The Story of Parachute Jump Publishing

“22 Books and Counting!“

It was the day before my 41st birthday.  I sat in my oncologist’s office at Sloan Kettering Hospital, being told that I had triple negative stage 2 breast cancer.

“Right now you have a 50% chance of it recurring,” my doctor said, “but if you do the whole chemotherapy and radiation treatment for 8 months then there’s only a 25% chance of recurrence.”

25%? I thought.  Maybe I shouldn’t try this toxic treatment then.

But she continued, “We need to be really aggressive, because if a cell spreads to a different area then it’ll be incurable.  That’s why we want to get it all now.” 

The words incurable bobbed in my head.

My next thought I had was that I barely had time as it was.  I had two kids under 4 (one who had a genetic disorder), I worked full time, lived 90 minutes from the city and was trying to write a book!  Now they wanted me to do a lumpectomy, 8 chemotherapy treatments and 6 weeks of daily radiation, while working!  I had no time for cancer.  No thanks, I’ll pass!

But obviously I got over that delusion and began my treatment.  I took a walk on the beach and asked myself some of the big questions like, ‘Did I do what I came here to do? How was my life?’  At least the answer came back positive.

I loved and was loved and I’d accomplished most of what I wanted to create.  I wanted to marry my soul mate.  I wanted to have a boy and a girl and buy an apartment on the beach.  I’d wanted to do work I loved and publish a book.  Check, check, check, check.

But then I heard my Higher Self say, ‘Yes, you’ve lived the life that you set out to live but you still have 22 books to write!  This is your legacy.’  Of course I thought, ’22 books!  Are you kidding?’  It sounded exhausting but I knew it was true.  My family complained when I’d written one book because it took lots of time and didn’t bring in much income.  Nonetheless, your soul doesn’t care about stuff like that.

So, I continued writing my second dating book, ‘When Mars Women Date’ while I had my lumpectomy and began my chemotherapy.  My motto became, ‘My mission is stronger than my cancer.’

One thing that changed with my writing was that since I’d been given a soul’s directive, I no longer had time to waste.  I didn’t know what cancer had planned or how long I’d be here.  Before I sent out a few sample chapters out to agents with no response and even sending it out to publishers seemed largely out of my control.  So instead, I decided to take it all into my own hands and self-publish.  I’d start my own publishing company and put my books out there myself!  I knew that they’d reach the right people and I’d do my part to fulfill my soul’s mission.  This realization felt like a relief, even though I had much work ahead.  I had no idea how to publish a book (much less 22) but I was certain I’d figure it out.  And, if this was my divine purpose, I knew I’d be shown the way.

I decided to call my publishing company Parachute Jump Publishing because Coney Island had always been a place of dreams for me.  I’d lived near there for 8 years now, right by the ocean.  I was in love with the area.  I’d walk the beach all the way to the Parachute Jump, which I dubbed the Brooklyn Eiffel Tower.  When I first moved there I was single at 33 and I’d walk to the Parachute Jump and think about meeting my husband and starting a family.  This was also when I wrote and published my first dating book, ‘Dating from the Inside Out’ and my dream to become a published author with Simon & Schuster came true.

Then I dated my husband, a fellow therapist.  We courted in the area and he proposed next to the Parachute Jump, the night our mayor lit it up and there were fireworks.  At 36 I walked there, hoping to get pregnant naturally, which happened on our first try with our son Noble.  I did the same thing for our daughter and got pregnant with Sera at the age of 39.  So walking to the Parachute Jump became a sort of Spiritual pilgrimage.  Maybe I superstitiously imparted it with secret powers for co-creating my dreams.  Magical thinking, I know, yet we all need some harmless magic in our lives from time to time.

So now that I am starting this new venture it seemed fun to name my company after the Parachute Jump.  These books come from love, passion and inspiration and Parachute Jump Publishing’s motto is ‘Books that inspire you to love more.’ They will be about loving yourself more, improving your relationships, fulfilling your dreams, expressing your truth and living authentically.  So far there are 21 books to choose from.  Enjoy! Please help me spread the word and provide enthusiasm and encouragement for this project.  I so appreciate your help and partnership!  Happy reading!

My Best in Love,

Paulette

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For more details about Parachute Jump Publishing, check out my latest blog addition “History of the Parachute Jump: The Brooklyn Eiffel Tower!“

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Left is a bookshelf my husband put up to hold my books and albums as they come into the world.  I’ll update the photo as each book gets published, please check out the “Book” section of this website for more details.