ABOUT THE BOOK

In the age of social media, what does it mean to connect through a hand-written letter?

True Story: When Amy Daughters reconnected with her former friend from camp decades ago, Dana, via Facebook, she had no idea how it would change her life. Through social media, Amy learned Dana’s son Parker was at St. Jude battling cancer–devastating news, but what else do you do besides comment an “I’m so sorry,” nowadays? 

But more than a comment happened, Amy woke up in the middle of the night and felt called in a way she couldn’t fully explain to write handwritten letters to Dana–someone who through time and distance, had become nothing more than several hundred other faces on her Facebook account. 

When Parker died, Amy, not knowing what else to do, continued to write Dana. Eventually, Dana wrote back, and the two became pen pals, sharing things through the mail that they had never shared before. The richness of the experience left Amy wondering something: If my life could be so changed by someone I considered “just a Facebook friend,” what would happen if I wrote all my Facebook friends a letter?

A staggering 580 handwritten letters later Amy’s life would never be the same. As it turned out, there were actual individuals living very real lives behind each social media profile, and she was beautifully connected to each of those extraordinary, very real people.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A native Houstonian and a graduate of The Texas Tech University, Amy W. Daughters has been a freelance writer for more than a decade — mostly covering college football and sometimes talking about her feelings. Her debut novel, You Cannot Mess This Up: A True Story That Never Happened (She Writes Press, 2019), was selected as the Silver Winner for Humor in the 2019 Foreword INDIES and the Overall Winner for Humor/Comedy in the 2020 Next Generation Indie Awards. An amateur historian, hack golfer, charlatan fashion model, and regular on the ribbon dancing circuit, Amy — a proud former resident of Blackwell, England, and Dayton, Ohio currently lives in Tomball, Texas, a suburb of Houston. She is married to a foxy computer person, Willie, and is the lucky mother of two amazing sons, Will and Matthew.

TALKING POINTS

• Lost Art of Letter Writing – The deliberateness of a letter, honest, believable and genuine, more than Social Media could ever be. Bringing back the beautiful connection of a hand-written letter. 

• How can we teach our younger generation to value a pen & stationery? 
• The stages of grief and how to remain a constant and connected friend experiencing the grieving process.
• The power of prayer and finding purpose.
• The evolution of friendships and connections due to social media.
• Work from home and the disconnect it creates–how letter writing can bring back more meaningful relationships.
• Women in Sports – Amy is a decades long sportswriter–a position with its own trials and tribulations as a woman in a male-dominated field. 

TIMELY TIE-INS

December

• Read a New Book Month

• National Letter Writing Day – December 7

• National Christmas Card Day – December 9

January

• Self-Love Month

• Universal Letter Writing Week – Jan 8-14

• Hunt for Happiness Week – Jan 15-21

February

• International Boost Self Esteem Month – February

April

• Month of Hope; Day of Hope –  April 5

• World Health Day – April 7

• Tell a Story –  April 27

• Trauma Awareness Month – May