An executive vice president of merchandising for HSN

HSN on Friday will begin a 72-hour sell-a-thon The book, which sold 7 million copies after receiving the Midas touch of Oprah Winfrey, follows Gilbert as she travels the world for a year piecing together her life after a divorce and rebuilding it into something she wants instead of the life she is expected to have.The story resonated with Ronon."I felt like I was living the book," she says. "It was amazing how many people gave me a copy."

Ronon now works in St. Petersburg as an executive vice president of merchandising for HSN, formerly known as Home Shopping Network. So when an opportunity came for HSN to partner with Sony Pictures for the Aug. 13 release of the movie based on the book, Ronon had a vision for how to reach the millions of women in her viewing audience who had read it.

HSN on Friday will begin a 72-hour sell-a-thon of merchandise themed to the book and movie's exotic locations. The event, which includes 20 of HSN's partners and brands, highlights more than 400 red items across home decor, travel, beauty, electronics, cooking, accessories and ready-to-wear categories.