Dear Readers!
I have an incredible letter and opportunity to help one of our Pulpwood Queen Book Club Selections go to film. Read All About It! We are making a difference in our lives every time we read and share one of our incredible Pulpwood Queen and Timber Guy Book Club Selections. Let us hope this documentary goes to film soon!
Truly, Tiara Wearing and Book Sharing,
Kathy L. Murphy
Founder of the Pulpwood Queens and Timber Guys Book Clubs Reading Nation
www.thepulpwoodqueens.com, to join our book loving tribe!
Email: thepulpwoodqueen@gmail.com
To The Pulpwood Queens and Timber Guys:
I met some of you on my visit to Girlfriend Weekend 2016. I was there with my dad, Dick Wall, who presented my mother’s book, Mister Owita’s Guide to Gardening. It was quite the moment for both of us—and I’d like to tell you why.
Gallery — Mister Owita’s Guide To Gardening
Gallery — Mister Owita’s Guide To Gardening 2
Gallery — Mister Owita’s Guide To Gardening 3
Gallery — Mister Owita’s Guide To Gardening4
My mother dreamed that her debut memoir would be her breakout success. She had written her whole life, and had made the pages of many newspapers and magazines with her short stories and articles. I cannot tell you how proud I was, and how much watching her pursue her dream impacted me. She demystified the publishing process. She had a goal, she worked for it and she pushed through the rejections—she even read me the letters. She told the best stories, and she inspired me to tell mine.
Her book was published to critical acclaim in March of 2014. Her picture, which I had taken, was not only on the sleeve of her book, but it was in major newspapers, magazines and blogs all across the country. My mom, however, was too sick to enjoy the moment. The cancer that she wrote about in her book had returned, and she died in the months following the book’s release.
In one of our last conversations, she made a request of me.
“You take care of our book.”
Now, I want to tell you about my dad. He’s incredible. He’s loyal. He’s determined. He’s eternally optimistic. In the midst of our grief, and with the life of the book in peril, my dad set out on his own tour to spread my mom’s life-affirming message. In the last three years, he has driven over 80,000 miles, and done over 200 events in 22 states (and counting). He’s taken on so much to keep her words alive, and he has done it all for love.
I know you all like a good story, so here’s an additional twist for you: I filmed all of this. At first I was helping my mom pitch her book to agents, and then to publishers. Then I was making marketing material for the impending release of her book. Somewhere along the way I realized it was capturing a story that I never wanted to tell.
Meeting you all in Nacogdoches changed me. I spoke about my film in-progress on the first night, and for the rest of the weekend I had conversations with you. You told me that you were inspired by my family’s journey, and that it warmed your hearts. That was nice. What absolutely moved me though, was how much the stories you shared impacted me. I felt better. I felt like a part of a community—I wasn’t alone in my grief. That changed me, and made me feel that I had to tell this story.
The film I’m making is called The Book Keepers, and it follows me and my dad as we crisscross America on a journey ensure legacy and find solace. It’s about cultivating that open heart my mom wrote about in her book, and doing it to the point where we can love after loss.
I’m inviting you all to join us in this journey. You can be a part of this by visiting our Seed & Spark campaign page to offer your support. A donation helps, and is 100% tax-deductible. Clicking that “Follow” button and letting the film industry know that you support this type of project helps too. If we get 1,000 “follows,” then the film qualifies for additional support from Seed & Spark and their partners. We need your help finalizing the film for festival submissions, and together we will tell a story that will positively impact others. Just like you did for me.
The Book Keepers: http://www.seedandspark.com/fund/bookkeepersmovie
With Love and Gratitude,
Phil Wall
Director, The Book Keepers
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