What Happens When a Story Finds Its Legs: The Forgotten Briefcase

Joseph Perrulli called me in early 2025.

I knew him. I didn’t know his story. Not this one.

By the time we got off that call, I knew two things: this was bigger than a book, and I was going to do everything I could to help him bring it into the world.

So I did what I do. I made introductions. A publishing team. A publicist. A production company. And something happened that I honestly wasn’t expecting — every single person I brought to this project responded the same way: I want to be part of this. No hesitation. No lengthy pitch required. The story did the work.

That’s rare. In two decades of making connections and watching projects come together, that kind of immediate, unanimous response doesn’t happen often. When it does, you pay attention.

The Intentionality Behind It

One of the things I’ve come to deeply respect about Joseph through this process is something I didn’t fully see until we were in the middle of it. He doesn’t have a single ego bone in his body.

He was intentional — genuinely, thoughtfully intentional — about wanting women at the center of bringing this book to life. Because the story touches on DV. And he understood, without anyone having to tell him, that it needed to be held by people who would treat that with care.

He put himself in our hands. And he has continued to show up that way, every step of the way.

Rebecca, his wife, has been his steady partner through every step of this process. According to Joseph, she’s the one who encouraged him to finally tell this story after thirty years of silence. She is quietly extraordinary, and this book would not exist without her.

Today Is the Day

The Forgotten Briefcase is available for purchase on Amazon today. And today also happens to be the day People Magazine runs their feature on Joseph and the book.

What started as a conversation about whether a story could find a publisher has become something none of us fully anticipated when that first call came in.

That’s what happens when a story is real. It doesn’t need to be sold. It just needs to be heard.

If you haven’t read my full piece on why this story matters, start there. Then come back and grab your copy.

Some Stories Deserve to Be Told:

The Forgotten Briefcase by Joseph T. Perrulli. Available on Amazon now .