Sunday, April 29, 2018

Wyatt-MacKenzie signs Taylor Dayne memoir for Late Fall 2018


SHOWTIME! I remember when I first saw this ad. Now I love it even more, crossing generations with this jam... 



So, when I saw the subject line of an agent email, the air left my lungs in one whoooosh. Time stopped and my inner ears began to itch. It was from an NYC agency: “Taylor Dayne inspiring memoir.” That was late November, and I immediately scheduled a call, which was with the agent, joined by other agents, Taylor’s fantastic manager, and I believe some quiet executive assistants. I made it through the “first round” interview, and a call with Taylor was scheduled in December. I’m sure my voice was quivering, but I tried to focus on how I was the right woman at the right time for this book, meanwhile my inner 20-year-old was jumping up and down and screaming. When I heard Taylor laugh, I felt like I had scaled the mountain.

I had no idea how many other publishers were being pitched. Months went by and I had almost convinced myself that it wasn’t going to happen when an email from her manager came in with “Call me” in the subject. I did. Two months later, after I danced with all of the legal eagles and the literary agents, in late April I received the signed contract.

Here’s the deal announcement. Just wow.

Grammy-nominated pop icon Taylor Dayne’s memoir, TELL IT TO MY HEART: How I Lost My $#*T, Conquered My Fear, and Found My Voice; is about a little Jewish girl from Long Island, Leslie Joy Wunderman, who made it against the odds, sold over 75 million records, worked with Michael Jackson, Elton John, and Whitney Houston, and is now on her 30th-Anniversary Tour; a parable of female self-empowerment which captures Taylor’s life growing up in a blue-collar home, becoming a chart-topping musician circumnavigating the globe, rediscovering faith and traditions, and being a single-mother of twins by choice, to Nancy Cleary at Wyatt-MacKenzie, by Todd Shuster at Aevitas Creative Management in association with Konrad Leh of Creative Talent Group (World English).

Here’s Taylor’s TED TALK from last year, which made my dizzy with full-circle moments. She talks about finding our unique talent, something you create and share with others. She says, “I planted my seeds, as my life purpose rooted, I was recognized, and success came.” Uhm... yes... like, right now.



And on a really funny personal note, she says when describing a man, “Give me Brad in ‘Legends of The Fall’.” My heart fluttered. Hey, I got him! To me, Wyatt and MacKenzie’s father was just that. At the 1993 Deadwood Rodeo he walked around like he owned the place, tight jeans with a Copenhagen ring, beat-to-hell Tony Lama boots, and I’d be damned if he didn’t have a crooked grin when he tipped his dirty Stetson at me. Lordy.

My heartstrings snapped, though, at Taylor’s words, “Where is my hero?”

Here’s a video with Taylor’s Billboard Hits... was it the soundtrack to part of your life? TELL IT TO MY HEART will be available in Nov/Dec 2018.