Writing this book was a little like sending a message in a bottle: I never imagined anyone would actually read it. My writing had never been published before, and my screenplays never produced; I wasn't exactly pessimistic, I was just facing the odds. So what propelled me to keep writing? The desire to tell a story, to share something I learned. I started with letters because I knew how to write one, having years of practice writing and emailing friends, and at least that way I'd think I was telling the story to someone.

One of the most surprising and satisfying things about publishing this book has been the letters I've received and the time I spent with book clubs. Even more than the bestseller list, these personal responses from readers felt like my message in the bottle was not only found, but answered. Book clubs are the greatest invention. To meet with friends to discuss a book is fun; to be the writer of the book, is even more fun, because you discuss something you've been alone with for sometimes, years, you learn what worked and what didn't and you hear other stories.

When I heard Borders' had selected my book for its book club I was thrilled. I'd hoped the story would stimulate debate about the conflicts between love and family and work and also about how hope is stronger than pessimism, and the best place for that conversation is with a book club. Borders is especially meaningful to me because when I attended the University of Michigan, I used to take the tips I earned at Liberty Pizza and spend them a few blocks away at the founding Borders bookstore in Ann Arbor. I'd hold a book in my hands and wonder if I'd ever be holding my own one day. It was too hard to believe. In many ways, it still is.

Copyright @copy; 2008 by Elisabeth Robinson. All rights reserved.