By, Carol S. Pearson

Today is the day! Persephone Rising: Awakening the Heroine Within is now available wherever books are sold! It has been published as a beautiful hardcover print book and in electronic form.

For me, this is the day when I let go. Up until this point it has been my book:

First an idea germinating in my subconscious, then a conscious calling, then Harper’s enthusiasm for being the publisher, then a year and a half in the writing, then getting responses from the two editors and colleagues, then the revising, then more editing, then working with the marketing team, and finally, for Harper, book design, printing, and publication.But now, the book belongs to you and other reviewers, potential readers, and actual readers. This is the exciting and vulnerable time. Will you order it or go to your nearest bookstore and buy it? Will you show up at one of my events? Will you like it? Will you spread the word? And, will you ask your library to order it, so that others will have access to it?

But most of all, will it help you to use the power of story to transform or fine tune your life?Some authors live for fame or fortune. What satisfies me is knowing that my work has made a difference. I remember a man coming up to me at a book event with a well-worn copy of Awakening the Heroes Within, his own notes in the margins throughout, telling me that he no longer could tell the difference between what I wrote and what my words led him to think and know. Now, that is just the best outcome for me. He not only bought the book and spread the word—he made it his own!

One woman told me how, when her husband was seriously ill, she had to drive through a snowstorm to get to a hospital in a town more than an hour away, not knowing if he would live or die, and the audio version of The Hero Within enabled her to keep it together and get there (he survived). Another person told me of hand carrying The Hero Within to a young man he knew who was homeless and living in the woods, in despair about his life, and how the book and their ensuing conversations restored the young man’s hope and helped him get back on his feet and find a job and a good living situation. I hear stories like this all the time.

Over the years, any number of women and men have shared with me the impact these two books had on their lives and on the lives of those dear to them. Some have given away copies as a way to create community and achieve greater ease in deep sharing with their partners, families, friends, and colleagues. I’ve heard of resulting betrothals, marriages and job saved, friendships solidified, and mother-child relationships strengthened, as well as work teams learning to collaborate more effectively in the service of shared commitments.The wisdom narrative on which Persephone Rising is based was both an individual and a collective experience. It promised individuals greater happiness, prosperity, and freedom from fear, but was experienced in an egalitarian community where everyone—whatever their status in society—was seen as mattering.

So now this book is yours to do with as you wish. Yes, of course, I’ll still be out spreading the word myself and will offer talks, workshops, and some coaching to help people utilize it. Maybe I’ll even offer a modern version of the ancient initiation rites. But mainly Persephone Rising’s fate is up to you. Perhaps, through your tweets or posts or personal communications, I’ll even find out what you do.And, maybe —now or later—you will join the choir declaring #IAmPersephone.