An Evening at the Library

On Wednesday, July 30, Wheaton Library hosted me as part of their new Local Author speaking series. My talk was from 6 to 7 p.m., and as late as 6:00, it appeared I might be speaking to a group of one.

I had prepared some talking points, but was beginning to imagine more of a Q&A-style presentation or even just a conversation with me and my guest. But just as I was preparing to change tacks, the library made a second announcement . . . and in came seven more people!

Apparently the library patrons like to keep speakers on their toes.

Photo of a white woman wearing a black shirt and black-and-white striped pants standing next to a table

A Diverse and Engaged Crowd

It was a lovely group of people representing the range of backgrounds we find in Montgomery County. Two women had apparently been expecting a yoga class, but switched gears when they learned there would be an author talk in their usual yoga room. This is the beauty of a public library. Both women were fully engaged in the talk and asked excellent questions at the end.

I also was struck by the range of ages in the room. The one person who identified as a writer when I polled the room was in her late teens or early twenties. Also present were several middle-aged people and a couple of retirees.

Notably, a person who did not identify himself as a writer when I polled the room, came up to me afterward to show me the books he had published. I understand that way of thinking. It took me many years, and several publications, before I considered myself a writer.

Writing About Chronic Illness

The talk itself focused on my decision to write about a main character with chronic illness, the misgivings I had about that, and the research I did in order to represent life with multiple sclerosis authentically.

One question at the end of the talk cut straight to a common misconception about MS and one I address in Debra Lee Won’t Break. I had read a scene from the book where Deb wakes up with her legs painfully spastic and her big toe numb. One of the yoga students wanted to know how it could be possible for Deb, who might not be able to walk some days, could then train for a 150-mile bike ride.

A view of a room with several people sitting in chairs facing away from the camera. They are watching a woman in a black shirt and white pants who is talking at the front of the room

“Can someone with multiple sclerosis really ride a bike?”

And the answer is yes! Yes, they can, and they do.

I had the same question when I was planning Debra Lee and I am eternally grateful for the people who live with MS for helping me to understand how both of those things can be possible. It was not hard for me to believe: my father had Parkinson’s disease, and it is a similarly variable illness. One day you can go for a long walk and enjoy a movie that evening, another day you’re confined to bed with stiffness or shakes or spasms. MS can be the same way.

In fact, I learned from a couple of people who are cyclists that because of their MS, riding a bike is easier than walking.

After the talk, the woman who asked the question came up to me and said she loves to cycle. Once I had explained that last bit, it made total sense. She is in physical therapy and has also found cycling to be the most comfortable of the exercises. I was so happy to be able to widen her world a little bit, share some new understanding, and introduce the group to Debra Lee.

We finished the night with Q&A about writing and publishing. Questions included “What is an agent?” and “How do you improve your credentials as a nonfiction author?” You can find videos of the answers below.

My sincere thanks to my publicist, Cherrie Woods, and to Wheaton Library for organizing this event!

Scenes from Wheaton Library.

Photo of a white woman in a black shirt posing next to a white man in a light blue shirt in front of an orange wall. The word Library is visible on the wall behind them

A woman and man stand next to each other in front of a table looking at several books

A diverse group of people gathered in front of a beige wall. The woman in the middle is wearing a black shirt and holding a copy of Debra Lee Won't Break

front cover of Debra Lee Won't Break showing an illustration of a woman riding her bike toward the viewer along a yellow road with green hills behind her and an orange sky

Two women pose for a picture. The woman on the right is wearing a vibrant blue dress. The woman on the left wears a black shirt with black-and-white pants

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