Someone lied to Julia Silva-Rettig and Kirsten Becker, authors of Our Stimulus Package. Publishing a book is probably the worst thing you can do to combat a shitty economy. Most authors don't even make enough money to pay for their book tours. Then again, these Tampa women aren't like other writers. Like Twilight's Stephenie Meyer, they don’t need original stories or a background in writing to sell books. They are beautiful saleswomen loaded with charisma, networking skills, financial backers and optimism. While their launch party was the first I've ever attended that didn't feature a reading, it was also the most attended; over 100 professionals packed the Tampa Museum of Art buying books like cocktails.
Tell me if this sounds familiar. After sipping a few drinks and swapping dating disaster stories, someone says, "We should so write a book about this." These women actually wrote that book.
After both were laid off from commercial real estate jobs while dealing with custody battles, Silvia had the revelation, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” She promptly wrote this in her journal, bought copies of the self-help book The Secret for herself and Becker, and vowed to write the book they had talked about forever. If you find this anecdote compelling, you'll love the rest of the book.
