We Love Memoirs – Sunday Spotlight

I had a fabulous experience yesterday – Sunday June 21. I was in the hot seat for the We Love Memoirs‘ Sunday Spotlight.

We Love Memoirs is basically a Facebook social group consisting of memoir writers and aficionados that allows no self promotion. That is except for the Sunday Spotlight. For that one day I was told I could promote, post relevant photos, links, and information about my writing work, and talk about it until I couldn’t talk (actually tap on my computer keys) anymore. Also those coming on-line to chat with me were told they could ask me ANYTHING, and that I’d be there to answer their questions ALL DAY LONG.

So I sat down at my computer at 9 am and except for two 15 minute breaks and an hour for lunch (I needed to pay some attention to my husband on Father’s Day), I was online fielding questions and comments until 5:15 pm.

The interesting thing is the people on-line were from the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, other foreign countries, and the US so when it was my lunch hour, someone else was signing off to go to bed. That mix of times certainly kept the interchange going.

All in all I got or responded to 261 questions and comments. And as varied as the locals of the people participating, so were the topics: my memoir and the subject of bipolar disorder and suicide, the Boston Out of the Darkness suicide awareness walk, the special price of my memoir over this week, my novel, my family history and that both my mother and father emigrated from Eastern Europe, my finicky diet, my mother’s old traditional Jewish recipes, my workout program, what I did to survive my son’s suicide, the negativity of using the term committed suicide, our younger son and his work as an actor and screen writer, that my husband has lost two sons. What was so wonderful was that the conversation started bright and early and kept going throughout the day.

Julie Haigh, who leads the Sunday Spotlight events was especially helpful. She introduced me with a long bio and of course advertised my book’s special week-long pricing in honor of the day and the upcoming walk. I was amazed at how many details she knew about me and my family. Then through the day she fed me photos and links to post and kept encouraging me to toot my horn and stay longer. Neither of us at the outset thought the subject matter of my memoir would attract a crowd. We were wrong.

Bottom Line: though some call it the hot seat, I didn’t think so at all. I loved being on the spot and having the opportunity to share about the work I love. And I even sold a few books during the process – thanks to the lovely people who kept the questions coming.

If you love memoirs, get on the site and sign up to be on the Sunday Spotlight. You’ll have a great time.

Here’s the details of the special pricing for my memoir, Leaving the Hall Light On through June 28.

In conjunction with  being in the WLM Sunday Spotlight and  walking in the AFSP Out of Darkness suicide prevention event in Boston on June 27, the Kindle edition is $.99 on Amazon and Barnes & Noble and the paperback  is $10.00 on Amazon.com. Here is the amazon universal link for my book: smarturl.it/LeavingHallLightOn

The paperback edition is discounted further to $7.50 at Dream of Things – http://www.dreamofthings.com/Leaving-the-Hall-Light-On_p_16. The code to purchase the paperback at half price ($7.50) is: ˜light.’ This code will also show up on the site.

I can’t wait to wear this hat while walking this coming Saturday night in Boston.