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I know my mission won't complete itself

"Life happens," as George Rebelo succinctly told me last year. All along the way of writing POST, this has been a recurring theme. Be it the loss of a full-time job, tracking people down for months, or being paid the kindest of compliments, there's been a lot of ebb and flow. With the good and the bad, I've adjusted with what I think/feel is right for the book. And what was very difficult to comprehend was putting this out with someone I didn't already know.

Make no mistake, the encouragement from Nick has been there since day one. He was the one who said my idea for the book was not crazy and that he would help me put it out. In the critical turning points in life, saying the right thing can really get the ball rolling. That was my case in March 2004.

Along the way in doing my research, I heard a few horror stories of close relationships that were ruined because of working together. More often the case with a band working with an independent label run by their friends, the friendship was heavily tested when the band chose to work with another label. Feelings got hurt and some relationships were never the same afterwards. The same with some bands: when they formed, they were tight friends. Now, they rarely speak to each other.

I was afraid that things might go awry, but I felt this was worth risking. It wasn't that much of a grand leap of faith -- if I didn't follow-through and complete the book, I'd regret this for the rest of my life. Thankfully, there have been no regrets, hurt feelings or ruined relations. Quite the opposite actually.

It was Nick himself that suggested I shop the manuscript around. When he told me this last summer, I was a little perplexed. I still wasn't so sure about going with somebody else that I didn't know very well. But just like how he encouraged me to write the book, he was encouraging me to go further. And I'm so glad he did. Even though we're not working together now, we're still as close as we've ever been.

Though I had to spend a few months working 10-13 hour days to get a full manuscript done, it got done. Working with a very reliable source that I trust and enjoy working with, I feel very positive about the prospects. Though there is no publisher attached to the project as I type this, my outlook is positive no matter what the actual result is. Thanks for your patience.

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