I love a good story, I always have.

The story of Red Thread Publishing & how it got its name.

My grandfather raised me on Greek myths. One of my favorites has always been Theseus & the Minotaur: the one with the labyrinth & the monster & the guy that has to slay the beast to save the girl. You know that story.

It never ceases to amaze me or even our favorite stories leave some of the best parts out. A great book that fills in so many of the delicious missing tidbits is Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Women Who Run with Wolves. She retails the stories that you grew up with but includes the bits that were too scandalous, too delicious, too insidious, or too empowering to make it into the Grimm's Fairy Tales which are pretty rough as it is. 

While I was heartbroken & titillated to discover that I had only understood half of one of my favorite stories. Here's the part of the story that's usually overlooked:

The way that Theseus managed to navigate the labyrinth, in order to kill the Minotaur & safely emerge was because of a woman. She was the daughter of the king (& in my favorite telling of the story) she accompanied him to the edge of the labyrinth.  Wanting him to be successful, she realized he needed a way to navigate the maze. She looked down &she saw a thread hanging from her red dress. She pulled at the thread until she stood there before him naked. He used that red thread, having it tied around his finger to help him safely out of the maze.

How much fun is that? How come it was left out?

Red Thread Publishing helps you navigate the maze.

Red Thread leaves you bare before your demons & your loved ones. Red Thread helps you come out on the other side unscathed. But maybe, most importantly, Red Thread tells the part of the story that has been left out.

When I work with new authors there are so many obstacles, doubts & fears to navigate. It's easy to get lost in the mess. But the stories these women come to tell have strength & life of their own. These authors need fortification. We need tools &  strength to excavate our souls & share what needs to be shared, to uncover the missing piece the part of humanity that has laid dormant.

One of the exercises I share, asks each woman to put aside the doubts that who am I & what if & how dare I? These are common & real fears; but they will get the better of you if you let them.

Exercise: we ask women to deeply connect with the story itself, as if it is alive, a creature unto itself.  Then I ask them to visualize all the people on the planet who need to know this creature, read this story, experience this wisdom, & gain these tools. I invite them to connect each of these readers to their story with a tiny thin Red Thread.  Connecting with countless people that will likely never meet, never know, never understand how what we shared impacted them. Really grounding in the infinite-ness of this creation act.

I've said it before, I say it all the time; writing a book is the truest act of love & faith I know.

This exercise can ground us in this fact that we are already connected to the people who will someday read our story somewhere around the world-- maybe well after we die someone can pick up your book read it, learn it & have a unique & potentially life-changing experience.

Red Thread has so many meanings. It's our tether to help us navigate the maze that would otherwise kill us. It is that unraveling that we must do for ourselves. It is our safety when all hope seems lost & it's that which connects us with countless souls, allowing for us to tell the missing piece of the story --both for ourselves & for humanity as a whole. Not too bad, huh?

All the while we don't take ourselves too seriously. 

We support women with the emotional & logistics of writing & publishing... so they can be successful & become the heroines of  their own stories. 

If you have questions and want support strategizing the back-end of your book or any other writing or publishing questions, book a call. I, or one of my team, will take the time to help you as best we can. 

Learn about our books & Authors. 

Connect with your host, Sierra Melcher, here or on https://linktr.ee/integralwomen & learn more about redthreadbooks.com

Photo Credit: https://unsplash.com/@timroosjen