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publicly rubbed in her face. She subsequently weathered a financial fiasco. But, the recovery made her a better author and mentor. "The great shock of my life was when I found out my husband was cheating on me and that I was going to lose our home. I had no choice but to put myself out into the world. In my chaos, the only answer I had was to expand and reach out. I was scared, but I crawled to the one area I always felt safe— Carmel." Sivertsen may have crawled, but wanna-be writers (as well as established ones) ran to join her in this cozy hamlet by the sea. The first year, 2009, Sivertsen held two retreats. The following year, four. She's now found the happy medium of six to seven workshops a year, almost always sold out, despite a steep price tag that would buy some people a car; the all-inclusive retreats are $10,000 a pop. Sivertsen justifies the cost by pointing out how much of her own writing—and all of her ghostwriting—she puts on hold for her clients. "I had the experience and connections writers needed, and their goals became mine. Nobody flies around the world and takes a week of their life and invests in their dreams in this way unless they're up to something big. World-chang- ing stuff. These writers are ready. Ready to be seen. To share. To catapult. They just need a champion. Connections. A tribe." They come from everywhere and every walk of life—CEO's, famous recording artists, healers, mothers, even a highly successful colle- giate football coach. They spend Monday through Friday with their mentor, and focus intensely on writing and its business aspects. Sivertsen jokes that many hem and haw at first, insisting they aren't "joiners," or girls' girls. "The women who show up to my retreats are nurturing, terrified, wonderful, big-hearted, talent- ed, and exhausted. While here, they don't cook, do a dish, or make a bed. And, they're instantly fin- ishing each other's sentences." Sequestered, like a jury, in a rented house in Carmel Highlands, Sivertsen massages the best work out of each writer, with nary an errand, chore or child in sight. She helps score book deals for many of these writers when they return home, as part of the price of admission. The publishing results speak for themselves; two New York Times bestsellers were brokered after the same retreat. Sivertsen deflects credit, saying it was the authors' "time." As for men, they're welcomed occasionally, often sent by a spouse looking for an unusual, rewarding expe- rience. Sivertsen says, ironically and charmingly, the men always cry more than the women during a week of rawness and vulnerability. Sivertsen knows the struggle of balancing moth- erhood and a career. She managed to keep her C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • H O L I D A Y 2 0 1 7 147 An exuberant Sivertsen dedicates her all to those who attend the retreats, whether sharing her love of writing or of Carmel's natural beauty. Photo: Caroline Harrison Photo: Shelley Paxton