ANNOUNCEMENT!!

Every day the book about this amazing 90-day adventure gets closer to reality. Serendipity, our little raindrop, continues to work her magic in ways that astound me! As you know if you’ve been with us a while, this has always been a shared experience and the perfect people have always appeared at the perfect time to offer help and guidance. I continue to be humbled and amazed by how it all unfolds.

Now, we are about to step out into a whole new, and very exciting, phase! The book, “Surrendering to Serendipity,” will be a unique blend of photographs and stories that enhance each other and work together to give each reader their own experience of this road trip of a lifetime. You’ve had tastes of that in this blog and the book will be an even richer experience – you’ll be right beside me meeting people who invite us into their lives and having crazy, wonderful experiences.

“Surrendering to Serendipity” is now ready for final edit, layout, design and production! That is hugely exciting – and, as I’m sure you can imagine, also expensive! So, the next step is a Kickstarter campaign to hopefully raise the funds to bring this project “home” into a beautiful book that I will be thrilled to share!

If you’re not yet familiar with www.kickstarter.com , it’s a “crowdfunding platform” specifically for creative projects, which means that people can learn about and be a part of projects that capture their imagination, entertain or inspire them. It’s really great fun to back a project, even for a small amount, and join in the creative process with them. You get to know the creators and receive insider updates about their progress and get some pretty cool “Awards” for doing so! Even just cruising the “Staff Picks” is invigorating as it’s amazing how differently creativity shows up in each of us.

VERY soon now, we will announce the launch date of our own Kickstarter campaign. Like magic, “Serendipity’s Dream Team” has assembled – an awesome group of talented friends pouring their hearts, time and expertise into this enormous undertaking. I’ll introduce them to you soon!

Here’s how it works –

A goal is set and if enough pledges come in to meet it, the project is funded. It’s an all-or-nothing deal. If the goal isn’t reached, backers are not charged and the creators receive nothing. So, the key to success is getting the word out as far and wide as possible.

Here’s how you can help –

• Tell everyone you know! Share the link to this blog. There’s a whole row of buttons at the bottom to make it easy!
• If you are on Facebook and we haven’t connected there yet, just hit the “Like” button to the right! There’s a lot happening there – photos, interactions with River friends and organizations, videos – and, of course, the progress of “Surrendering to Serendipity.”
• Tweet about it, post it and talk about it wherever you can!

AND THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT…If you’re of a mind to support this campaign, in any measure, it is most helpful if you are ready to jump in and do so as soon after we launch as possible. (It’s only a pledge until the campaign is over and we have met our goal!) The campaigns that get off to a great start have the best chance of success and here’s why –

1.      Early momentum stirs excitement and enthusiasm and encourages others to participate

2.      AND – it might mean that the campaign gets noticed by Kickstarter staff and put onto the front page as a “Staff Pick.”  That, as I’m sure you can imagine, is a HUGE boost!

The Dream Team is working on some very cool Rewards for backers (including a special “Early Birds Award”) and a great video that shows and tells the story of how this all grew from that one life-changing moment when I learned that a raindrop falling into the headwaters of the Mississippi would travel for 90 days to reach the Gulf of Mexico! (Wow – I had no clue what that would mean!)

This has always been a shared experience. It could not have come this far otherwise. From all the folks along the River who offered complimentary lodging, to the people I met along the way that opened doors and created amazing opportunities, to you who have traveled virtually right with me. It has always been about connections. People have said they feel connected to America’s greatest river in a way they never had before. Others feel connected to their hometown or their childhood or the memory of their last great road trip. Sometimes, Serendipity has brought people together across miles and differences in lifestyles and connected them in ways that have seemed downright miraculous.

Her reach continues to grow. The Author Facebook page is just a few months old and at this moment, 923 people have “Liked” it. When the Springfield News-Leader feature appeared in July, 520 people clicked the button to share the online version with all their Facebook friends. And 320 of you are now following this blog! A huge thank you to every one of you. That’s how I continue to know that I’m doing what I’m meant to do!

So, I’ll be back VERY soon with more details and the actual launch date! For now, if you can help spread the word, a HUGE thank you to you!!!!

Love, Gayle