Latest / The Starfish Storytellers / Season 4, Episode 11: Reclaiming Wonder - From Corporate Stories to Children’s Magic with Nancy Merrill

Transcript

Season 4, Episode 11: Reclaiming Wonder - From Corporate Stories to Children’s Magic with Nancy Merrill · The Starfish Storytellers

0:00
Welcome to the starfish storytellers the podcast
0:03
that makes a difference one story at a time by
0:05
bringing storytelling to life More than 30 years
0:16
ago while living in Hong Kong, I created Elf
0:19
Dust for my three -year -old son at Christmas
0:21
time. Life in a high -rise meant no chimney or
0:25
rooftop for Santa. I had to have a creative vehicle
0:28
to inject some wonder and whimsy for him, and
0:31
Elf Dust fit the bill. The dust, when discovered,
0:36
indicates the elves have paid a visit as they
0:38
travel the globe working on Santa's naughty and
0:41
nice list. My son was beyond thrilled to find
0:45
Elk Dust and he shared his discovery with friends
0:48
from many different cultures. Their parents adopted
0:51
Elk Dust and we all united over the magic and
0:55
mystery of these tiny elves who came to visit.
0:59
But the excitement wasn't the most striking thing.
1:02
Beyond that, Elk Dust revealed how people from
1:05
many different backgrounds and cultures can unite
1:08
around whimsy and kindness. This deepened my
1:12
belief that we're all human beings first. At
1:16
the time, this felt like a simple gesture of
1:18
creativity and love, but looking back, it was
1:22
the beginning of a much deeper narrative unfolding
1:25
across time, a narrative that would link the
1:28
most rewarding moments of my life. Those moments
1:32
would later coalesce into a story with the power
1:35
to reach across cultures, to touch children with
1:39
magical excitement. while carrying a very important
1:43
message of kindness. After the creation of Valkdust,
1:47
and before the book was written, I started a
1:49
really fun, wonderful volunteer, wrongdoing character
1:52
education within my children's schools. There,
1:56
I unknowingly nurtured the very themes that would
1:59
eventually emerge in my writing, kindness, imagination,
2:04
and integrity. These character traits would later
2:07
form the foundation of Elf Dust as a book. When
2:11
I finally sat down to write the story, those
2:14
very values poured onto the page as if they'd
2:17
been waiting patiently to reemerge. The elves
2:21
and elf dust became tiny messengers of kindness.
2:25
The sparkle of the dust became a symbol of possibility
2:28
and imagination. It felt less like inventing
2:32
a story and more like uncovering something that
2:35
had always been there waiting to be expressed.
2:39
And then... With the book published, a moment
2:42
that can only be described as synchronicity happened.
2:46
I discovered Santa Ed Taylor and the worldwide
2:50
Santa Claus Network, a global community of 8
2:54
,000 Santas who are not only keepers of Christmas
2:57
cheer, but champions of kindness. Ed's vision
3:01
of Santa as a true embodiment of compassion and
3:05
kindness mirrored everything I hoped Elf Dust
3:07
would convey. His invitation to share my story
3:11
with his worldwide community of Santas felt like
3:15
coming home, linking me back to an international
3:18
community so important to me and to the origin
3:22
story of Elf Dust. The book has brought together
3:25
the most meaningful parts of my life. Motherhood,
3:29
creativity, writing, and a lifelong belief in
3:33
the power of goodness. It reflects my personal
3:36
journey, but more important than that, I hope
3:40
it serves as a bridge to others walking similar
3:43
paths, educators, parents, grandparents, and
3:47
Santas alike, all inspired to teach the magical
3:51
power of kindness around the globe. Hello, my
4:12
name is Liana Henry and welcome to the starfish
4:14
storytellers I'm the CEO of the black dog group
4:18
a marcom and project management firm headquartered
4:21
on the East Coast of the US in quaint colonial
4:23
Bedford, Massachusetts I'm your host and passionate
4:26
about storytelling. I'm actually on a mission
4:29
to raise up the next generation of storytellers
4:31
We've named ourselves the starfish storytellers
4:34
after the starfish story. The moral of the starfish
4:37
story is based on the power of one No matter
4:40
how big the challenge, each action we take makes
4:43
a difference and has an impact. One step, one
4:46
starfish, or one story at a time. Every episode,
4:49
we welcome a new storyteller who will share their
4:51
story meant to inspire and connect with you.
4:54
Then we'll break it down and offer tips for any
4:56
listeners who are ready to tell their own stories.
4:59
So thanks for tuning in. Now let's get started.
5:03
Today's episode is reclaiming wonder from corporate
5:06
stories to children's magic. And with me today
5:09
is Nancy Merrill, a communications consultant
5:12
turned children's author whose holiday book,
5:15
Elf Dust, is delighting families with its message
5:18
of imagination, simplicity, and wonder. Pinned
5:22
more than 30 years after she first sprinkled
5:24
a little elf dust in a Hong Kong high rise for
5:27
her own children, Nancy will be sharing her personal
5:30
story behind the book's creation. We'll hear
5:33
how living in an apartment with no chimneys shaped
5:35
her perspective. why she believes kids need more
5:38
imagination, and how her career helped her step
5:41
into the spotlight as an author. Whether you're
5:45
a parent, a writer, or someone dreaming of turning
5:47
an old idea into something new, this conversation
5:51
will warm your heart and remind you sometimes
5:54
the smallest stories have the most lasting magic.
5:59
So, welcome to the show, Nancy. We're just so
6:01
happy to have you here. Thank you very much.
6:04
It's great to be here. So we get started by getting
6:09
to meet our storytellers. Would you like to tell
6:12
us a little bit more about you? I am a mom of
6:20
two children, Emily and Rob, who were born in
6:23
Hong Kong. I spent my career in journalism as
6:26
a broadcast news reporter and then in journalism
6:31
adjacent work in marketing communications consulting.
6:35
And as from where I'm from, the question is difficult
6:38
to answer as I've lived in 13 states and three
6:43
countries spending the better part of 20 years
6:46
living outside the United States. Moving as a
6:50
child basically really shaped me and my ability
6:55
to adapt to new places. And once I left the country
7:00
for the first time, I was bitten by the bug to
7:04
expatriate and was lucky enough to be able to
7:08
to marry my skill set and my career with the
7:12
opportunity to get outside the US. Luck took
7:16
me to Hong Kong where I was given that opportunity
7:21
to travel the region. And friends often asked
7:25
me, aren't you afraid to be so far away from
7:28
home? And I said, no, that's the idea. the idea
7:32
is that challenge, that draw. And there was always
7:35
a new trepidation of going to a new country,
7:39
you know, getting on that plane and heading off
7:41
to Mumbai or wherever, but that was the excitement
7:44
of it. And that's where the stories, I mean,
7:48
there's so many stories, there's just too many
7:50
to ever write about that kind of travel and interaction
7:55
with the people, not only that I worked with,
7:58
but clients that I worked for in all these different
8:01
places. So it was a magical opportunity that
8:05
lasted almost 20 years. Great. So thank you for
8:12
sharing your introduction with us. I love that
8:17
you kind of focused on sort of that adaptation,
8:20
you know, that when you're going to go on a new
8:23
adventure, whether it's planned or otherwise,
8:28
that there's some of that adaptation, and that
8:31
you talked a little bit about the excitement
8:33
of travel, that sometimes excitement can be nerve
8:36
-wracking, but it's still excitement and that
8:39
kind of travel. So thank you for sharing that.
8:42
and challenged myself to do something every day
8:45
that scared me. No, I'm not talking dangerous
8:48
scared, but something that pushes you outside
8:51
your comfort zone to try something you've never
8:53
done before. And certainly international travel
8:57
by yourself as a woman to places like all over
9:00
the Asia region, wonderful part of the world.
9:03
If you haven't been, you must go. But it was
9:06
exciting. And all around that was learning a
9:10
new culture. and listening to the voices all
9:14
around you. English isn't spoken. We were minorities
9:18
everywhere we went. And that's almost like music.
9:21
I mean, it's just, it's exciting in a way that
9:25
it's hard to describe unless you've done it.
9:27
I remember when I went to my brother's wedding
9:31
in Germany. He was living there. He and his girlfriend
9:34
had moved there for a job that he had. And they
9:39
had their whole wedding based in German culture.
9:43
And they were very clear with all their guests
9:45
who decided to fly over to learn some German
9:49
because you were going to need it. And that it
9:51
was really a sign of respect as an American coming
9:57
over to show them, yes, I'm really making an
10:01
effort to. I mean, your country, I should speak
10:04
your language. So absolutely. Well, a lot of
10:07
the work that we did with clients was basically
10:10
helping them understand the cultures, obviously,
10:13
to do your best to speak the language, be respectful
10:17
of the customs of all these different countries.
10:20
Very different from Europe. Asia is very different.
10:24
So and that was a comfort level that people were
10:26
looking for is what is the right way for what's
10:29
protocol? How do I handle this? And a lot of
10:33
clients going into China who needed to understand
10:37
just how that worked, how to work with a translator
10:40
and that sort of thing. It was fascinating. Wow.
10:44
Now, why did you choose Asia? It's so funny.
10:51
I lobbied management to expatriate I had lived
10:56
overseas as a reporter and lived in Russia in
10:59
Moscow and came back and I was in New York working
11:02
for this firm and I wanted to leave the country
11:05
again and ended up in London with senior management
11:08
and got invited to dinner so as I walked in I
11:11
just thought well let's go for broke I mean you
11:14
don't ask the answer is always no correct so
11:17
I put it out there and I thought London or Paris,
11:21
that's for me. Skiing in Switzerland, the beaches
11:24
in Spain, let's do that. And they came back with
11:27
Hong Kong. Okay. So off we went and stayed 15
11:35
years. Wow. So you really loved it there. It
11:39
was a three year assignment. And at two years,
11:41
they said, well, are you living? Oh, let's re
11:44
up. And I kept re -upping because it really was
11:48
a magical part of the world. The culture is so
11:52
very different from what we know and from Europe
11:55
that the broadening experience as a person, not
11:58
to mention a professional, was on offer every
12:02
day. Wow. What a great story just to get to be
12:10
able to do that. Well, there would be days I'm
12:13
driving to work thinking, They pay me to do this.
12:17
I love this. Nice. What a gift. Okay. So in a
12:24
world driven by deadlines, deliverables, and
12:26
data points, it's easy to forget that at the
12:28
heart of every campaign, pitch, and press release
12:31
is a story. Storytelling is the thread that connects
12:34
boardrooms and bedtime routines, brand launches,
12:39
and lullabies. But somewhere along the way, especially
12:42
for those of us in the business of shaping messages,
12:45
we can lose touch with the purest form of storytelling.
12:49
The kind that sparks wonder, invites play, and
12:52
lives in the imagination of a child. So today,
12:57
after we talk a little bit of shop, we want to
13:01
return to that place, letting go of the polish
13:03
in the performance and rediscovering the joy
13:05
of storytelling for its own sake. It's about
13:08
reclaiming wonder not just as a creative exercise
13:11
But as a way of reconnecting with what made us
13:14
love stories in the first place Sound good Sounds
13:19
great. Cool. So we started talking a little bit
13:23
about your background You were comp you were
13:26
in columns in PR Was storytelling always part
13:31
of your work in communications? And did you find
13:33
that you went into this craft? for the stories.
13:36
I think I think I heard you say you were journalism
13:38
as well. Yes, I started my career in broadcast
13:42
and radio and TV news and basically. that storytelling
13:48
in and of itself. And as you well know, you go
13:50
into public relations and you're helping others
13:52
tell stories. And my career was communications
13:57
training. I took what I knew about journalism
14:00
and then what I knew about marketing and messaging
14:03
and so on. And I trained senior executives for
14:07
basically Fortune 50, Fortune 100 companies for
14:11
mission critical communications and their senior
14:15
executives. would come in in order that they
14:18
understand how to go forward, whether it's an
14:21
IPO or it's a major speech or an interview anywhere
14:26
in the world, my team and I prepared them to
14:29
do that. I'm guessing you also had to deal with
14:35
a fair amount of crisis protocol and crisis.
14:39
Yeah, very much so. Very much so. But the interesting
14:42
thing is, you know, storytelling is very much
14:45
a part of effective communications. Because if
14:48
you're only going to give stats and figures and
14:52
so on, that is not as memorable. If it's not
14:58
framed in a story, a story creates a picture
15:02
in your mind's eye. And we remember pictures
15:05
easier than we remember stats. And then all the
15:09
information wrapped in a picture and a feeling
15:13
that comes from that allows you to retain, you
15:16
the listener, to retain that information. And
15:20
that's what we're there to do in communication
15:22
is we want people to remember what we think is
15:25
important. Yeah, absolutely. I might have shared
15:30
this in a different podcast, too, but it really
15:32
stands out for me. I was in a large marketing
15:35
organization in a software company, and during
15:40
COVID, I remember the CEO's sort of weekly updates
15:46
that he would have his comms people send out.
15:51
And I found it really interesting because you
15:54
could you could see a little bit of the man in
15:58
in the stories like in the in the updates. Sometimes
16:02
I wonder how his comps people felt about how
16:06
personal sometimes his perspectives and opinions
16:10
got inside those updates. But here I am talking
16:15
about it six years later. I still remember he
16:20
just It just humanized him. And it was humanizing
16:25
in such a way that I think it just gave a level
16:28
of comfort to a global staff that was confused
16:36
as everyone else. And so he really, I felt, stepped
16:39
up and showed his leadership in those updates.
16:44
Because, like you said, they were mission critical.
16:47
If I had been coaching him, that's what I would
16:50
be coaching him to do. Because unless you show
16:54
up as your congruent self, you are not going
16:58
to connect. People know when someone is performative.
17:03
They know, they can sense that you're not drawing
17:06
on that sole essence that is your personality.
17:10
And as we just said, if you... don't have stories
17:14
to enhance any message, then it's wooden, it's
17:19
stale. And you cannot deliver a story unless
17:22
you're in the essence of who you are and communicating
17:27
from that place. So that would have been my goal
17:30
for him. And Bravo, especially across cultures.
17:35
When you think about listening to people in India,
17:38
to Ireland, South Africa, I mean, this is going
17:44
to be the human essence is what is required.
17:48
One hundred percent. And and you're you're so
17:51
right. And when you said showing up as his congruent
17:54
self, when you would see him like after like
17:57
a sales kickoff update or something, it was the
18:01
same man. It was the same man that was in those
18:04
covid updates that was standing on that stage
18:06
or shaking hands with with everybody in the audience
18:09
after it was the same person. Oftentimes I'd
18:12
have pushback because they didn't want to reveal
18:15
themselves. I mean, so much, so many of them
18:18
in Asia were men and they didn't want to, to
18:20
them that was vulnerability that they weren't
18:24
sure they wanted to reveal. And it took some
18:27
time, but usually the deciding factor was, and
18:31
I said, if you want to be trusted, then you have
18:35
got to be genuine. And people, human beings,
18:38
I don't care where you come from. you will sense
18:42
the authenticity or not. And that trust factor
18:46
is everything. Especially when as a leader, like
18:52
you said, culturally, he has to take care of
18:56
everybody across the planet that works for this
18:59
company because they have locations on every
19:02
continent in almost every country. They do. So
19:06
it's so important. And that's a challenge. It's
19:09
a huge challenge. And not everybody's up to it.
19:12
And those who get counseling and help and coaching
19:16
to do it are the smart ones because it doesn't
19:19
come naturally. Even communicating within your
19:23
own culture or country is challenging for people.
19:26
And then when you add on the layers of culture
19:29
and language, it's complicated. As you're thinking
19:35
about, I know we're kind of digging into your
19:37
career here, but as you're thinking about your
19:39
career, are there any anecdotes that you can
19:41
remember, any cases where you remember where
19:44
you coached someone and the results were amazing?
19:51
It really worked and it just made such a difference.
19:55
I'm sure there's so many stories. At the risk
20:00
of sounding arrogant, I never had a complaint.
20:03
I spent 20 years doing this and I think As was
20:09
reflected back to me by other trainers who worked
20:12
for me and in other parts of the region, it was
20:15
my ability to connect with different personalities.
20:19
And to me, that was key. I knew all the hard
20:21
data. I knew how to help them develop their messages,
20:25
craft them, all of that. But when you want someone
20:28
to change behavior and you also want them to
20:33
trust you, and so they can be vulnerable and
20:37
try to swing the bat and be vulnerable, you've
20:41
got to have connected with them. And I don't
20:44
know where that comes from, but it's been part
20:48
of me for as long as I can remember. And it was
20:51
a part of that. So I think in essence, that is
20:53
what made my ability to work with people successful.
20:58
And also because I just You know, it's very hard
21:02
to go through this kind of work and not find
21:07
something to like in everybody. Yep. Yep. And
21:11
I think having that quality and being able to
21:15
do that is going to have them connect with you
21:19
too. And that was the marvelous part. I mean,
21:22
I still remember as they would leave and shake
21:25
hands and thank me. I mean, it was rewarding.
21:29
They were leaving after spending a day with me,
21:33
going out, mission critical stuff that scared
21:37
them. I mean, you're putting your career on the
21:39
line, not to mention yourself. And they felt
21:44
ready to go. And that was everything to me. That's
21:49
awesome. Wow. What a what a great story. So thank
21:55
you. So OK, so let's talk about the book. OK,
22:01
shall we? So let's talk about Elf Dust. So I
22:05
would love to hear your origin story for where
22:10
this came from. Where were you in life and how
22:14
did it come to you? I know that I've like I said,
22:16
I've seen some of your other interviews. But
22:20
I would just love to hear sort of your journey
22:22
to get to Elf Dust. It started, my son was born
22:27
in 1989 in Hong Kong. And when he was two years
22:30
old, we took Christmas and went to Maui to Hawaii.
22:36
And he now understood what Christmas is all about.
22:40
And It was very different from the experience
22:42
that I had as a child. So I mean, Santa was arriving
22:47
in an outrigger with a Hawaiian shirt and chains,
22:50
you know, and his beard, of course, but I'm like,
22:53
okay. And there's no chimney, there's no snow,
22:56
it's the tropics. So what am I gonna do? On the
23:01
way to the pool. along the sidewalk were these
23:05
beautiful, and I can't think of the name of the
23:07
flower, but they're red flowers, these enormous
23:09
bushes with red flowers. It hits me. I tell my
23:13
son, Rob, oh honey, gosh, look, they've been
23:17
here already. And he looked, what? I said, see
23:20
the flowers? They're red. Whenever the elves
23:24
have flown by, the flowers immediately go red.
23:29
And he's like, oh, really? So that took care
23:33
of that Christmas. The next year, we're in Hong
23:37
Kong. I'm in a high rise, no chimney, no rooftop,
23:41
and no snow, nothing. So driving to work one
23:45
day, I'll never forget it. You know how some
23:46
of these moments stay with you. The Aberdeen
23:49
tunnel connected where I live to the city of
23:52
Hong Kong. I'm approaching the tunnel and all
23:56
of a sudden this idea just drops in. Elf dust.
24:01
Where did that come from? I found it, did it,
24:06
and it was magic from that moment on. That's
24:12
wonderful. Now, you and we'll talk more about
24:18
it in a minute too, but you didn't immediately
24:21
go into a place of like, I have to get a story
24:23
together. It was really about creating some holiday
24:27
magic and maybe a new tradition. Totally. It
24:32
was definitely a tradition. After I saw how well
24:35
it worked, then it became the tradition that
24:39
we did. And I'm really just, my heart's warm
24:43
to find out that a number of the children that
24:46
were in Hong Kong with us at the time continue
24:50
to do it themselves. They remembered it, their
24:53
families took that tradition onward, and they
24:56
are now doing it with their own little ones who
24:58
are now two and three years old. So it's like,
25:01
not only was it a tradition for my family, but
25:04
others have just adopted it and loved it. So
25:08
it didn't stay in your family. It spread through
25:11
your neighborhood. And now their kids are doing
25:16
it. That's right. Wow. That's wonderful. The
25:21
first elf dust sighting. we were, he saw it.
25:25
And then we were on our way to the community
25:28
playground, which is part of the complex. And
25:30
we lived in three or four of them in the time
25:33
we lived in Hong Kong. So he goes down, tells
25:35
his friends, they all come over to me and just
25:39
look, can we see? So up we go. They all look
25:42
at it. And, and they're like archaeologists at
25:46
a dig, they're all circling it, just so intrigued
25:50
by this and talking about, well, what did they
25:52
do? And when were they here? And all that stuff.
25:55
Then the kids go back to the playground and all
25:57
the other moms come up to me and go, okay, what's
26:00
this? So I gave them all Elf Fest and throughout
26:04
that season and all the seasons thereafter when
26:08
my kids believed, the neighbors all took it up
26:12
and loved it. Well, that's great. That's great.
26:19
And then but you didn't actually put this you
26:23
didn't write this you didn't pen down this story
26:26
for 30 years. I didn't and I didn't because and
26:31
people said, oh, you have to write it. You have
26:32
to write it. You're right. No, I'm not a children's
26:35
book writer. And if anybody is sitting on their
26:38
heels going, no, I probably can't write that.
26:40
I want you this. take a stab at it because when
26:44
my excuses ran out a couple years ago, I just
26:49
thought I'm gonna sit down, I'm gonna write it,
26:50
it's gonna be terrible, and now I can put this
26:53
nagging voice that kept poking me to do it. And
26:57
it wasn't terrible. I actually liked it. So I
27:03
took it to librarians and teachers and asked
27:05
them to tell me, you know, stop me before I do
27:08
damage. And they all said, oh, yeah, no. Oh,
27:11
you've got to go. You do this. So I did. and
27:18
found Colleen Scroy, the most wonderful artist
27:21
on the planet, and we put it together. But the
27:26
epilogue to that story really is a personal one
27:30
that warms my heart and gave me goosebumps when
27:34
I first realized is I sent my cousin, who's the
27:38
family historian, a copy of the book. And she
27:41
writes back to me and reminds me that my grandmother
27:44
and her aunt Linda, who raised her, both collaborated
27:48
on children's books and wanted to be published,
27:52
but never were. So my cousin's final line was
27:56
thank you for carrying on the creative tradition
27:59
and closing the loop for two wonderful women
28:02
in our family. I'm just, oh my gosh. My grandmother
28:09
was part of this. She was the voice, kicking
28:13
me in the shorts and like, come on, keep going.
28:17
And that's where it came from. That's where it
28:19
came from. That's where it came from. She wouldn't
28:22
let me give up. I tried. Believe me. She was
28:25
stubborn. Yeah. Yeah. I tried. So this has really
28:31
wide reaching impacts here, like really a big
28:34
ripple effect. Totally. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely.
28:40
That's great. One of the things that you talked
28:45
about in I heard in one of your interviews is
28:49
you talked about your concern that kids don't
28:52
get enough opportunities to use their imagination.
28:56
Our kids are tied to screens. So talk a little
29:02
bit about why that's important. I think screens
29:08
rob us of the ability to use our imagination.
29:11
We're relying upon the imaginations of producers
29:14
and artists and other writers. presenting us
29:18
with their concepts of what they think whatever
29:22
it is should look like, feel like, be like. So
29:25
now we're in the backseat, a passive observer.
29:29
But for children, there's all kinds of studies
29:32
that have been done about the importance of using
29:37
imagination. There's one that in 2018, the American
29:43
Academy of Pediatrics spent 18 years over a series
29:47
of studies on this very topic. And I'm just going
29:51
to quote from it here so I get it right. Imaginative
29:55
play was linked to better academics, emotional
29:59
regulation, and social competence. And that alone
30:04
right there, so that's 18 years of study. And
30:07
then psychologist Piaget and educator Montessori
30:13
believe the exact same thing, that it was imagination
30:17
is integral to cognitive development, because
30:21
it does help them to grow. And the quote I love
30:25
the most is Einstein. He said, imagination is
30:30
more important than knowledge because knowledge
30:33
is finite. Imagination is never ending. And when
30:38
I read that, I'm like, bingo, there it is. And
30:40
we need more of that. I mean, as a child, I played
30:44
outside. There were no play dates. And I lived
30:48
in a situation whereby I could get into the woods.
30:51
And I remember going back there and making a
30:53
fort for myself and imagining, have my imaginary
30:57
people and things. and I made rooms and, and
31:00
that was constructive. That was using my imagination
31:05
to do that kind of thing. And lots of kids don't
31:09
have that opportunity, especially if they're
31:12
given a screen. Yep. Yep. I totally agree. I
31:17
totally agree. I think that it also, I think
31:21
the screens take away their ability to be able
31:26
to just sit with themselves for any period of
31:30
time, you know, like to sit in imaginative play.
31:33
Like I remember as a child, like just being outside
31:36
on my bicycle, like all day and all afternoon
31:39
until it got dark, you know, and and playing
31:45
with my girlfriend, little friends, like at their
31:47
in their rooms with our Barbies. And we could
31:52
just do that all afternoon. One of the anecdotes
31:57
from my travels in India I did overnight train
32:02
trip between Udaipur and Jaipur and this has
32:05
her link to children and you saw Rural Indian
32:09
life out the window the entire trip And I was
32:13
I stayed up as much as I could to be able to
32:16
see what was going on I saw children out in the
32:21
desert, not too many buildings around, no bicycles.
32:25
They had sticks and rocks. And we sat for about
32:29
20 minutes and I watched them. They were having
32:33
a ball. They figured out what to do with sticks
32:38
and rocks. It made me think of the stick ball
32:40
I saw in Manhattan. But it's sort of the same
32:43
thing. Don't give them everything. Let them make
32:47
it up and figure it out. Yep, yep, because you
32:53
never know what's gonna come out of their mouths
32:55
like and so unique and so fresh and so different
33:02
and Right and they were happy. Oh my goodness
33:06
laughing and they and If you use your American
33:10
eyes you would think oh, isn't that too bad?
33:14
No They're having a grand time Yep, yeah, so
33:21
it's American assumptions, right? You know, well
33:24
we can't help but make them if you know if we
33:27
haven't ever been introduced to something else,
33:29
but Yeah, yeah, yeah So you said that Well with
33:42
the imagination part of the you know creating
33:44
elf dust The whole idea was to allow for children
33:50
to develop their own sort of vision or idea of
33:54
who their elf was, that it wasn't an elf that
33:58
was handed to them and said, here's your elf,
34:01
that they could create that elf themselves, which
34:06
basically is putting sort of that creative power
34:08
back in the child's hands. Precisely. Yeah. elves
34:17
have come forward from some of the children that
34:20
you've talked to. Like, have they described their
34:24
elves at all to you? A little bit. We'll go to
34:28
hair color. Girls want theirs to be a girl elf
34:31
and have a dress and what color. And the shoes
34:35
are a big thing. the shoes and when I go to classrooms
34:38
and read the shoes were a big thing and they
34:40
most kids really like the curly toes with the
34:43
bells on the end right. But the other part of
34:46
it was you know what were they doing when they
34:49
were in the house. My children would say I mean
34:54
where where were they were they in my room honey,
34:57
I don't know we'll never know what do you think.
35:01
How do you think they got in. And then you can
35:04
just see the wheels begin to turn about, oh,
35:08
I don't know. We're on the 19th floor or wherever
35:10
we were. Did they ride the lift? I don't know.
35:15
What do you think? I was constantly throwing
35:18
it back to them. And then they would come up
35:22
with whatever. My son had a jungle gym kind of
35:27
thing. He had the master bedroom. He and his
35:28
sister. And he said, mommy, I think they went
35:31
plate on the jungle gym. I think they must have
35:33
really liked that. I said, well, yeah, I hope
35:37
they did. And then one little boy, his mother
35:41
told me that she overheard him ask the family
35:46
dog if the dog had seen the elves. Yes. And as
35:51
we know, the dog will never tell. Will never
35:55
tell. Never tell. Never tell. Well, and another
35:58
anecdote along that those lines is there's three
36:02
years difference between my kids. So when it
36:05
came time for his sister to be introduced, of
36:08
course, he wanted to do it, which is great. So
36:11
he shows her, tells her what it is. She went
36:14
to touch it and he pulls her back and says, You
36:19
can't touch it. You'll become an elf. Now, did
36:24
that come from him? He'd he that was his imagination.
36:30
Yeah. Oh, I'm standing there going. Yeah. You
36:33
know, it worked. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Now, how does
36:37
elf dust work exactly? Is it something where
36:39
like I know with elf on a shelf, people have
36:42
to move the shelf for a period of time, you know,
36:46
around the house or something. Does elf dust
36:48
something where the elf just comes once? Does
36:50
the elf come multiple times? With all respect
36:54
to other derivations of things, I want parents
36:58
to have less work, not more. It's the most stressful
37:01
time of the year. So basically, and I have little
37:06
bags of elf dust and it's red and green glitter
37:08
and parents then, around Thanksgiving, go to
37:14
four different spots and just put a little pinch
37:18
by a vase or a Chair leg or wherever to where
37:22
an elf might be hiding and then just wait Till
37:26
they're found let them know to look for it right
37:29
and then once those are found Whenever they're
37:32
not around vacuum it up and then put a few more
37:35
examples around and wait for them to be found
37:38
and I did it in the summer and the fall because
37:43
one of the things that's important to me is the
37:46
whole idea of character and kindness and that
37:50
Santa's elves are there to to observe character
37:54
and kindness. I spent 10 years as a volunteer
37:57
teaching character in the school systems my kids
38:01
were in. And it's a mission of mine to just remind
38:04
us all, kindness counts. And so when they see
38:09
the dust, it just is a little reminder in July
38:13
by the hot dogs at the 4th of July, oh yeah,
38:17
they're watching. Yeah, yeah. Did you find that
38:22
it was effective to keep them sort of keeping
38:27
track of their own behavior? Absolutely. In fact,
38:31
the first sighting that my son saw, all the predictable
38:36
questions, whenever they hear all that, and then
38:38
he got quiet for a second and said, Mommy, was
38:42
I being good? So, yes, I think it's, and you
38:49
know, and nobody likes preachy. I don't want
38:52
this to be a preachy whatever. And the character
38:54
work I did never was. It was fun. And this is
38:57
fun. It's just a fun reminder. Kindness. Yep.
39:03
Yep. 100%. Okay. I wanted to ask a couple of
39:11
questions about sort of the publishing process.
39:17
You said that you did some of that through Amazon,
39:21
and I know that you worked with Colleen to do
39:24
the art. Can you talk a little bit about what
39:27
was that like for you? Was it easy? Was it complicated?
39:31
How long did it take? It actually wasn't complicated.
39:35
I was introduced by a friend to Pear Tree Publishing
39:40
up there in Massachusetts and I contacted the
39:43
publisher. He was happy to support the book and
39:48
so there's my publisher and all the ISBN number
39:51
and all the rest of that. Then it was the the
39:56
illustrator that took forever. And I had went
40:00
down a whole bunch of dead ends and I just couldn't
40:03
find the right one and I almost gave up. In fact,
40:06
Colleen was my last call. I almost didn't call
40:12
her because it had just been, I thought this
40:14
is the universe telling me this has been fun,
40:17
but no. So last call, it's a Friday, I call her
40:23
and all All of a sudden, here's an illustrator
40:27
that spoke to this work the way I wanted to hear.
40:33
Everything she said was ringing bells for me.
40:37
I'm like, oh my God. And I said, I've struggled
40:40
with this. I said, give me to Monday and let
40:44
me make a decision. And she emailed me on Saturday.
40:51
and said, I so want to do this. I want to cut
40:54
my rates for you to make it easier. And she sent
40:58
me two pencil drawings that of the elves I've
41:04
named Cookie and Jingle. These are the pencil
41:06
drawings. And I saw the two of them and I picked
41:11
up the phone. Oh, my God. When do you want to
41:15
start? And she said, How about right now? And
41:19
getting artists to commit was like pulling teeth.
41:22
So I'm sitting there going, OK, then let's go.
41:26
Let's do this. And we had a very tight deadline.
41:28
This was April. And she we rocked that deadline
41:33
so well together, which was the magical part
41:36
of it. It was so much fun, even though it was
41:39
a bit of pressure and more on her than me. But
41:41
we did it. When did it now? That was it was like
41:46
a year ago, year and a half ago. We started last
41:50
April, I got my first set of books on the second
41:54
week in October. Wow, that is fast. It's very
41:58
fast. And so a testament to her, totally. I mean,
42:02
that level of work, that level of creativity
42:05
and artistry, I mean, it's magical. It's magical.
42:11
And yeah, and I'm happy to tell you all. all
42:14
1 ,000 of the first order sold in just a little
42:18
over five months. Wow. That's amazing. When normal
42:22
first books only sell 250 to 300 in a year. So
42:28
who's more surprised than me? I mean, well, I
42:32
mean, I noticed that you were interviewed on
42:34
a lot of media outlets, probably, you know, local,
42:37
some of them were local. I mean, I mean you're
42:40
a communications person so you know the value
42:42
and you've been in marketing so you know the
42:43
value of like getting the word out I mean did
42:46
you find that you like were Were you hustling
42:48
before the book even came out, like getting those
42:50
things set up? Loading the pipeline. I knew when
42:55
I'd get the book. So I started loading the pipeline
42:59
between speaking events, schools, getting to
43:03
bookstores, that kind of thing to do that. And
43:06
then I got as many interviews as I could. The
43:08
major markets for the Southeast were Savannah
43:11
and Charleston. And then there's a couple of
43:14
local stations. Pat Conroy Center here, which
43:19
is, you know, celebrates his work and he's very
43:22
supportive of writers. So there was that I got
43:24
to speak there with all those. illustrious people.
43:29
So it's yeah, that the marketing part didn't
43:32
hurt. But interesting for you, you know, my skills
43:35
are last century marketing skills. I mean, I
43:38
did everything I used to do with a normal TV.
43:41
And that there's nothing normal about it anymore.
43:44
So I didn't see an uptick in sales off the website
43:47
for many of that. How it all came about, I don't
43:51
know. Because it's a great book. Oh, well, thank
43:56
you very much. I'd like to think so. What would
43:59
you say to an aspiring book author? Like I know
44:05
earlier you said, if you're thinking about doing
44:08
it, just do it. Don't hold back. But if somebody
44:12
wants to, you know, publish their book and they
44:15
need to know how to get the word out or they
44:17
don't know how to do the steps, what's one of
44:20
the most important things that they should be
44:22
thinking about? Well, first of all, make sure
44:24
you sit down and write it don't be daunted by
44:27
the blank white screen or any voices in your
44:30
head like I was for too long and then Reach out
44:36
in your local community. I figured I didn't have
44:38
time to do more than that I could only reach
44:41
out within a hundred mile radius or so and then
44:45
to see who I could call and pitch my book and
44:50
see what they'd say. And if you don't ask, the
44:53
answer is always no. And I'm used to getting
44:56
turned down. I pitched media a lot during my
44:59
career. Okay, they didn't like the idea. Oh,
45:02
well. So you'd walk into a store, show your wares
45:06
and see if they want to carry your book, especially
45:09
if it's where you live. I would imagine that
45:14
would be a huge selling point because you're
45:16
a local author. That is exactly right. I found
45:20
that to be true. it was a hunch I thought it
45:24
would be, but it turned out to be true. So I
45:27
got to Savannah, I got to Charleston because
45:30
that's considered local for where I live. Now,
45:34
beyond that, I don't know. For my book, I thought,
45:38
okay, let me get to Christmas stores. So I marched
45:42
myself into Christmas stores and everyone that
45:45
I've approached has taken them and they've now
45:48
reordered for the third time because it fits
45:51
their model, obviously, so well. And the tradition,
45:57
I asked the people who are managing the stores,
45:59
what do you like about this? And they said, people
46:02
love the magic and the whimsy and the tradition.
46:05
And it's grandparents buying it for their grandchildren,
46:10
as much as parents buying it for themselves and
46:14
their families. So I mean, find that unique,
46:18
unique aspect of whatever work you did. There
46:23
is an author who also has books in these Christmas
46:29
stores. She's in Savannah, and she's got a tugboat.
46:33
And it's very Savannah -focused with all the
46:38
sights and sounds and so on. And that resonated
46:42
with three of these stores. So you never know.
46:46
Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm. Yeah. And the other thing is
46:51
you learn by going in and asking them if they'd
46:54
be interested. And if the answer's no, politely
46:58
ask them, I'm on a learning mission. Would you
47:01
help me to understand what about this wouldn't
47:04
work for you? And they tell you. It's great when
47:09
they tell you. It's definitely great when they
47:12
tell you. Yeah. As you're looking into this next
47:16
fall, are you going to do another push for the
47:20
book as you're going into the holidays? Totally.
47:23
I'm looking at events. Media is going to be hard
47:29
because it's no longer a new book. So that news
47:32
hook is kind of taken from me now. authored an
47:36
article all about imagination using some of the
47:40
same data that I spoke to you about. It's a feature
47:43
article that goes into much more about that and
47:47
how through folklore, going back centuries is
47:50
how we used our imaginations. We developed our
47:55
creativity sitting by firesides, listening to
47:59
people tell us stories. took the elves and explained
48:07
how they had been that thread all the way through
48:11
to now when they're at the North Pole of Santa.
48:14
It's just another derivation of what this whole
48:18
idea of imagination and magic and whimsy around
48:21
elves. In Europe, they were seen as guardians
48:25
of of the forest or of crops and that they would
48:30
do these dances in circles and people would find
48:34
in the grass circular patterns that then said
48:38
the elves had been there and then the children
48:41
would take flowers and weave them together as
48:48
crowns so they could be an elf. Great. Can't
48:53
you just see it? Yep, I can absolutely see it.
48:57
100%. No, that's great. Yeah, but I think about
49:01
though your book, even if it's not newly written,
49:04
anybody who doesn't know about it, it's new to
49:06
them. Well, that is true. pitching the assignment
49:11
editors and people who book talent, I'm going
49:16
to give it a go. I mean, again, the answer is
49:18
going to be no, if you don't ask. But I'm not
49:21
sure how far and wide I can get, but I've got
49:24
to do other things. I mean, social media is now
49:26
going to be a big part of what I do. And I'm
49:30
in contact with some other national groups that
49:33
have to do with Santa and Christmas that have
49:38
an enormous following. And they have the book
49:42
and are interested in partnering. So I think.
49:47
there's a way that I can piggyback on to some
49:51
of that, as well as the character element. I
49:55
did the character counts program back in the
49:57
day, and they seem, they may be interested in
50:02
using this as an example of character. Yep. Kindness.
50:08
throughout the year, you know, that kind of thing.
50:10
So it's, I mean, marketing is all about creativity
50:13
and how can you expand, right, expand into other
50:17
areas? And I, you know, regular media, last century
50:23
media, kind of dying. So I need to learn new
50:28
ways of getting the message out there in ways
50:30
that I haven't done as much of. Yeah, social
50:34
media is a great way to do it now. I mean, people
50:37
are pretty much attached and as much video as
50:39
you can create of you reading to kids, you in
50:44
bookstores, you, you know, even animating some
50:50
of this little bit of a story in a video, like,
50:52
you know, that's in the plan. Good plan. Yeah.
50:57
Yeah. I have a new author page, which is Nancy.
51:00
E. Merrill. So that's you'll see the book there
51:03
and you'll see the the caricature that Colleen
51:07
did of me. So that's where it's all going to
51:10
go. Yeah. Yeah. No. Good. Good. Yeah. Great story.
51:16
And it's a great book for the holidays. And I
51:17
think it's so colorful. And, you know, I just
51:22
I can just see children just sitting on the floor
51:24
with it, you know, next to the tree, just like
51:26
flipping the pages of the hardcover book and
51:29
just looking at everything and so much is going
51:33
on in each page, which is typical Colleen artwork.
51:39
You have to really study every page to find the
51:43
things that she tucks away. Well, the thing about
51:46
the book too, I think, and it has been communicated
51:49
to me, so this isn't original thought for me,
51:52
but parents have said it's all about love and
51:55
hope. And I mean, the book was created out of
51:59
love. I mean, I loved my son. I wanted him to
52:02
have, and I wanted the magic to be there and
52:06
to have those words reflected back to me 30 years
52:10
later. It's like, oh, wow. And even Children
52:14
with Autism, I did some marketing work for a
52:17
nonprofit in Rhode Island when I lived there.
52:20
And the man who delivered the books named Sylvester
52:24
Newton, I'll never forget him, he delivered the
52:27
second batch as well, he looked at them as I
52:32
opened boxes to just check them, he started reading
52:36
the book. And I said, oh, he's my son, he's gonna
52:39
love that. How old is he? Oh, he's 11. I said,
52:42
oh, he might be a little old. He says, oh, no,
52:45
my son has autism. He's going to love the detail
52:49
in these pages. So two weeks later, Sylvester
52:55
sends me a photo of his son reading the book
52:59
saying he won't put it down. And then when he
53:03
delivered the second batch two weeks ago, he
53:07
said it's on his nightstand. It's still there.
53:11
He won't let us put it anywhere else. I mean,
53:16
heartwarming. I mean, that's making kids happy.
53:19
I mean, what's better than that? And some of
53:22
the best holiday stories stay with you. You know,
53:28
like I remember holiday stories, storybooks,
53:31
you know, not just the night before Christmas,
53:34
but like, you know, other holiday storybooks
53:36
and. A really great holiday storybook stays with
53:39
you. So that's wonderful. They do because it's
53:42
it's the story. It's the feeling. It's the hope.
53:46
It's all upbeat. It's all great. Wonderful stuff.
53:54
Well, that is all the time we have for today.
53:57
I just want to thank you for being my guest and
54:01
having this conversation with me and and our
54:04
listeners and just I love your book. I'm glad
54:08
that I get to add it to my bookshelf. And thank
54:12
you. You know, and just thank you for having
54:14
the conversation about the realities of storytelling
54:18
and communications and how, you know, your storytelling
54:23
journey got you here. So I just was really wonderful
54:26
to have this chat. Well, it was my my pleasure
54:30
to be here. And I've enjoyed every minute. Thank
54:33
you. Thank you. And to our listeners, whether
54:37
you hear us locally from the BTV studios in Bedford,
54:40
Massachusetts or across the globe on such podcast
54:43
channels as Spotify, Apple Podcast or Amazon
54:46
Prime, thanks for listening. We hope you enjoyed
54:49
this episode and we'll see you next time. Happy
54:52
storytelling.