The Kindness of Strangers, and Other Good Things

I'm Declaring This 'Be Kind to Strangers' Week.

How's your week so far? A little rough? Could you use a reminder that the world is still a good place filled with good people? I thought so.

I offer up a story about good people doing good things for complete strangers. It's happening in San Francisco, right now.
 

A friend of mine is facing a terrible health crisis. It requires him to travel far from home for a lengthy and complicated surgery in San Francisco. He and his wife have to be there a week early for pre-op appointments, then he'll be in the hospital for at least ten days while his wife stays nearby.

It's a long and difficult journey, made all the more awful by the fact that it's nearly impossible to find an affordable place to stay at the last minute in a city where the most ordinary hotel room rents for over $300/night.

Even with all the resources the hospital had on offer, and even after checking all the places you might think to check, a medical crisis was quickly turning into a financial crisis.

But then word got out. I shared the situation with a few friends in San Francisco, and asked them to share with their friends. Other people did the same.

And someone came through. 

A complete stranger heard from a friend that a friend had a friend who urgently needed a comfortable landing pad during a truly terrible time. And it just so happened that he had a place, and was willing to offer it to them, sight unseen, on short notice.

Instead of camping out in a crappy motel room for the better part of a month and eating tiresome takeout every day, they have a little apartment, with a kitchen and a garden. If you've ever pulled long days at a hospital with a loved one, you know how much it helps to have a soothing, livable haven to return to at night.

We don't always get a chance to be kind to a stranger in such an impactful way, but this guy did, and he took it.

We get by with a little help from our friends. And the friends of our friends, and the friends of our friends' friends.

Which leads me to...

Here's How I'm Helping Strangers This Week

Glennon Doyle put in perfectly when she wrote: "I woke this morning to reports of the Syrian devastation. I saw the little ones’ terrified faces. I saw mothers and fathers who have spent their lives fleeing- fleeing once again. I am here to tell you that my first response was: Nope. I’m done. This is just too effing much. I changed the channel to House Hunters."

That was EXACTLY how I felt. But the difference was that Glennon actually did something about it. Through her charity, Together Rising, she raised $550,000 in 24 hours (updated since this picture was taken!) to send help to refugees outside Damascus. This provides about three months' worth of immediate aid and supplies to people on the ground. 

This charity is supported by a lot of people you might know and love, including Elizabeth Gilbert, Cheryl Strayed, Laverne Cox, and Rob Bell. As The Compassion Collective, they help to raise funds for Together Rising's direct aid programs.

I sent off a donation to help a stranger. Maybe you'd like to as well.

The Kopp Sisters Ebook Collection: All Three for $3.99!

We made a three-book set, and put it on sale. Did you know you can give ebooks as gifts? It's true! All you need is the recipient's email address. Get it for your book club, send one to your mom, buy one for your cat. The set is $3.99 through April 21. Here's a link to all the ebook retailers offering this deal.

Walking and Talking and Storytelling

I'm fascinated by unconventional methods of storytelling, and I love a good walk. My idea of a great vacation is to just walk around and look at things all day. Here in Portland, the perfect errand (or the perfect date night) is one that requires a walk of a mile or so to get to the place.
 

So I was amazed and delighted by this NPR story about a new podcast that is meant to be listened to on a walk. The Walk is a thriller in which you, the person walking, are the protagonist. After an attack on the city of Edinborough, you have to get a secret package out of town, and the only way to do it is to walk. Along the way you'll encounter police, journalists, and a Secret Service-type handler talking in your ear.

Fun! It got me moving! If your daily walk's getting a little stale, give it a try. (I also love the Coffee Break podcasts for learning a foreign language on a walk. Ciao!)

A Social Media App That You Can Still Love: Litsy

Do you do Litsy? It's an app for book lovers that can best be described as Instagram meets Goodreads. Your Litsy feed consists entirely of the books your friends are reading, what they think about them, and the silly pictures or quotes that they (and you) might post about those books. 

Litsy's a lot of fun, and it was created by some very nice real people who also make the bookish t-shirts you've probably seen at bookstores from Out of Print.

Now Litsy has been purchased by LibraryThing, which was one of the first websites out there for cataloging your books online. You can read more about the deal here, but basically, it's two great book sites getting even better together. If you're on either site, come find me--I do both.

The paperback is here!

Well, it's almost here. I have one, but you'll have to wait until May 1. If you've been holding out for the paperback, go here to pre-order from your favorite bookseller.

Am I Coming to Your Hometown?

If so, I would love to meet you in person--and I will have a present for you. It's just a small token of my affection, but it's something I'll only be giving to people on this list. So come up and introduce yourself, and tell me that you  subscribe to this newsletter!

Florham Park, NJ: April 19 Roots & Wings Luncheon
Portland, OR: May 10 Broadway Books
Cannon Beach, OR: May 18-20  Get Lit at the Beach
New Orleans, LA: June 23 American Library Association 
Mackinac Island, MI: Aug 26-28 The Grand Garden Show

Updated tour dates can always be found on my website. Please confirm details with the venue before you head out.

Pre-Order a Book, Get Real Mail, Win a Prize

Sounds exciting, right? If you'd like to pre-order a copy of the fourth Kopp Sisters novel, Miss Kopp Just Won't Quit, I will send you a present. It works like this:

• Pre-order from your favorite bookseller. (links here)

• Forward your email receipt, or snap a picture, to promo@amystewart.com

• Include your shipping address! This one's important!

• I will mail you a bookplate with Sheriff Heath's real signature (in the form of a rubber stamp) and mine.

• I'll also enter you in a drawing to win a FABULOUS prize, to be announced as soon as I have a picture of it! (Seriously, I will have this any day now.)

• US only, enter by Aug 31. Winner announced by Sept. 10.

What Are You Reading?

How is it that I've never read Nancy Mitford? I read a review of a new-ish biography of the Mitford sisters and thought that I should read the biography, but first I wanted to read some Mitford novels. I started with what I believe is the most popular. The Pursuit of Love is just beautiful beyond belief. Really, it's perfect and gorgeous and it has one of those last pages that makes you think "She wrote the entire novel just so she could write that exquisite last page."

After I finished it, I immediately started into a popular new novel that I'd heard good things about but shall remain nameless (OK, it was this), and it was like going from great Champagne to Diet Coke. Blech! And I used to think I liked Diet Coke!

Have you read any Mitford novels? Join me on Facebook or Goodreads (or Litsy) and tell me what you're into these days!