How One Voice Inspires Another...Then Another

Here's Nancy Mills, talking about the inspiration that led her to start a series of author chats with spirited women. To the left is Kelly Corrigan, who is the next author featured on the series:

"Three years ago, I was at an event for PEN, the international writers'
association in Los Angeles. Even though I am a member of the
organization, I crashed the party. Oh well, that is another long story
that I am not going to write about here.

Sitting next to me was the very talented author Janet Fitch. Janet had
written the smash hit White Oleander, had appeared on Oprah (actually
White Oleander was one of Oprah's first Book Club picks), and had
watched her book turned into a hit movie (another long story) and
basically in the world of writers was a HUGE SUCCESS. I had known
Janet casually for years.

At that event, I don't know what overcame me, but without pausing to
think, and having no real plan in mind, I belted out, "Janet, I'd
like to start a new telechat series with famous women authors and I'd
like you to launch the series." Janet, knew I was the founder of
Spirited Woman (http://www.thespiritedwoman.com/), a leading
empowerment community for women, and that even though I had never done
a telechat series I was sane and enthusiastic.

"Hmmm," she said, "What's a telechat?" And I said, "An interview over
the phone and you don't have to leave your house to do it and lots of
your fans will be on the call."

"Hmmm," she said again, "You mean I could do the interview in my pajamas?"

"Yes. Yes. Yes," I yelled.

"Okay,” she said, “I'll do it."

And that, my friends, is how the Spirited Woman Circle Conversation
Series was born. Over a cup of coffee and the desire for a prominent
author to be able to do an interview in her pajamas - and the fact
that I wanted to do something new and different and Janet was willing
to go along for the ride.

Since then 24 fantabulous women - from Fannie Flagg (Fried Green
Tomatoes) to Jacquelyn Mitchard (The Deep End of the Ocean) to
Catherine Ryan Hyde (Pay It Forward) - have been interviewed by me for
the annual series. The conversations are "up close and personal" and
very inspiring. A chance for you to talk with women you'd probably
never get a chance to talk with. Many of the women involved are my
personal friends, so there is a real sense of intimacy on the calls.

Now into our fourth season, on April 7, the new Spirited Woman
Conversation Series launches with Kelly Corrigan, the author of The
Middle Place and the "star" of the video phenomenon, "Transcending."
Along with Kelly, and the one and only Jennie Nash, there our six
other awesome guests that will be interviewed the first Tuesday of
every month at 10 am PST. All "telechats" require advance
registration. Jennie's telechat will be on October 6th at 10 am.

So this series is a story of fame, pajamas, kindred spirits and like-
minded souls converging...and how one voice inspires another....then
another.

I invite you all to join us. Click here to find out more about the
series (http://www.thespiritedwoman.com/spirited_woman_circle/)"