17. NO vs. YES

Dear Followers,

The Self-Empowered Woman has been on sale for one week and it has been really exciting to get feedback and watch the "ranking" day by day.

When I haven't been obsessing about THE BOOK, I've been immersed in Julia Child's memoir "My Life in France." There is something about her enthusiasm and determination that make her instantly likeable, and when I read about the long slog between beginning her cookbook and finally getting it accepted by Knopf, it reminded me of two qualities shared by so many Self-Empowered Women.

Many (if not most) high achievers find themselves undervalued or underestimated, but they also share the ability to turn the word NO into YES. It took close to a decade for Julia Child to find a publisher ( and an editor) capable of sharing her vision, but she never gave up.

So guess which trait the following women share: Harper's Bazaar editor Glenda Bailey, Cher, actress America Ferrera, and TV chef Rachel Ray?

Looking forward to your comments...

1. An Introduction to "The Self-Empowered Woman"

What do writer Maya Angelou, comedienne Ellen DeGeneres, singer Gloria Estefan and actress Demi Moore have in common?

If you are interested in or intrigued by the life stories of accomplished women, then you've landed on the right blog. My name is Marilyn Murray Willison, and my new book (The Self-Empowered Woman) addresses the question: What circumstances and characteristics help create a high-achieving woman?

Together we can use this space to examine the lives of accomplished women around the world, and at the same time I can share with you the lessons I've learned about publishing my own book for the first time (my four earlier books were published the conventional - old fashioned - way).

Please visit my website http://www.marilynwillison.com/ to learn more about my background, and I look forward to hearing your answers to the question that will appear at the start of each blog entry.

If you've ever found yourself fascinated by a high-achieving woman's remarkable life - think Coco Chanel, Golda Meir or even Cher - then you're really enjoy our time together.