Celebrating the WLC - John Mefford talks Uniting a Community

 

Guest post from author John W. Mefford

Member of the WLC

“Land of Opportunity”

I come from a world where cynicism is woven into the fabric of your being. Where victories are celebrated with false pretense, while colleagues plot behind your back to steal your idea, your spotlight, and predict your fall from grace. Where you’re not warned of the hidden quicksand pits, but, after the fact, fingers are pointed so far up your nose…well, you get the idea. Where knowledge is power, hoarded and bartered more than any precious commodity. Where high school-like cliques systematically dismiss anyone not preaching the same line of ass-kissing crap. 

I come from the Corporate World. I’m sure many of you hail from the same planet. And perhaps your experiences were different, less severe, or even positive. What’s the saying? “Even a broken clock is right twice a day.” Wink.

Survival was always on my list of priorities in the Corporate World, but never more than when I was thrown into the fire pit of a corporate takeover. Keeping a job wasn’t the goal. Staying alive – literally – became an important part of everyday life. A barrage of attacks came at me and my team faster than I could dodge, creating shrapnel to destroy anything in its path. I wondered if I was getting a heart attack on more than one occasion and watched grown men and women cry from the stress and pressure. I hung around as long as I did for two reasons: first, for the fractional amount of hope that life would get better; and second, to protect my people as best I could, which usually meant negotiating, begging, and sometimes falling on the grenade myself to a degree no one realized. 

I know that’s a humble brag, but it’s the truth. And it’s important in my development as a person. I quit that job, then wrote what would become my first novel, a mystery/thriller titled COMMITTED. After months of standing on the edge, I finally jumped into the self-publishing pool, unsure what to expect, wondering if sharp-toothed sharks lurked just beneath the surface. Who would blame me? That’s what life had been like for more years than I cared to remember.

After wandering aimlessly in the online dessert, I stumbled upon a group of folks who were, or were soon to be, part of the WLC – WoMen’s Literary Café. I took a leap of faith and opened my mind to a world which I was unaccustomed. I’ve witnessed true acts of kindness, genuine excitement over other’s success, camaraderie, and sharing of experience and knowledge from a group of very talented, hard-working authors, creating a positive reverberation for everyone involved. 

At the core of this group is Melissa Foster. Yes, THE Melissa Foster, who has taken the literary world by storm in the last several months with three highly acclaimed novels. Like so many others I’ve worked with in my previous life, she could have sat in her new gold throne and teased us, tossing an occasional seed as more of a public pity offering. But she chose a different path. She chose to make our world – for fellow authors and readers – a better place. It’s called paying it forward. Melissa’s approach and spirit have already left an imprint on everyone associated with the WLC, where ideas flow freely and achievements are shared amongst the group. I’ve learned more in the last six weeks than I had in months. And it’s only the beginning.

I’m a coach at heart. I truly enjoy contributing to a team victory and watching everyone grow in the process. I did it in the worst of circumstances in my previous life. Don’t get me wrong, I will be the quarterback one day, leading the charge to a Super Bowl win. But when I get there, I know I’ll have plenty of friends and supporters cheering me along the way.

If you feel like you would fit in with our group of passionate authors and readers, I invite you to join the WLC, a land of opportunity, where paying it forward is a way of life. 

Author John W. Mefford

http://www.johnwmefford.com/something-like-that---the-blog.html

John ~ What an excellent post! I totally agree with you on the view of the Corporate world and I know that I will be one of those cheering you! So glad you are part of the group! Thank you!    ~ Stacy

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