Well, I'm finally starting to make headway on some of the work that piled up while I was out of town all those weeks. Aside from the dozens of travel posts I have yet to write, the stacks of mail I have yet to open, and oh, yeah, that whole dual book launch thing that's happening just four weeks from today, I'm not in bad shape. (Excuse me for a moment while I cry. There, there. There, there. Much better.)
Among the major events in a writer's life that I unfortunately neglected was this one: I am thrilled to announce the publication of author Diane DeBella's anthology I Am Subject Stories: Women Awakening, which features my essay On Writing My Memoir. For those of you who missed it, you can read my piece here, or better yet, click the image below to be taken to the Amazon page and click "Look Inside!" Right after the introduction you'll find my essay - in fact, it's the only one that shows up in the preview! How cool is that? I guess there's something to be said for being first after all.
Needless to say, I'm truly honored to be a part of the #iamsubject project (http://www.iamsubject.com/ - "Keeping girls and women subject of their own lives") and I'd like to offer my apologies to Diane DeBella and the other authors involved for my tardiness in promoting the anthology's publication. I'm sure they'll forgive me once they see what I have planned in compensation. Now if only I could remember where I put that hot air balloon guy's number...
The first review is in – and it’s five stars!
Yes, I am very excited to report that my very first reviewer (and new favorite person), fellow Goodreads author L. F. Falconer (http://www.lffalconer.com/) has rated On Hearing of My Mother’s Death Six Years After It Happened five stars! Here’s a link to her very thoughtful review on Goodreads; I am also reproducing it below.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1071102909
Oct 06, 2014 L.F. Falconer rated it 5 of 5 stars
I received a free copy of this in exchange for an honest review, and when I initially opened it up to quickly peruse a few pages, before I knew it I had reached the end of the first chapter as I sat back with a "Wow!"
Lori Schafer delivers a poignant tale in this memoir of life endured with a woman deep in the grip of mental illness. A tight, eloquent writing style paints each scene with tints of disquietude which enable the reader easy access into the trauma of the moments revealed. A seemingly erratic mix of memories subtly uncovers the sense of paralyzing helplessness inflicted by the parent/child relationship. Schafer managed to fully capture her past without turning it into a "pity party" or a spiteful tirade.
This story touches the heart with its haunting, straight-forward intimacy. While easily read in a couple of hours, its echo will linger much longer in the mind. Excellent read!
* * *
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have happy dancing to do!
