Not A Fire Exit - A Novel

All,

I've rec'd many wonderful e-mails and seen numerous blog posts from SMA families and the passion that they have telling their stories is extraordinary.  For some time, we've wanted to give those stories a voice for people to read for generations to come. After several discussions with different individuals and organizations, Milverstead Publishing is pleased to announce an exciting new project for National SMA Awareness Month - we're publishing a paperback book of stories of SMA families that will be sold through online retail outlets (including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Booksamillion.com, and others) or e-book formats (Kindle, iPad, etc.) and available to any and all SMA organizations.  Any profits made from retail sales will be divvied up and distributed to any non-profit 501(c)(3) SMA organizations that wishes to be included and inform us in writing.  WE WILL NEVER TAKE A PENNY IN PROFIT FROM SALES OF THIS BOOK AS A COMPANY.

Milverstead Publishing, LLC will cover all production costs of this project – no organization or individual that wishes to participate will be required to pay any fees or upfront costs for the retail version of this book.  We will provide one free copy to each individual who submits their story to us, and they may buy an unlimited amount of additional copies at cost (printing + shipping) as well.  All fundraiser sales will be kept by the organizations that purchase the books from us for their use, as they may also buy copies at cost for their members.  In the future, if an individual or organization is interested in having a unique version of the book created (different cover with a picture of a loved one, hardcover edition, etc) for a special event or other reason, please let us know, as we can accommodate that request at some minor additional productions cost you would be required to cover.

We'd ask submissions must be no more than 3500 words and two pictures of your choice.  Those are maximums, not minimums – write what you’re comfortable writing, whether it’s a poem, a blog post you’ve written in the past, whatever.  They must be your words and work – we cannot accept submissions of any works that you do not have the rights to use, including song lyrics, large excerpts from other written works, etc.  Good rule of thumb –  if we’ve read it before somewhere else by someone else, don’t use it in this submission.  You may re-use, however, a previous story you’ve written elsewhere, whether it be a blog post, e-mail you’ve written, etc.  And while I know many of you have families that all have their own special stories around an SMA child, we can’t accept more than one submission per family around a particular individual or child due to expected demand.

If you're interested in participating, please fill out the following form - SMA Book Participation Form.
     
First draft  (if you would like a professional editor to provide feedback within 2-4 weeks) – Sept 15th
Final date to accept submission requests/contract waivers – Sept 15th
Final draft (if you would like it to be proofread only) – Nov 1st
Final draft (if you have gotten it back from the editor) – Nov 15th

Below are some categories for stories we've had suggested to us.  If you have additional suggestions, please let us know and we will incorporate them accordingly -

- Birth stories (Before they were diagnosed)
- When you were first told about SMA
- Reactions to the diagnosis from loved ones
- Learning to live with the disease as a family and an individual
- What makes your child/loved one so unique
- A happy/special memory or event that you shared with them
- Connecting with other SMA families (online, chapters)
- A frustrating or scary time
- Losing your child
- Coping with grief
- ‘Signs’ you’ve seen or experienced that your child is still with you each day
- How you keep their memory alive
- One piece of advice you would give families that you wish someone had given you when you first found out

** We are also looking for title suggestions – if we pick your suggestion, we will donate $50 in your child’s name to the SMA charity of your choice.  **

We want as many people and organizations involved as would like to be - It's meant to be for everyone and anyone, and for the entire community to tell the stories that make this community so unique and wonderful to work and support towards the goal of eradicating this disease.  This book is for you, and will always for be for you.

Looking forward to working with all of you who are interested and having this available for the holiday season!

Thanks,

Christopher Finlan
President, Milverstead Publishing

Disclaimer - You will retain all the rights to your work, and may use it again in any separate future publication or project with any other company.  However, you will be required to sign a contract allowing us to use it in this project and that you are waiving your right to receive any compensation or other considerations from sales of this book in any format going forward.  Any proceeds from sales will be directed to various SMA organizations and not be retained by the publisher or the authors.  We reserve the right to reject any submission that is considered inappropriate or inflammatory for this work.

 All,

Today is very exciting day - my wonderful wife, Bridget, is celebrating her birthday today.  As I enjoyed sharing her birthday cake and celebration with her, I was reminded just how blessed I am to have someone as beautiful, caring, warm and kind-hearted to share my life with.  I love you, sweetheart, and happy birthday. 

And to help celebrate my lovely wife's birthday, I'm kicking off our "National SMA Awareness Month Sweepstakes" a couple days early.  One of the major reason I wrote Not A Fire Exit was to help raise awareness around this disease.  Whether you love or hate the book, once you read it, you will know how truly devastating SMA is for any family to experience first-hand.  And since August is National SMA Awareness Month, I decided to do something special to help spread the word and raise money for SMA research.

From now until August 31st, we're giving people the chance to win several great prizes, including Phillies tickets, Amazon Giftcards, and the grand prize,your choice of a brand new Xbox 360 or Nintendo Wii videogame system.  And the best part?  To enter, you simply need to fill-out this form.  Once you're done, you'll be taken to a page and asked to do one of the following to complete your entry -

Download a free copy of the Not A Fire Exit audiobook
Download a copy of the Not A Fire Exit e-book, and "Name Your Own Price"
Request a free copy of Not A Fire Exit from Bookmooch.com (while supplies last)
Buy a paperback or Kindle copy of Not A Fire Exit from Amazon.com
Buy a paperback or Kindle copy of The Jeffrey Journey from Amazon.com

That's it - there's no purchase necessary (but feel free to do all of those things if you'd like!), and any money we do take in will be MATCHED and donated to SMA charities at the conclusion of August.

So what are you waiting for?  Don't you want free stuff AND help fight SMA?  Enter today and tell your friends. 

Good luck!

Thanks,

Chris

P.S - You can read the official rules here if you enjoy legal mumbo-jumbo.

I originally planned to do a different blog post today, but I felt this one was too important to delay.

I first heard of Steve Churchill when I was 14 - I was a painfully awkward freshman at Great Valley High School, and Steve was a senior.  My friend Scott had a class with him, and swore up and down he was the funniest guy he'd ever met.  I didn't know anything else about him - I'd see him in the smoking lounge now and again (yes, we had a smoking lounge back then), and eventually ended up in a health (CPR?) class with him.  Scott's observation proved to be accurate - he was a riot, although I'm sure the teacher he was giving grief too all semester surely disagreed.

Regardless, I didn't hear or think of him again until late last year, when we met shortly after the launch of this book.  I learned that Steve was doing extremely well for himself, having a trio of successful businesses he ran, along with having a wonderful wife and two young children. 

We first chatted at length after he ordered several copies of my book and hand delivered one of his wonderful Stove Top Covers right to my house.  For twenty minutes, I listened as Steve covered a myriad of topics, from how he started his own business with literally nothing more than a small loan and an idea, to how he first thought of the Stove Top Cover product, and how he couldn't imagine having to deal with SMA as a father of two small children, and would do whatever it took to make that disease history.

Over the past several months, Steve has done just that, and his financial contributions and generosity are well-known among the SMA community.  And seeing how passionately he spoke about his commitment to that goal in December, I never doubted that'd he do anything less.  But what I didn't know is how much of a positive influence he would have on me, both personally and professionally. 

This man, who I barely knew 6 months ago, has shown me how it's okay to try many ideas that fail, because you only need one that doesn't.  To make time for my family, for they should always be my number one priority.  To never pass up an opportunity to give of yourself and make others feel important.  And that if being successful in life was easy, everyone would be.  Almost every day, he'll send an e-mail that range from stock tips to wondering about different folks he sees me connecting with on Facebook in the SMA community, just looking at ways he can help as many people as possible in anyway he can think of.

One of the best things this book has allowed me to do is meet and reconnect with so many wonderful people.  It's never too late to make new friends, and I'm honored to call him one of them. 

Thanks, Steve.  You've made a difference in many people's lives, including mine, with your generosity, thoughtfulness, and inspiring all of us to always think of new ways to help someone in need.

Chris

Hello all,

I'm looking forward to seeing the pictures from those who participated in the last book giveaway, and I hope you all enjoy it and pass it along per the contest rules after you're done reading it.

What the last few weeks have shown me is you can't put a price on making someone smile.  The kind notes and supportive statements I've gotten from many of you have been humbling and appreciated beyond words.  My wife and I are very blessed and thankful for each one you've sent, and we've come to a decision that I wanted to share with you all.

From this day forward, I've decided to make the book available for free for any SMA family that wants a copy or copies of it.  There's no catch, no strings attached, nothing - you can send me an e-mail at notafireexit@verizon.net at any time, for whatever reason, with your request and they'll be on their way. 

I'm not keeping a running tally of who asks and who doesn't - and honestly, I hope families come back multiple times asking for copies to give to friends, family, and anyone else they think it might be enjoyed by, or find useful at any fundraisers they may do.  Got a bake sale coming up and you want 10 copies to sell to raise additional funds?  No problem.  Got a new co-worker who's never heard of SMA?  Give them a copy.  Never read it yourself?  Done and done. 

In addition, I'm setting up a recurring donation of a dollar a day for both GSF and FSMA that I'll be doing every day until this disease is cured, and that's on top of any other donations or funds raised by book sales and I do personally and Milverstead Publishing does separately for every author.  I can't let a day go by any longer where I feel like I haven't done something to try and help.  I wish it was more, and if you can think of anything you'd like my help with to make even more of a difference, I will do whatever it takes.

And make sure you check in at the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation and Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy websites to see how you can help make a difference too.

Have a great weekend!

Chris

P.S - You should be hearing more about the movie adaptation of Not A Fire Exit in the coming weeks as there's more exciting news around that on the horizon!  :)

Hi all,

Wanted to do something fun to celebrate the Fourth of July, and I thought this would accomplish that.  And its a nice way to finish cleaning out my basement. 

I have 50 free signed copies of the book I'll be giving away to 50 people, but here's the thing -  Only the first person from each state who contacts me via e-mail at notafireexit@verizon.net and reposts this blog post on Facebook or Twitter will get a free copy of the book.  Once all fifty states have had at least one person e-mail, I'll donate $100 to the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation and send out the books.  I'll keep a running list of states that have had winners on this blog post, and cross them out throughout the day/week/month(?) until they're all gone.

Just a couple things.  If you're going to enter, I'd ask that you promise to do the following -

1.  Post a picture of you reading/holding the book, or just the book itself if you're camera-shy, in your state (or country, if the book has been re-sent to you outside the USA after the initial contest) on the message board on the Facebook Fan Page.  And be creative! 

Every picture that's posted on there doing just that is worth $1 to GSF between now and the end of the year.  If it makes my wife laugh, it's worth $2.  :)

2.  You agree once you're done to sign the title page and mark the date when you finished reading it and send it/give it to someone else under these same two conditions.

That's it - good luck, and I hope you enjoy the book and this silly contest.

Chris

P.S - If you already have a copy, you can still enter!  Just give the book as a gift to someone you think might enjoy it, and let them take it from there.

*******
Updated 7/12 AM - Bolded states have a winner

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

Most people make New Year's resolutions and give them up before the month is even through. I've done that many times myself. I've made a list of everything I wanted to do, then ticked off one or two easy ones and tossed the rest of the list aside, satisfied with what I had actually accomplished.

But there really was no sense of accomplishment with the easy tasks, no
sense of achieving a goal, no sense of taking what seemed like an impossible task and making that task possible.  

However, one year ago today, I started writing a book and it only took one day to finish the first chapter. I had someone (not related to me and who didn't owe me money) read it and they thought it wasn't bad and encouraged me to keep going with it. And so I did. Unlike my past resolutions, I actually kept with it to the point where my story turned into a (self-)published piece called Not A Fire Exit.  

And actually accomplishing what seemed to be an impossible task, made me learn quite a few things, not only about myself, but just how much of a difference a year can make.  

See -

One year ago, I was ready to give up on the life I'd built to try and start
a new life in Texas. Alone.

Today, I've learned that trying something new doesn't mean you have to give up on those whom love and care for you to do so.  

One year ago, I wondered if my life was a failure.
Today, as I look at my beautiful wife and my two children in our lovely
home, I wonder why I ever thought that of my life.

One year ago, I couldn't figure out what my wife saw in me.
Today, I'm glad she still sees it, whatever it is. 

One year ago, I admired my brother's hard work and determination, and wished I could be more like him.

Today, I admire my brother's ability to make the hard choices that separate failure from success and wish I could be more like him.  

One year ago, I'd never had to fire anyone.
Today, I've had to fire more than one person and it hurts every time.  

One year ago, I was frustrated with my job and didn't see any possible
career path that would make me happy.
Today, I am at the same company, but I'm doing a number of things there in a new position that I enjoy, find challenging and rewarding - all of which that make me quite happy to have that job.  

One year ago, I thought I knew the friends that were most important to me and whom cared for me the most.
Today, I've drifted away from some friends, but made new friends who have given more of themselves than I thought any friends could.  

One year ago, I thought being diagnosed with ADD was something that had ruined my life.
Today, I think having ADD is something that has helped my life.  

One year ago, I didn't know about Spinal Muscular Atrophy.
Today, I don't know how people cannot know about this terrible disease and do everything possible to cure it.

One year ago, I had never heard about Victoria, Bill or Gwendolyn Strong.
Today, I flew over 3000 miles this month just to meet these extraordinary people face to face.

One year ago, I'd never heard of Helen Baldwin or her son, Jeffrey.
Today, I realize I must have been the only one! 

One year ago, Zane Schmid was still alive.
Today, I believe she still is.  

One year ago, I felt like I disappointed people more often than not.
Today, I've learned that by promising to please everyone, I end up pleasing no one.

One year ago, I never thought I could write a book.
Today, almost 1500 people have read a book I wrote and some even like
it.  

One year ago, I would have bet you one million dollars that a book I wrote being made into multi-million dollar movie by a filmmaker living in Beverly Hills would never happen.
Today, I would have lost that bet. :)  

One year ago, I wanted desperately to make a difference in the world.
Today, I still do.

That day when I sat down to write a book--my life changed. And so did
countless other days that followed. All this change in one year, just
because I sat down on the same couch, in the same basement and decided it wasn't too late to do something different: accomplishing an impossible goal.  

And I was right. It's never too late.

Chris

 

I had some folks ask me why I'd taken this off the site when I moved it over.  So, it's back again, same as it was when I first posted it on November 9th of last year.

Hello all,

When I first thought about doing this several months ago, I had no idea where it would lead and still don't.  While I'm confident it will be enjoyed and well received, I'm not naive enough to think that everyone will feel the same way when they read it, or that suddenly I'll be the next Dan Brown.  That being said, this entire project, from the first moment I started typing, has only been possible because of one woman - my wife, Bridget.  Every step of the way, as I've missed meals, stayed up til five in the morning, needed to find some detail around setting up a sales tax ID, whatever, my wife's support has been unyielding.  And as the costs and hours of work on this project have mounted, she'll just keep telling me, "You do whatever you have to and make sure this is something that has a chance to make a difference for those kids.  Oh and we need milk." 

She's done this with two small children, one of whom was only a few months old when I started, nipping at her heels and wondering where daddy had gone off to.  How she's been able to do this so successfully on top of working full time is something I'll never know.  I've told her how much this means to so many, but I'll never be able to thank her enough.  So if you see something that makes you smile in the book or on the website or about this project, and you happen to think of it, send a note to thanksbea@verizon.net that says "Thanks Bridget" (her nickname is Bea).  If you want to say more, great, but this isn't meant to be a gimmick or joke or publicity stunt.  It's just meant to do what it says - help thank her for me.

I'll keep saying thank you and telling how incredible she is, but if she gets just one note from someone who might have enjoyed it, well, it'll make her day, and make her smile.  And that's all she's ever asked for throughout our ten years together.  

So thank you, Bridget.  I love you.

Chris

P.S - She'll be mortified when she sees this and probably ask me to take it down, which I won't.

P.P.S - I'm sure she'd also enjoy hearing bald jokes about her sappy husband.  Everyone loves bald jokes.