Its official – Gratice Press is going for a second printing of my book Give with Gratitude!   If you believe (as I do) that the first edition will become a rarity that some day shocks audiences of our grandchildren on Antiques Road Show with its high value, then I highly recommend you buy a copy soon – there are not too many left.  The first edition had a fatal flaw – a matte lamination that caused the cover to curl up and eventually started peeling off.  All you baseball card collectors out there know that a batch of collectors’ items with a flaw are inevitably more valuable.  (Or maybe I’ve taken the idea that opportunity lies within our mistakes a little too far.)

This summer, I am driving around the midwest, selling the book to any audience that is interested.  I welcome any and all marketing suggestions from you, readers. Maybe you have a book club that’d like a visitor?  Maybe you know a group of students who would feel inspired by the idea of stuying abroad?  Maybe you know a group of people who love to learn about Africa? Seriously – any idea is a good one.  Get in touch!

Selling my books out of the trunk of my car kind of makes me feel like a sketchy street merchant selling designer knock-offs, but I try to feel more like John Grisham, who did the same thing when he started out.  Writing my first book in the kitchen closet that I call a home office just makes me aware of all the room there is to grow.  After all, Barbara Kingsolver started in similarly small space.

So it is here, sitting in a wheeled office chair in an office entirely too small to roll around in, that I’ve been reading your letters of encouragement and praise for the book.  Thank you.  You keep me going and help me believe that I can help change the world’s perception of Africa and deepen their sense of gratitude.

I am grateful for the friends, family, and readers in my life.  Without you, I wouldn’t be able to dream bigger than the walls of this closet or the small trunk of my Prism.