Marketplace » Books » An interview with Joanne Helfrich on her book: The Cellophane Prophecy: A Misadventure
By Wildfire Media, May 22, 2006.
Wildfire recently spoke with Joanne Helfrich (a.k.a. J. K. Greenfield) about her wickedly funny sendup of New Age bestseller and movie The Celestine Prophecy. You can purchase an autographed copy of The Cellophane Prophecy: A Misadventure is from Marketplace » Books.
So, Jo, are you going to see The Celestine Prophecy movie?
I might, but then I’ll probably need to reread my book as the antidote!
What inspired you to write The Cellophane Prophecy?
I had a lot of reasons for writing it, but my inspiration came from a dream that I woke from in the middle of the night. In the dream I was in a grocery store and there was this giant display of bananas, and they were glowing.
You were inspired by a dream about glowing bananas?
Yes, and I even remember my thought processes as I came out of the dream. My next thought was, “Well, if you stare at something long enough, it will glow.” And then I thought, “If someone were to write a parody about The Celestine Prophecy, that could be one of the manuscripts.” I’d recently read Celestine so it was fresh on my mind. And then I thought, “I write parody! I could do that!” And I got out of bed and started writing. For a few weeks after that, I’d automatically wake up at around 2 a.m. and get up and write until it was finished. I found the time in a way I’d never considered. It was quite magical.
What kind of parody had you written at that point?
I’d done a lot of things for fun. When I worked at a hotel in Philadelphia, we had a girl band that would sing parodies for our coworkers when they left. We were the “Ettes” and we stuck that on the ends of the last names of the people who were leaving… the Smithettes the Kraftettes and so on. I wrote the songs. They were funny in a “roast” kind of way and I typically based them on sixties Motown songs. Then later on, when friends of mine got married in a conservative Jewish wedding, I wrote a parody of the wedding text. They laughed until they cried. It was very encouraging.
How did you find a publisher?
I sent some letters out and a year went by and no takers. I considered self-publishing and bought some books and looked into it. It seemed doable, and I got to the point where one day I was looking at a spreadsheet with amounts of books and costs to see how, if I did it, what amounts I’d get printed and my break-even points. Looking at it, I thought that if I did it, I’d get 1100 copies printed. Eleven is my favorite number and it seemed like a good amount to get. Then I thought, naw, I probably won’t do it, and went to get some lunch. As I drove out of the parking lot, I noticed that the car in front of me had the license plate AMT1100! The gods had spoken! So I went ahead and published it.
What a great example of synchronicity! That’s very much along the lines of what The Celestine Prophecy is about. Did you like the book?
I read it at the urging of a colleague who said I just had to read it, but I was disappointed. There were some good ideas in it, like the idea of synchronicity, and people were ready for that. It’s an important concept that is spiritual in nature and relatively free of religious dogma. James Redfield tapped into what people needed, and I give him credit for it. I also learned in the process how difficult it is to write a book.
What was your problem with Celestine?
My main criticism is that there’s virtually no humor in it. Having grown up Catholic and with all of the seriousness that goes along with that, I rebel against the idea that things that are spiritual can’t be funny.
How did people who loved The Celestine Prophecy respond to Cellophane?
They hated me! I took it to a New Age fair shortly after its release and got a lot of “I don’t like you making fun of that.” People hold it as sacrosanct. They especially didn’t like the buttons I used to promote it, “Don’t be a Stuck-Up New Age Twit.” If the shoe fits… .
It sounds like that wasn’t your audience.
True, and looking back, that’s what I needed to find out. I wrote Cellophane as a response to the pluralistic New Age audience that often embraces the trappings of spirituality without any great discernment… crystals, mantras, and so on. Not that those things can’t be valuable, they can be, but they’re often used in very superficial ways. Entering that pluralistic stage, people typically try to escape their religions but they hang on to the same old beliefs. They just dress them in new clothing, replacing God with the Universe as the source of creation completely outside themselves, for example. Many don’t want to do, or aren’t ready to do, the challenging, transformative work. That’s fine, it’s just where they’re at. But I must admit I enjoy shaking them up a little, being the contrarian!
Did you find your audience?
Thank God yes! Soon after Cellophane’s release in 1996, Paul and I attended our first SethNet Conference in New Haven, Connecticut, and it sold like gangbusters. Every other person there bought one. It felt great! I realized why I’d done it in the first place—to find my audience. I’m still writing for that audience through NewWorldView. I have a friend I met during that time who wore my “Don’t be a Stuck-Up Twit” button on the inside of his jacket for years just so he knew it was there! That means so much to me. It’s wonderful when people connect with what you do, especially when you’re working hard to get it out there.
It sounds like you enjoy making people laugh. How important is humor in your work?
It’s critical, especially because I consider humor Divine. When we can laugh about things, it heals us, and helps us gain a little more perspective and acceptance. But it can’t be used indiscriminately. Writing humor for me is like using medicine because it needs to be applied at the right time, place, and in the right quantities. Not all of my work is humorous because it can get in the way when I’m trying to explain complex things. But when applied correctly, it can work wonders in relating new or complex ideas.
What is your vision of success?
I love to hear that people connect with my work. And because I, and many people, are putting some wonderful ideas out there, I would like all of us to reach wider audiences. My biggest dream is to get my plays performed, particularly my musicals because combined with the humor and ideas, I think they would provide transcendent experiences for people. I’d also really like to hear that someone peed their pants laughing at my humor. I’d consider that a great honor.