From Deathbed to Conference Speaker

"It looked and sounded like you were drowning." Dr. Christian Sherrill, Premier Chiropractic and Pilates

Speaking at my October 19 Writers Conference gig was far-flung California Dreaming.

“You looked and sounded like you were drowning,” Dr. Christian Sherrill, my chiropractor and a gifted healer, recently said. “It’s a remarkable turnaround. You look great.”

I do? “Thanks, doc.”

The hacking nighttime cough and shortness of breath from the fluid buildup in my left lung (caused by stage 4 cancer) peaked this past summer after slowly progressing for two years. Betsy said it sounded like I was coughing into a nightclub’s house microphone. Thankfully, the neighbors never complained.

The life-threatening pleural effusion fluid flow made a miraculous getaway but left twisted knots of tension in the muscles from the bottom of my spine to the top of my neck. Between my back and the neuropathy (a nerve disorder and permanent side effect from thirty-five radiation treatments in 2012), my pain level is an eight, 24x7.

Persistent pain pisses me off and somehow pushes me to excel in my creative projects. It’s a mysterious, welcomed phenomenon. During this past summer's most brutal weeks, I could continue writing for several hours daily and watched plenty of PGA golf and the Paris Olympics on our 70” TV—My perfect holistic pain relievers.

The Mt. Diablo branch of California Writers Club reached out in late August and asked me to speak on September 14.

I believe I can do this. I accepted. I know I can……. I think.

I did it!

Driving for more than half an hour had been torture. On September 14, the two-hour round trip to Pleasant Hill and back to Woodland was like old times—getting fired up listening to Phish and the Grateful Dead, with creative ideas materializing too fast to remember.

My presentation was fun and enriching in front of many accomplished, interested, and ambitious writers. I hooked them immediately when my PowerPoint played one of my speaker reel films featuring several celebrities I’d worked with amongst the hundreds of films I produced for Silicon Valley tech companies and organizations from 1990 until 2018.

Video from the last 5 seconds of my talk.

I believe my October 19 speaking gig is going to happen💪

Sonoma Writers Conference, the 12^th biennial. Hosted by Redwood Writers—the largest chapter of the California Writers Club.

Register here

Shawn Langwell, director of the 2024 Sonoma Writers Conference, told me via Zoom, “I’m excited to rub shoulders with Jeff Goins and Ralph Scott and have them teach us how to incorporate marketing into our writing.

Jordan Rosenfeld will present a unique workshop to give a crash course in writing strong, powerful scenes—the essential building blocks of great fiction and memoir.”

“That sounds awesome, Shawn. What about Chris Hennessy?” I asked, smirking.

He chuckled, “We’re thrilled you’re able to speak, Chris, and looking forward to witnessing you knock it out of the park.”

“Thanks so much, Shawn. It’s an honor to be included in your meaty lineup.”

Shawn concluded, “This is a ton of work, but absolutely worth our efforts.”

The Sonoma Writers Conference is a must-attend if you're a Norcal writer.

And in the end

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My ten-year journey writing Touched by Hannah is near completion.

Cecil Murphey, my writing mentor, is a retired author whose books have sold over twenty million copies. “Pen & Purpose Newsletter” includes informative articles from six of Cec’s proteges,’ including yours truly.

Happy Halloween video from Chris.