You can now pre-order “Tales From The Mansion,” a compilation of 15 surprising, funny and poignant tales from the edge of life.
The stories came out of a story workshop I taught at the Mansion Assisted Care Facility in Cambridge, N.Y. They were first read at the Mansion itself, and then compiled by me, Activities Director Julie Smith and Abrah Griggs, the artist and illustrator who has organized them into a book.
The book is 38 pages long and has about a dozen of my photographs. Robert, the winner of the short story contest, is the cover boy. His story is in the book. It will be sold exclusively through Battenkill Books.
The stories vary wildly, as do the Mansion residents themselves. Some will take your breath away, some are short and two the point, some are funny and coy. All of them speak to people at a certain point in life, people who often feel abandoned and left behind by a society that keeps them alive at great cost and profit but doesn’t want to see them or know them.
In my story workshop, I told them their stories are important, and everyone in the room came through.
We are planning a first printing from CreateSpace, an online self-publishing website, of 200 copies.
Half will go to the Mansion, the residents and their families will each get a free copy. The rest will be sold for $10 plus shipping at Battenkill, my local bookstore. They take Paypal and major credit cards and you can easily order the book online here or call the store at 518 677-2515. They ship anywhere in the world.
I’ll be happy to sign the book if anyone wishes me too. Any profits will go to the Mansion to help fund outings for the residents. The Mansion pays for the outings, I pay for the ice cream.
We are grateful to Connie Brooks of Battenkill for taking this on. I am lucky to live in a small town with one of the best independent bookstores anywhere. If we should sell out, we will order up a second printing.
The book is being prepared with funds – about $$300-400 I estimate – that were donated to Mansion work by readers of my blog, who are increasingly coming to be known as the Army Of Good. I need to also thank Maria, for her support, proof-reading and constant encouragement to me, and to the residents.
The bookstore received more than 50 orders yesterday, I don’t imagine the rest will be available for long. This is an important project for me, and I hope, for the Mansion residents. One told me her stories are all she has left of her life. I am proud to be sharing one in “Tales Of The Mansion.” And I thank you once again, as I do almost daily, for your empathy, trust and generosity. You can pre-order the book here.