I went traveling this week. Surprised? Yup. You know that I rarely travel, as least, not for work. But traveling for breast cancer is something else.

I flew to Texas Wednesday night to keynote a survivor’s luncheon Thursday, put on by the Tarrant County Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. I flew home Thursday night, which made it a quick trip. But I have to tell you how incredibly wonderful it was.

Breast cancer survivors are something else. They are full of life, love, and hope. They smile all the time. And they are grateful – grateful to be alive, grateful to be with friends, grateful that I’d flown down to talk with them. They were positively effusive, thanking me again and again. Some stood in line for over an hour to have their copies of UPLIFTsigned, and they thanked me for that, too!

The pleasure was all mine. I was awed by the work that so many of the 600 people in that room have done with the Komen organization to raise money and awareness for this cause. I paid my own way there, which was a pittance compared to what they all do. And they thanked me? My thanks to them, on behalf of us all!

Posted by Barbara Delinsky at 05:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

My sights are set on January, which is when my new book, The Secret Between Us, comes out. But January also marks the first anniversary of my newly-revamped website. And that’s the subject of this blog.

I need your help. Have you explored this site? If not, please do. Because I want your feedback. Feel free to answer one or more of the following questions by clicking on COMMENTS below, then scrolling down to “Post a Comment” at the bottom of that page.

First, were you able to navigate the site easily? Could you find what you wanted? Was the information helpful?

Do you like the graphics? Do you like the photos? Were you able to read the copy, or was the print too small?

Did you go looking for a site map? Do you need one?

What page drew you first? Second?

Did you read any of the Guestbook entries?

How about in the Survivor’s Journal – speaking of which, did you find the separate mini-site for UPLIFT, my breast cancer book, to be easily accessible?

Have you listened to any of the Podcasts? Have you watched the multi-media trailer for Family Tree?

And what about this blog? Is it what you think a blog should be? Have you read any of the archived blogs?

At this stage, with a new book coming out soon, I’d like to fine-tune the site, so I welcome any and all thoughts.

Posted by Barbara Delinsky at 01:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)

I had the honor of speaking recently at a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, but my own speech was only one of several that evening; one of those others was truly the highlight for me. This fellow speaker was a local dad whose daughter was diagnosed with cancer at the age of nineteen – and the theme of his speech was opportunity, as in taking an unwelcome, even shocking bump in life and turning it into an opportunity to learn, to share, and to give. He told of crying with his daughter when they learned she had leukemia, of suffering with her through treatment, of worrying to this day. But he also told of coming together as a family, of meeting new friends, and of discovering a strength in his daughter that he hadn’t known existed.

This dad articulated beautifully what I’ve often felt about having had breast cancer. For me, this disease presented an opportunity to grow, to show what I was made of, to dare to survive and dare to try new things. If I hadn’t had breast cancer, I never would have written a character like Katherine Evans into a book like Coast Road, and certainly never would have put together a book like Uplift.

While I was collecting submissions for Uplift: Secrets from the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors, I received a handful of letters from women who’d been diagnosed with breast cancer and saw absolutely nothing good in it. On the surface, that’s true. The diagnosis of any disease is difficult; it is frightening, and creates hardship and heartache, upsetting our lives in ways we hadn’t planned. Moreover, often we have little choice about treatment. But we do have a choice about the attitude we take toward it and the way that attitude affects our overall lives.

What does it mean to be a survivor? I’ve often discussed this with friends, and not only in regard to illness, but to divorce, the death of a loved one, the loss of a job – any major setback to life’s plans. A victim lets the setback define his existence. A survivor takes it as an opportunity to head in a new direction.

Posted by Barbara Delinsky at 02:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I rarely check luggage when I'm traveling for work. Not only do I desperately need my things, but I'm never in one place long enough for a lost piece of luggage to catch up with me. This means that, when boarding a plane, I have to hoist a heavy bag to the overhead bin.

I had an interesting experience this week. While waiting in Charlotte (NC) for my flight home after talking about UPLIFT at a breast cancer symposium, I saw a German-speaking family (father, mother, two daughters). I boarded the plane just before they did and was about to negotiate lifting my bag to the bin, when the father, in perfect English, said, "May I give you a hand with that bag?" And he did, without a moment's complaint.

I've never had this experience before. Never. On occasion, if my bag is particularly heavy or my back particularly tired, I'll look around at the men boarding the plane near me, hoping that one will take pity and offer to help. They look away and keep their mouths shut. What is it with able-bodied men in this country that keeps them from showing the least amount of gallantry?

Just this afternoon, I was hauling a heavy carton filled with copies of UPLIFT Express to Kinko's/FedEx for mailing. Balancing the carton on my middle and holding on with both hands, I approached the front door of the store just as a 70-something gentleman walked by on the street. He took one look at me, turned, went to the door where I was headed, and opened it for me. A 70-something gentleman. He puts men half his age to shame!

Let me say here that my husband always helps women lift luggage. But he's the exception, from what I've seen. What is it with those other men? If any of you have any idea, I'd love to know.

Posted by Barbara Delinsky at 01:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Speaking of UPLIFT: Secrets from the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors, I got good news this week. My publisher is going back to press for another 3,000 copies of the new 5th Anniversary Edition. What this means is that the first print run of this new edition has sold out, and there have been enough orders to warrant a new printing.

Just as exciting, there will be changes on the cover of the book for this new printing and all printings thereafter. The changes are small but important -- the addition of a small burst in the upper left corner of the cover art (that pretty picture you see on my HOME page, the one of the woman with the hat at the beach). The burst says FIFTH ANNIVERSARY EDITION, and there's an new bar on the back cover that elaborates on this. It tells readers that this volume features a new foreword by me, as well as an additional chapter that follows up on the lives of the original contributors.

These newest copies of UPLIFT are due in on October 23, which means they could be arriving in stores within days of that. My apologies to those of you who hit stores looking for this book and found it out of stock. That should be remedied soon.

Posted by Barbara Delinsky at 01:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I spoke about UPLIFT: Secrets from the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors last night to nearly 200 breast cancer survivors at the Newton Wellesley Hospital Breast Conference. It was an amazingly inspiring, truly heart-warming event. So what is it about these gatherings of women? I was talking about it with some of the women there with me last night. Is it the women part? The breast cancer part? The night out part?

I like to think it's the clothesline part.

Come again? you say.

I like to think it's the clothesline part. In the "old" days, women used to congregate behind their houses and talk while they were hanging the clothes out to dry. It was a wonderful social activity, particularly welcome when there was an issue of concern to discuss. Nowadays, we call it a support group. They didn't call it anything back then, but that was exactly what it was.

Women talk. We're far more capable to being intimate in conversation than men are, or so psychologists claim. To some extent, we rely on the support of women -- yes, more so than men do the support of men.

Thanks to Maytag, Whirlpool, and the like, few of us nowadays hang our clothes out to dry. Those of us who remember, of course, miss that wonderful outdoorsy smell, but that's neither here nor there for the purpose of this blog. Our lives are busy; we're off to work and back, off to the supermarket and back, off to the doctor and back. We join book groups, knitting groups, cooking groups deliberately to be with other women with whom we share a particular interest.

Breast cancer events are no different. They're a gathering of women who share a particular interest. And believe me, they are totally satisfying.

Posted by Barbara Delinsky at 01:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UPLIFT, for those of you who don't know, is my breast cancer book. Originally published five years ago, it came out in a 2nd Edition in 2003. The 3rd Edition, coming to bookstores any day now, has a gorgeous new cover and contains new material that celebrates not only the 5th Anniversary of the original publication, but the addition of five years to the survivor totals of many of the original contributors, who do, themselves, tell you what their lives are like now.

Formally titled, UPLIFT: Secrets From the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors, this book is filled with practical tips and upbeat anectdotes from breast cancer survivors of every age and walk of life. My proceeds have all gone to charity -- funding three years, now, of a breast surgery fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital.

If you know anyone who has been diagnosed with breast cancer, I invite you to support this cause. Buy a book, send me a note, and I'll send you a book plate with the name of whomever you're giving it to. What better way to mark October's Breast Cancer Awareness Month than this?

Ah, but there is one better way. Schedule a mammogram. Mammograms save lives. One saved mine.

Posted by Barbara Delinsky at 01:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Tuesday, June 27, is the big day, which means that today we are five days shy of the paperback pub of LOOKING FOR PEYTON PLACE. The other night, a friend asked me what I'm feeling at a time like this. And yes, the answer is anticipation. It isn't quite the heart-in-the-mouth pulsing that happens on the eve of the hardcover debut of a book, like when LOOKING FOR PEYTON PLACE first came out last July. But it's still vaguely nerve-racking.

I mean, what happens if the books didn't get to the stores on time, as happened with when THREE WISHES UPS suddenly went on strike? Or if the reading public is totally distracted by something in the news, as happened with UPLIFT when terrorists hit the World Trade Center? Or if another book takes so much room in the stores that booksellers don't even bother to put the book out, as happened just last summer with the new Harry Potter, the new John Irving, and the hardcover of LOOKING FOR PEYTON PLACE?

Oh, these problems pass. The hardcover of LOOKING FOR PEYTON PLACE did eventually get out on the shelves and made up for lost time, but I was concerned until I knew that.

So right about now, I'm hoping that nothing interferes with the paperback debut of LOOKING FOR PEYTON PLACE, that the gorgeous new cover is going to draw people to it at the start of this summer season, and that word about the upcoming 50th anniversary of the original PEYTON PLACE will draw in even more readers to my book.

Hope with me, please!

Posted by Barbara Delinsky at 01:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I had the pleasure this week of having tea (yes, at the Ritz) with the doctors from Massachusetts General Hospital who are spending this year as the breast cancer fellows whose fellowships are supported by the proceeds from my book, UPLIFT. They were amazing -- two women and a man, dedicated to doing research to both improve treatment of breast cancer and work our way toward a cure. Spend an hour with these people, and you truly feel hopeful that we'll get there!

All of this makes me doubly delighted that the third edition of UPLIFT is in the works. I should have a cover to show you soon. Keep an eye on the HOME page for that!

Posted by Barbara Delinsky at 01:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As many of you know, I don't make many public appearances. Knowing, though, that I would be finishing FAMILY TREE, I agreed to a few. And suddenly I'm focused on writing speeches and getting my thoughts together. This Tuesday, I'm appearing at a benefit for the local Visiting Nurse's Association. Next Saturday, I'm the keynote speaker discussing UPLIFT and breast cancer at the annual educational symposium of the Susan G. Komen Foundation's Maryland affiliate. Later in the month, I'll be speaking as part of the opening festivities for my local library, whose mega-building project has just been completed.

Why do I usually avoid these? Because they take SO much time to prepare for, and when I'm in the middle of a book, I simply cannot afford that time. I'll often spend several days writing an important speech, and several more practicing it so that I don't have to read each and every word.

The thing is, though, that I do love the speaking once I'm there. I'm fortunate enough, at this stage in my career, to draw good audiences -- and when people smile, nod, and applaud, it's worth all the prep time!

Posted by Barbara Delinsky at 02:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This time it's the revisions on FAMILY TREE. Not only are they done, but I've finished putting my editor's line-edits onto my disk. So, that's it, folks. Well, almost. Now the copy-editor has a go at the book, and when he/she is done, I'll have to answer any queries that arise. But that's easy. The real work for me is over.

I've already begun thinking about what I want to write next. I have several ideas, but haven't narrowed it down. While I do that, I'll be writing the new chapter of UPLIFT that I promised -- because the 3rd edition of UPLIFT is a go! More on that next time.

Posted by Barbara Delinsky at 02:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hey, you all, please celebrate with me. This week marks the tenth anniversary of my mastectomy, which means that I've now been cancer-free for ten years. As my doctor pointed out earlier today at my twice-yearly checkup, that's a great milestone. She also pointed out that many, many women who are diagnosed with breast cancer are now reaching and far surpassing that point.

And THAT is cause for even greater celebration. New protocols are more effective. Follow-up treatment (Tamoxifen, Raloxifene, and the like) are adding years and years. And, of course, early detection, still the key, is getting better and better.

So let's all raise a glass (coffee, tea, wine, eggnog, fruit water -- your choice) to improving women's health and those who are making it happen. Cheers!

Posted by Barbara Delinsky at 02:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This afternoon, I had the pleasure of meeting Rosemary Herbert, my publicist at Down East Books. Down East is the publisher that put out my little non-fiction book, DOES A LOBSTERMAN WEAR PANTS? Last spring. Rosemary was in town and wanted me to sign books for a lobstering event in Illinois, which I was delighted to do. But I also loved meeting her. Believe it or not, she is the first person from Down East Books that I've met in person. Mind you, I feel as though my editor is a good friend, and I've had wonderful talks on the phone with members of the sales force. But we've never met. Our relationship has been strictly electronic until now.

Surprised? Don't be. People assume that I'm in New York often, though the fact is that I can do all of the work on my novels via electronics as well. I do touch base with my publisher there every so often, but only every so often. I also love seeing my agent. We shop.

I met Rosemary at a cafe one town over, and we sat talking for an hour. I particularly enjoyed hearing her talk of the Maine she has discovered since joining Down East Books last summer. Maine is one of my favorite places. If you've read either THE SUMMER I DARED or FOR MY DAUGHTERS, you'll know that. Hopefully, the next time I see Rosemary, it'll be up there.

Posted by Barbara Delinsky at 02:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)