Blog Tour: Flaherty’s Crossing by Kaylin McFarren

The Business Plan by Kaylin McFarren
 Everyone believes they have the perfect story to tell, an old family recipe for strawberry jelly that will make them rich. It all seems so simple. Just type up a few pages, haul out a few berries. Focus solely on the end product. But no one tells you about the disappointments, failures, or overwhelming commitment that goes into producing anything of value. That goes into creating a successful project that you can proudly attach your name to.


My husband and I started a sauce company 25 years ago. Seems like a lifetime ago now. It was a simple endeavor -.a way to pay the bills, make a name for ourselves and establish a future for our family. All we had to do was mix up some ingredients, fill a few bottles, apply a few labels. There didn’t seem to be anything too difficult to handle. And. as time went by, we found ourselves whistling merrily as we filled our multiple case orders. We were so excited by the number of bottles that were going out our doors, we never considered the cost of growth – the fact that the more products we sold, the more money it took to stay in business. Long story short, we ended up selling everything we could get our hands on. We even cashed in our life insurance policies, sold our cars, and took out loans against our home…all in order to stay ahead of the game. It wasn’t until we were faced with bankruptcy that we realized the price of commitment – the price of our hope. The crazy risk we’d taken with our children’s futures simply to have our name and product sitting on store shelves.


But there’s more to this story. It’s about believing in something so completely, so intensely, you’re willing to put everything on the line. You’re willing to commit every waking hour in your day.


At this point in our lives, we’re fortunate in being able to enjoy the fruit of our labors. But that doesn’t mean we get to sit back calmly and watch the world go by. There’s always competition to consider, and although there are lots of store shelves, space is limited. With any product, service, or book you create, it all comes down to offering something substantial – something memorable and gratifying, and your willingness to commit to your beliefs. It’s a struggle to be noticed, to see sales numbers grow. Whenever someone asks me now how they can get their special recipe into the marketplace, how they can be successful too, I find myself looking back and wondering if I’d known about all the hardships and sacrifices we endured over the years - the weekends we spent apart and the vacations we forfeited - would I have continued on my path? Would I have encouraged my husband to follow his dreams? The only answer I can offer is to consider your options. If you can stay positive even when you’re faced with life’s greatest challenges, then I say go for it. Risk is about living life to the fullest. Whether your dreams are in recipes or the written words in a paperback novel, strive to market yourself to the best of your ability and you just might reap the rewards.

Although Kaylin McFarren wasn’t born with a pen in hand like so many of her talented fellow authors, she has been actively involved in both business and personal writing projects for many years. As the director of a fine art gallery, she assisted in furthering the careers of numerous visual artists who under her guidance gained recognition through promotional opportunities and in national publications. Eager to spread her own creative wings, she has since steered her energy toward writing novels. As a result, she has earned more than a dozen literary awards and was a 2008 finalist in the prestigious RWA® Golden Heart contest.

Kaylin is a member of RWA, Rose City Romance Writers, and Willamette Writers. She received her AA in Literature at Highline Community College, which originally sparked her passion for writing. In her free time, she also enjoys giving back to the community through participation and support of various charitable and educational organizations in the Pacific Northwest.

From Pacific Northwest’s award-winning author Kaylin McFarren comes a powerful novel about love, loss, and the power of forgiveness…

Successful yet emotionally stifled artist Kate Flaherty stands at the deathbed of her estranged father, conflicted by his morphine-induced confession exposing his part in her mother’s death. While racing home, Kate’s car mishap leads her to a soul-searching discussion with a lone diner employee, prompting Kate to confront the true reasons her marriage hangs in the balance. When her night takes an unexpected turn, however, she flees for her life, a life desperate for faith that can only be found through her ability to forgive.

You can visit Kaylin online at www.kaylinmcfarren.com or visit her book’s website at www.flahertyscrossing.com. You can also visit www.pumpupyourbook.com in February and March as she tours the blogosphere on a virtual book tour to promote her new book, Flaherty’s Crossing.