Well, this week is the week for me. I am hopping on a jet plane (with a bit of medicinal help) to attend the Biographer’s Conference in Boston. I will have a one page proposal in hand, all set to meet with an agent. Oh yes, I will also be there to network, and take some interesting classes too!
I have been asked over the years why write about the New Monkees? And I have wrestled with this question myself. After all they are not the Monkees, their show didn’t do well, so why all this attention on them? What will it all matter anyway? The potential market may be small, and they are dated (Truman Capote’s cardinal rule: don’t pick a story that will date).
Well, you could say that. You could say they should be forgotten, but even with them, even with their 5 minutes of fame, a universal story presented itself. The age old triumph over adversity story, Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey and all that. That story visible beneath the surface of failed TV show. A story of friendship. A story of brotherhood.
Why do I write this? Well, it is my journey too and it is inspiring to others. It is evident in the people I talk to. Students, friends, strangers, who hear what I am doing. Those who may have heard about the New Monkees sometime in their life (it happened today!) but when they hear me talk about it, their face lights up and they say, “I want to read your book!!!” Although I love it when they also ask themselves, “What do I really want to do with my life?”
Like those 4 guys over 30 years ago, like the Monkees that preceded them over 50 years ago, and like me now. It is the ultimate story of the little guy chasing a dream, and what happens when that dream becomes reality. People love that story, the triumphs and the losses. Why? Well, because everyone at one time or another sees themselves as the little guy. The one to root for. It gives folks permission to dream their own dreams, and for some to act on their dreams.
So think a good thought for this crazy blonde hurtling towards Boston in a couple days living out her dream, and may it inspire you to live out yours. 
Amy Collen 