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Cea Sunrise Person

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The Family We Choose: An Ode to Friends

March 15, 2014 • 6 Comments

Yesterday, as I added my book trailer to my Facebook page, I reflected on the collaborative effort it took to create it. The fact is, if it weren’t for my friends, this project wouldn’t have seen the light of day.

I’m one of those people who doesn’t like to spend money on services. I need a website? I buy the software and figure out how to build one. The basement needs to be drywalled? I drive to Home Depot and corral the sheetrock salesman. So I thought making a short, snappy, enticing trailer for my book would be a breeze. Wrong. After a month of toiling on amateur software, trying to do voiceovers while the kids screamed in the background, and badgering my husband to interview me on camera “just one more time”, I finally produced a piece that rose just slightly above the point of being embarrassing. The first person I showed it to was my close friend Shannon, because as an in-demand reality TV producer (Dr. Phil, The Real Housewives, Love it or List it, etc), I knew she’d be discerning. And discerning she was. After sitting through it quietly, she turned to me and said sweetly, “Um…it’s good. But you know, this is what I do, so…” Right. She promptly offered to help me, and a week later I was sitting on a chair being interviewed by her under her Director of Photography husband’s amazing lighting. Between the two of them, they managed to make me look like I was telling all for 20/20. Bless their talented souls, and talk about true friends.

Next up was editing. Feeling like I’d taken up enough of Shannon and Josh’s time, I assured them I’d have no problem putting it all together on iMovie. Two weeks later, the result looked like some bush-league chop-job done by a talent-free film student. Shedding my pride, I showed my masterpiece to my amazing friend Nicole, actor and voiceover artist extraordinaire. She smiled politely and offered to run it by it to her husband (and my friend) Chris, a super-talented film editor and music composer. “It’s good!” he said brightly on the phone that evening. “It’s just that, well, this is what I do, so…” Right. Once again, my butt was saved when he swooped in, took over my files, rejigged them and laid down his awesome music in the background. Add Nicole’s voiceover coaching, and the end result is something I am truly proud of.

Many times over the years, I have been humbled by my friends’ generosity. There’s my longest-time girl Carleigh, who befriended me on my first day of fifth grade and has stood by me through some of my worst moments. She and her husband even gave me their second car for six months after I got divorced and was flat broke; how’s that for true friendship? And then there’s Heather, a modeling compatriot from when I first arrived in Europe, who took me under her wing and taught me to spread my own–one of the first people who I felt truly believed in me. Suzana, another modeling bestie who used to look after my cat whenever I went out of town, and who now flies halfway across the globe to visit me and fawn over my children. Jenn, who helped me close a business deal just days after I met her when she learned how desperately I needed it at the time. Dianne, who took an interest in my book and wouldn’t let me give up, introducing me to people who were key to my getting it published. Wendy, Traci, Tracy, Tracey, Susan, Cynthia, Janet, Amanda B, Amanda T, Debra, Lisa, Meghan, Jenny, Michelle…the list goes on and on. Each of these amazing women, and many more who are either new to my world or were once a bigger part of my daily life, have contributed the most generous gift there is: their time and conversational skills.

Which brings me to this: if you are one of these friends and are reading this now, I want you to know that I appreciate your support at this time in my life more than ever. As I stand just weeks away from achieving my lifelong dream of publishing my book, I ask you to please forgive my temporary self-involved state–my book, my life, blah blah blah… It’s not like me, you all know that, but this is my year and I have to live this wholly and completely. You all are the family I always wished to have.

Okay, now enough about you and back to me. Here’s the book trailer:

Imaget

I don’t take near enough pics of my friends. Here’s one from a couple years back.

xoxo Cea

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  1. Wendy McDevitt says

    March 15, 2014 at 4:01 pm

    Man, you have a lot to be proud of. Well spoken, composed, beautiful. You rock Cea Person! XO

    Reply
    • ceaperson says

      March 18, 2014 at 5:38 pm

      I love you Wendy McDevitt!!

      Reply
  2. Hello Dollface (@HiDollface) says

    March 18, 2014 at 5:02 pm

    Really good! I’m almost done with the book and its so good. I cannot even believe the childhood you had!

    Reply
    • ceaperson says

      March 18, 2014 at 5:39 pm

      Thank you so much, that really means so much! Thank you for reading… 🙂

      Reply
  3. David Barnes says

    July 17, 2014 at 2:14 am

    I am just now finishing my read of your book. I have cried a few times. That means you write with grace and excellence of heart, and your heart touches my heart deeply. It is wonderful to know you are in the world, and so your strong and tender heart is in the world, and also your keen and perceptive mind, and this is helpful to all of us. I was born in Barkerville in 1950. I lived in a tent, and then in a ghost town, and now the whole world is my home. Humble beginnings. Grateful for the simple things of this amazing life. Grateful for your Story. Part of the One Great Story we live and share on this green and golden globe. Blessings. Go with care. db

    Reply
    • ceaperson says

      July 17, 2014 at 2:46 am

      Very well said, David. I see parallels in our lives, which were often not easy times. Thank you for sharing in my journey and reaching out to me. Cea

      Reply

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Welcome to my space! I’m a wife, mother of three, and author living in Vancouver. My bestselling memoirs North of Normal and Nearly Normal (HarperCollins) relate my experience being raised in the wilderness with my counterculture family and then going on to a modeling career at age 13. I am currently at work on my first novel. I must warn you that I am a sporadic, infrequent blogger, but I do get to it now and then. Thank you for checking in! xo Cea

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