One person can make a difference—many will build a strong and thriving community. And one person can shatter a community, harming many and in some cases destroying the essence of their very breath, leaving their families and friends gasping.

 Such a person surfaced Saturday a.m. shortly after midnight in a dark theater in the community that Author U was seeded in—Aurora, Colorado—and what the media has labeled the Colorado Movie Massacre.

 Just five months ago, those words were used in another Blog. Once again, they are engaged, only this time, in reference to the Connecticut School Massacre.
It will fuel the news for weeks and months. This one deranged person has changed the lives of countless—adults, kids, families, friends—the community of Newtown within the state of Connecticut —as well as the rest of the country forever.
 This blog will be short. The purpose is to remind you, dear writer and author, of the power of your voice; the power of your words; the power of your opinion; and the power you have in helping others. We writers and authors must stay visible—to reach out to our communities when our voices and words can make the difference.

Those who have the gift of writing healing words need to come forth—get them out there.

Those who have the gift of sharing the stories of those lost lives need to come forth—seek them and share with others the beauty of those who died; those who are recovering; and those who helped so many through the shocking late hours of the dark night.

Those who have the gift of sharing with others ways in which to advise many on how they can help hurting family, friends, neighbors and strangers—come forth with your ideas so that we in turn can domino them.

A year ago, two of Author U’s members created a beautiful book that I told everyone I knew that they should have on their book shelf. I gave it as gifts. It is the type of book that is perfect now for anyone living in Connecticut—for anyone wanting to reach out to those who live in Connecticut. When Crisis Strikes: What to Do, What to Say, How to Help by Allidah Hicks and Bonnie Kunti highlights hundreds of ideas on how anyone—from close loved ones to perfect strangers—can say, “I care.”

A black cloud has enveloped the beautiful state of Connecticut and a small urban community. It has so much to enjoy and embrace. All of us in the Author U community cares … please care with your words … they can, and do, make the difference.

Judith Briles is the Authoring and Publishing Expert and known as The Book Shepherd. She’s the Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of Author U, a membership organization created for the author who wants to be seriously successful. Judith has been writing about and conducting workshops on publishing since the 80s. She’s the author of 30 books including Show Me About Book Publishing, co-written with John Kremer and Rick Frishman and a speaker at publishing conferences throughout the country. Her next audio and guidebook series, Author YOU: Creating and Building Your Book and Author Platforms will be available in the Spring of 2012. Join Judith live on Thursdays at 6 p.m. EST for Your Guide to Book publishing on the www.RockStarRadioNetwork.com. Follow @AuthorU and @MyBookShepherd on Twitter and do a “Like” at AuthorU and

  If you are looking for FREE author and book coaching … call in to Judith’s Author Monday Mornings at NOON Eastern each Monday. The number is 218-632-9854; Access Code 1239874444 … have your questions ready–there’s a full hour to ask and listen.