Top 5 Reasons Ellen Should Have Me On Her Show

1.     I mention Ellen and her show 13 times in my novel, LEFT NEGLECTED.  Having me on her show would be a great way to thank me in person.

2.     Portia would be amazing as Sarah Nickerson in the movie.

3.     Oprah’s not the only one who reads.

4.     Like Ellen, my mission is to not only entertain, but to also educate and connect people through gained understanding, sensitivity, and empathy.

5.     If she doesn’t want to talk about my book, we could always discuss my three-year-old son’s youtube video, Dog Poopy in My Pocket.

Tantrums in Sacred Spaces

I've listened to a lot of writers talk about having "sacred spaces" for writing.  Places that are pristine, quiet, beautiful.  I always listen, nod, and smile.

If you've been to one of my talks or follow me on Facebook, you know I write at Starbucks.  It's noisy and busy, and people know I write here now, so there's usually a distraction or two or four.  The table I'm at now is wobbly, and the chair isn't ergonomically designed to protect my lumbar spine.  But I love it here.  It's my sacred space.

I write at Starbucks instead of in my beautiful home office because if I write at home, I end up not writing.  Ethan (3) will ask me to fix the wheel on one of his trucks, Stella (10 months) will press her pudgy face up against the glass of the French doors and cry for me, Alena (11) will come in and want to chat about jump rope or school or the funny thing she just thought about.  And I can't resist any of it.  Or I'll think, "I really should throw in a load of laundry," or "I have bills to pay," or "I wonder if we have any chocolate?"

So I write at Starbucks.

And the Starbucks nearest me is tucked inside a Stop & Shop.  With a book deadline, three kids, two in diapers, and one drinking formula, this basically means I'm here ALL THE TIME.  Seriously, how many of you hug and kiss the woman who checks out your groceries?  I do because I feel like I know her that well.

I was here this weekend with all three kids because I needed to pick up food for dinner.  To make the chore more fun for Alena and Ethan, I told them I'd get them a treat at Starbucks.  I knew Alena would want an iced chai (like her mom), and Ethan would want an apple fritter.  He's obsessed with them.

So we're in line, and for no reason whatsoever, Ethan winds up and slaps Alena.  We still don't know why he committed this crime.  I'm blaming systemic testosterone.  Toxic stuff.

I said, "Ethan, you can't hit Alena.  Tell her you're sorry."

He stared at me.  No way.  Not happening.

"Okay, Ethan, that's not a good choice.  You hit her, and you won't say sorry.  You're not getting a fritter.  You sure about this?"

No apology.

Alena gets her iced chai, Ethan gets nothing.  Ethan then throws the biggest tantrum Starbucks and Stop & Shop have ever seen.  As he was losing his mind on the floor of Starbucks, I actually laughed to myself, thinking, "There's no screaming in my sacred space!"

I snapped this photo of him in the produce aisle:

I'm in Starbucks now, writing in my imperfect yet sacred space.  And everyone here is still talking about the tantrum...

Still Alice, still going!

My books feel in some ways like my children (so far, I've given birth to 3 babies and 2 books).  Each one is unique, I love them all, and you'd better watch out if you have anything bad to say about any of them (well, I understand that not all reviewers and readers are going to love all of my books, but they're not allowed to say anything mean about my kids!).

And even though I have no favorites, there's a special place in my heart for the first one, both child and book.  I didn't know what the heck I was doing with either one (as a mother or an author), and I'm eternally grateful to both of them for bumping their way into this world and into my life, however ungraceful and ignorant I was in guiding them here.

This week I received phenomenal news about STILL ALICE, my firstborn book.  STILL ALICE won the Bexley 2011 Book of the Year award!  More than two years after its publication date, I couldn't be more proud!

Because this distinction is awarded from England, I thought I'd share with you some of the UK STILL ALICE covers (the different covers are like showing people pictures of your baby dressed in different outfits).


Here's the original UK cover concept that was rejected:

And the original UK paperback that was released in March 2009:

And the STILL ALICE paperback released in the UK a year later, the copy on the stands there now:

Cute, huh?


Thank you so much for choosing STILL ALICE as the 2011 Bexley Book of the Year.  I'm truly honored and thrilled! Thank you for reading STILL ALICE and for using the book as a vehicle to discuss Alzheimer's.  So many people are afraid to talk about Alzheimer's.  It's incredibly rewarding to know that readers are braving this scary topic and coming away with a better understanding of this disease, the people who live with it, and that we are more than what we can remember.


Again, so proud.  Now off to pay some attention to my third "baby,"  LOVE ANTHONY....

Australia Book Tour 2011: Most Memorable Moments

Meeting Christine and Paul Bryden in Brisbane (see previous post).

Fireworks over the river during dinner in Brisbane, arranged just for me by my publicist (not really, but we had front row seats and no knowledge that this would be happening--we were delighted!).

The complete, circular rainbow my husband and I saw at the top of the Harbor Bridge.  It was huge and breathtaking, and it encircled the Opera House. I don't have a photo for you because Bridge Climb Sydney doesn't allow anyone to carry cameras on the climb (my poor photographer husband was beside himself--missing the best photo opportunity of his life!).

The many times I was stumped by the accent.  And I grew up with a THICK Boston accent, so this surprises me a bit.  Let me give you an example:  At a book signing in Perth, a reader told me her name and handed me her copy of LEFT NEGLECTED.  I looked up at her, stumped.  She said her name again.  I asked her to repeat it.  I still couldn't make out what she was saying.  I finally asked her to spell it:  "Sue."  (She's from New Zealand.)

Koalas, caramel and real.

Fish and chips on Watson's Bay.

My beautiful publicist, Anabel.  Thank you for a most memorable and amazing tour and for taking such good care of us!

Christine Bryden

I had a book event in Sydney last week and was talking about STILL ALICE and the Dementia Advocacy & Support Network International (DASNI).  And because I was in Sydney, I mentioned Christine Bryden.  Christine was one of the founding members of DASNI and one of the amazingly generous people who shared with me what it's like to live with dementia while I was writing STILL ALICE.  Christine was diagnosed with Alzheimer's when she was 46 years old.  She wrote two incredible books, WHO WILL I BE WHEN I DIE?  and DANCING WITH DEMENTIA. She is also an Australian, which is what made me think of and mention her aloud to the audience.

I met Christine online through DASNI in 2004.  I think it was around 2006 when the group at DASNI received an email from her husband, Paul, saying that she wasn't doing so well and would be taking a step back from things.  She would no longer be active on DASNI email or chat.  I remember wondering and worrying about her many times since, but fearing the worst, I never had the courage to send a personal email to ask, "How are you doing?"

So during this book event in Sydney, I remained preoccupied with thoughts of Christine.  When I returned to my hotel room, I turned on my computer, logged on to my email, and there, in my inbox, was an email from CHRISTINE BRYDEN.

!!!

She was just back from a vacation and wanted to let me know that she'd read STILL ALICE.  She loved it and thanked me for thanking her in the acknowledgments.  And she ended the email with, "if you're ever in Brisbane, let us know!"

Again, !!!

I was dumbstruck and thrilled, staring at an email from Christine after at least five years of not receiving an email from Christine on the very day I mentioned her name aloud after five years of not saying her name aloud while I'm in Australia and heading to, of all places, Brisbane!

I love coincidences like this because I don't believe in coincidences.  I believe in magic and God and the spirituality of the Universe.

A few days later, I was in Brisbane, and Christine and her lovely husband, Paul, came to my book event at Dymock's.  We had coffee outside after the event, then walked along the river, then shared stories over beers.  I feel so grateful for having had the chance to meet her in person, to hug her and thank her again for all she's given to me, to get to know her and Paul better.  And I feel peace in my heart, knowing that she is doing well.

A Confession and Apology

So first, the obvious.  I'm a terrible blogger.  I have no stamina.  I started out with the best of intentions, all gung-ho.  And then...I haven't been here since February.  Which brings me to the apology.  I'm so very sorry for bringing you here with the promise of a blog, and then leaving you here, awkwardly wondering if I'm ever coming back.  Actually, I can't imagine that anyone's still here, so maybe I'm apologizing to cyber air.  Is anybody still here?

In any case, I'm back!  Let me catch everyone (if anyone's reading) up on the last few months.  The US book tour was amazing.  It brought me to Toronto twice, NYC twice, Boston, New Hampshire, Washington, D.C., Connecticut, South Carolina, Colorado, Arizona, Georgia, and Florida.  I was up in the air A LOT this winter (and didn't see George Clooney once--so disappointed!).  It was a stormy winter with TONS of snow in New England, and I faced flight delays and event cancellations (RJ Julia was postponed due to snow twice!).  In fact, all of Boston Logan airport shut down once, and I had to regroup and take an Amtrak train. Dear Simon & Schuster, please consider releasing my next book in the spring.

Some highlights of the US tour:

Meeting Diane Rehm.

Meeting authors Jeannette Walls and Elena Gorokhova in Toronto.

Meeting authors Jamie Ford (and wife Leesha), Helen Simonson, Luis Alberto Urrea (and wife Cindy), Ann Hood, and Julia Glass at the Tucson Festival of Books.

Meeting my friend Kris just before giving the keynote at the Savannah Book Festival.  Kris and I have known each other for years, but only online and over the phone.  Kris has early onset Alzheimer's.  It was so moving for both of us to finally meet in person.

Seeing so many volunteers from NEHSA, including Tom Kersey, at Gibson's Bookstore in New Hampshire.  Remembering Tom presenting me with the signed snowboard and official NEHSA jacket still moves me to tears.

Getting to spend time with my Aunt Mary in South Carolina and my Aunt Anne in Florida.

Okay, now that you're caught up, I can start from where I am---SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA!  I'll be touring here (Sydney, Perth, and Brisbane) for the next ten days.  And since I left my darling husband home with three kids all winter for the US tour, it was only fair that I bring him to Australia, so he's here with me (a HUGE thank you to our parents and Sue for watching our children while we're on the other side of the world!).

I'm off to Circular Queue to write a little of LOVE ANTHONY by the Opera House before my book events today--sure to be a highlight of this tour! And I'll keep you posted on what happens while I'm down under--I promise!

Gibson's and New England Handicapped Sports Association

Last week I attended one of my all-time favorite book events.  It was at Gibson's Bookstore in Concord, New Hampshire.  The bookseller was gracious, the crowd was huge, standing room only, and the Q&A part of the event was lively and fun.  But the best part of this event for me, and the reason why I'm sure I'll tell my grandchildren about it someday, were the people who came from New England Handicapped Sports Association (NEHSA).

For those of you who've already read LEFT NEGLECTED, you know a little about NEHSA.  You know that this is an organization of mostly volunteers, people who make it their mission to "bear witness to the triumph of the human spirit by helping people with disabilities and their families enrich their lives through adaptive sports."  They help people who have traumatic brain injuries (like Sarah), who have amputations or MS or autism learn to ski or snowboard.  They give people a sense of freedom, independence, confidence, and joy that transcends the experience on the mountain.

When I was doing research for LEFT NEGLECTED, I visited NEHSA at Mount Sunapee in NH.  I met with Tom Kersey, the executive director there, and within a few minutes of talking with him, I knew I wanted to include NEHSA in my book.  I knew I wanted them to help Sarah get back on the mountain and that NEHSA would help her imagine a new dream for her life.  A new normal.  And because of all the positive, life-changing gifts they give to people, I hoped my book would give them some great exposure---some readers would be people or know people who might benefit from the NEHSA experience.  And maybe it would create opportunities for donations and raising funds.

Never did I imagine that NEHSA would be giving anything to me.  So imagine my surprise when Tom Kersey and the volunteers and members of NEHSA presented me with an official NEHSA jacket and a snowboard!  Sarah's snowboard--signed by everyone at NEHSA.  I was so truly moved!

I now wear my jacket with great pride (and with great appreciation given all the snow we've been getting this winter!)--I'm so honored to be an official member of the NEHSA team.

Now to see if I'll ever get up the nerve to snowboard!