Zellie Blake, a generous and beautiful woman — a fellow writer and dreamer — died two days ago. She was 27 years old.
Zellie was a tireless champion of my work. She once said I was an inspiration for her own writing career goals, but she will always be an inspiration for me. Her friends say that throughout her treatment, Zellie never lost her sense of humor or optimistic verve. She wrote often, and well.
Her personal mantra was, “Be the adventure you dream.” I am hard-pressed to think of a more inspiring and empowering personal philosophy.
Perhaps most inspiring: she never lost the tenacity that is required of a Writer.
Writers write, and then they try to find homes for what they write. In Zellie’s case, she was questing for a literary agent up until the very end. From her blog:
I’ve got just a few more queries pending. I haven’t gotten so much as a partial request … (but) this book is NOT going to be thrown in the ocean.
Hell yes, sister. Hell yes.
Zellie was surrounded by wonderful people throughout her life and recent treatment. I know this because Zellie blogged about these people. (Her friend Orin created a magnificent beadwork bracelet for Zellie that read Fuck Cancer, which absolutely rocks.) I also know these people are wonderful because they’ve contacted me via Facebook and email. Zellie was my biggest fan, they said … and they were Zellie’s biggest fans. A few weeks ago, her friend Callie asked if could I help lift Zellie’s spirits.
A Japanese story says that if you fold 1,000 cranes, you are granted one wish. Callie had a wish … and a deep belief in the power of positive thought. I autographed the pink origami crane that arrived two days later. It was one of 1,000 Callie and many other friends personally folded — and one of more than 1,500, counting the ones Zellie’s loving boyfriend had crafted too. Callie’s efforts were heroic: she even snagged autographs from the puppeteers from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. Zellie was delighted by the amazing work of her friends.
That was six days ago. And now she’s gone.
But here’s the brilliant thing about being a Writer. Zellie’s not gone. Zellie’s friends helped get her novel Lightning Spliced into print. They’ve released it through the print-on-demand publisher Lulu, and are donating all proceeds to the American Cancer Society.
You can meet Zellie in a way, within the pages of her book. You can discover what fueled her creative drive, and unearth what kind of stories she was put on this world to tell. She forever lives, breathes and dreams in Lightning Spliced. She will always be alive, thanks to her words and your imagination.
Your imagination — and generosity — will ensure Zellie’s story isn’t merely told, but experienced … which is the greatest honor any Writer can acheive.
If you have the means, please support cancer research and the release of Zellie’s book by buying a print or ebook edition of Lightning Spliced. If you insist on sampling the book before you buy, there are free audio and PDF excerpts available for your enjoyment.
For years, Zellie provided me with her unwavering support. And through her life and death, she also gave me a far greater gift — soul-stirring inspiration.
To Zell: Thank you.
And to you, reading this: Be the adventure you dream.
–J.C.
As a cancer survivor and writer, I’ll be happy to buy Zellie’s book and spread the word about it as well.
Thank you so much, J.C. Zellie would have loved this–she would have been so excited. For all of us left behind to mourn her loss, getting the word out about her book means the world. Lightning Spliced is Zellie’s legacy, and you are right–through the story she told she will never truly be gone.
That being said, I have to give credit where it it due. Although I organized the crane drive and strung them together, I was not personally responsible for folding one thousand cranes. That was the combined efforts of a ton of Zellie’s friends, and even strangers who heard about her and were inspired to help. The cranes on her umbrella come from all over the United States, some from Canada as well. I just wanted to let that be known.
Thank you again so much for everything you’ve done…I can see why you were Zellie’s hero.
Thanks for the lovely reply, Callie. I’ve amended the post to reflect the contributions of Zellie’s friends, re: the cranes. You and they are wonderful, generous people.
Thanks for the heads-up. You’re a mensch, JC, and the cranes are a lovely addition. I recall a song about the origami cranes, now I have to find it for you. It’s lovely, as was this lovely, sad story. I will be buying a copy and have RT’d your message to my paltry list. Go Eagle Go, now with real wings!
Thank you so much for this post, it made me smile and misty eye a few times. I met Zellie when I joined the writing group nearly a year ago and then went on to be a fellow Chimera with her and Callie. She was a wonderful friend, supporter, generous person who was an absolte ray of light in all things she did.
She would have been STOKED to read this and I like to think she knows how much love we are all putting into her legacy, Lightning Spliced. So I just wanted to thank you for your contribution through this blog honoring her (I don’t spell well in the mornings)for signing the pink crane and for being such an inspiration to her. Big Thanks!
I was finally just able to order “a real life paper copy” of her book for myself, so I can’t wait for that to get here. There’s still nothing quite like having a book in your hands, turning the pages, marking your progress with a folded page or a bookmark.
I can’t refer to Zellie in the past tense, though. She still IS supportive, and smiling, and inspiring. Her friends and fans do her service by carrying on her optimism, and by continuing to do what she supported them for.
And thanks for liking the bracelet, by the way. *grin*
Thank you so much, J.C., for doing this. Me and Zellie had long, long conversations about you…and we even listened to your Personal Effects podcast on the way back from Video Games Live in Augusta. She wanted huge, amazing things for you. She believed so much in your writing and really wanted to see you get the recognition and book sales you deserve. She was the most beautiful soul I ever knew and I’m so happy she got to touch your life in the way she’s touched every one else’s. This post would have made her so happy. So very, very happy…
Thanks for sharing that memory with me, Amanda. It means more to me than I’ll ever be able to express.
Hey J.C. I’m Zellie’s boyfriend, I just wanted to thank you for posting this blog about her, and helping us get the word out on her book. And also being a source of inspiration for her to stay motivated when she was trying to get her work noticed.
I remember during one of our long car rides together, we had a couple of your audio book downloaded and it kept us entertained for hours. I really liked your work, I think you did an excellent job recording them. It totally got her excited about recording some chapters of her book.
Also, after she recorded some chapters, she met the guys at http://supernumberone.libsyn.com/. They helped her a bunch with promotions, making songs and other things. They are going to dedicate the beginning of their next episode to Zellie, and feature a song she was working on with them. I think it would be nice to hear more people say great things about her.
Thank you again J.C. please please keep up the awesome work!
Thanks so much for the kind words, Chris. By every account I’ve read, you provided both wind and anchor for Zellie. Thanks for being there for her, and for your generosity.
Write often, and well – a decent mantra to have.
I never knew this woman, but by reading the posts and the many other items I have found through the links, she sounds like a helluva woman.
As far as we know, this is the only life we have, so we should live it. There’s no time for harboring resentment. holding grudges and being down. Live life, do what you do well, and if you have dreams or aspirations, then you better try and male them happen.
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WOW. Great post. Thanks for sharing it.
Wow. Thank you for sharing this writer’s story.