for them. (I
highly recommend this to others who want to learn the ropes of
publishing.)
In 2017, after a bout of breast cancer, I realized I
wanted to refocus my attention on my own books. All told, I have
published twelve, my latest being Hatch – A Change Your Life Guide. I’m also working on a series of Marvelous Messages books
the next to be “…From Your Ancestry” which also includes a deck of
cards. After that, I want to create a video course, a community where I
can interact with others, and an incubator program where I can privately
mentor others.
Writing, publishing, and working with countless other authors, has given me a wonderful life adventure. While I might not have traveled this path had I known the struggles and frustrations I would face, having come this far, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I still find the art and science of publishing fascinating.
Jamie Linn Saloff is passionate about aiding fiercely independent, misfit, square pegs trapped in an unfulfilling life. Author, teacher, story weaver, spiritual counselor, seer of visions, pathfinder, for over thirty years Jamie’s taught how to reignite your heart by listening to your body groan and your soul weep. She is the author of twelve books including Hatch: A Change Your Life Guide and her Marvelous Messages™ series.
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