It hasn’t been easy adjusting to the cold weather in Toronto after three weeks on beautiful Marco Island, Florida where I combined a lovely beach holiday with two speaking events about The Unveiling. Marco Island is one of the loveliest Florida spots I’ve visited with its large beach, uncluttered streets and parks, mild weather and laid back atmosphere.
Part of the time we stayed in the home of my cousin, Carol Swartz, and her partner, David Malakoff to look after their dog, Lucky, while they were on a cruise. The new dog park a few blocks from their home was well designed and an amusing meeting spot for dog-owners as well as dogs. Lucky, a labrapoodle, did not play much with the other dogs. Her joy came from gathering all of the tennis balls she could find, bringing them to one spot and protecting them from the other dogs.
We spent the last week of our stay in a beachside condominium overlooking the Gulf. Waking up to the sound of the ocean was a special treat.
Carol hosted a luncheon and “meet-the-author” event at her home for her Newcomers’ group. Twelve people attended and most had already read The Unveiling. Their response was warm and encouraging, especially because several shared other stories they knew of families who had kept mental illness a secret. At the end, several women embraced me, and one invited Ray and me to a dinner at her home that weekend. The friendly and informal dinner added to our wonderful island memories.
The second event was a sisterhood luncheon at the Marco Island Jewish Temple. Again, several people had already read the book – thanks to Carol’s helpful marketing before I arrived. I was impressed by the intensity of the discussion as people shared stories from their lives. At the end, I even sold several more books.
We are looking forward to a return to the Marco Island area next winter and hope it will be for a longer stay. I’m also hoping I can schedule some similar events where I can present The Unveiling and encourage dialogue about the experiences I wrote about.
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