To my readers –

We’re down to the final days before For One More Day is released. In some ways, I feel like I’ve been on tour for weeks already.

There’s been an enormous amount of activity with regard to this book – more than I recall on any other. We’re organizing a big charity event to launch it in Detroit on September 27th at the wonderful Fox Theater with Tony Bennett, Hank Azaria and Joe Dumars all coming by to help me. Planning it has been like planning Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s simultaneously. But it should be worthwhile, and can do some real good for the homeless in Detroit.

Joe and Hank and Tony, in addition to talking about their own lives, plan to read small segments from the book, and that honors me more than I can say. It’s amazing to hear your own words read by someone else, even a sentence. It’s one of those rare thrills a writer gets. Maybe – I can only imagine this – it’s like a songwriter when he hears someone whistling a tune he wrote.

One of the sentences in this book – which is about a broken man who gets a magical “last day” with his departed mother back in their old home town – talks about what happens when you lose a parent. The man sees his mother’s ghost, he whispers the word “mom” and then thinks, “When death takes your mother, it steals that word forever.” Only a handful of people have read For One More Day at this point, yet already several have told me that particular sentence made them stop in their tracks. They were all people who had lost a parent.

This is one of those things, as I mentioned, that as a writer, when you hear someone repeat a sentence that you wrote, makes you feel that you have been blessed with a small shovel to dig into the word pile and find something that may be universal.

It is as good a feeling as it gets.

I hang onto that now - as the release day approaches and my nerves fray - and try to remember that that’s what you get into writing for in the first place.

I look forward to meeting you out on the tour, which takes me, in the first week, first to Orlando, then Detroit, then the Northeast – Albany, N.Y., Portsmouth, NH, Hartford, CT., Framingham and Chicopee, MA. For a full schedule, click here.

And on the morning of the 26th, the release date, I’ll be doing Good Morning America, around 8.a.m. Thanks for your belief in my work. I hope to see you on the trail.

Any questions, send them through this website and I’ll try to answer them in this blog or on the Q&A part of the site.

Cheers,

Mitch

Comments

[Jean]

Mitch,
Your shovel is builds magical mountains of words which will echo in readers' minds and hearts forever and a day.

[Alvin Chen]

I was 17 when i stumbled upon TWM - upon reading it, i went out and got a whole lot of copies to give out to all my friends on occassions -birthdays, christmas, etc - i did that for a whole year and well i still do it nowadays..sometimes. =)

I'm now with the family business - we have our share of 'ghost' stories. we deal with books and stationery here in Malaysia and we've put up our first ever web countdown clock in conjunction with your new book and some profile and links. Do check it out ya! =) We welcome any feedback! Our site is 3 months old and when we add-on to our external links, we would like to include yours on it, if that's ok with you!

Congratulations on the new book and all the best with the show and the tour!

Thanks Mitch for writing what you have written for not only making me laugh and cry but for inspiring living life!

Cheers,
Alvin

p/s if you ever come down this part of the world, let us know huh? =)

[Arti]

Hi!

A friend recommended "Tuesdays with Morrie" and after I read it I became a friend who now recommends Tuesdays with Morrie!
I have written a short article about it on my blog a long time back and recently I have included it in the recommend books board of my forum
http://artihonrao.conforums.com

I wanted to copy/paste the excerpt from
http://www.randomhouse.com/features/morrie/excerpt.html
but read tht I needed permission for that and hence I decided against using it at forum

I hope it is okay with u if I mention "About the book" at my forum, direct link is
http://artihonrao.conforums.com/index.cgi?board=recommend&action=display&num=1159214347&start=0

Regards
Arti

[Adolfo Liu]

I just received the book in the mail today. I expected to read maybe 50 pages, but I just could not put it down. Tuesdays with Morrie has been my favorite book for years, and now I add For One More Day on that short list. Thank you Mr. Albom for the light you shed on the simple yet most important things in life.

[Ruma, Barua]

Hi Mitch,
We were at the book release at the Fox Theatre yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed every moment. It was a night to remember. Your compassion and your sensitivity has been absolutely inspiring. Dave, Sameer and I have simply enjoyed working with you, Ken and the rest of the Volunteer Impact group since its beginning and look forward to spending a lot of time in the future with "A Time to Help" projects.
I looked at your schedule and was simply amazed at how much traveling you are going to do in the next few weeks.. Make sure you eat well and sleep well during the tour!
Again, thanks for everything you do and good luck with the new book.
Ruma Barua

[Brenda]

I just purchased "for one more day" this afternoon (not realizing it had just been released) and have already read it! I laughed; I cried (cried more than laughed). And absolutely loved it! I lost my mother this past January, and immediately caught your phrase about when death takes your mother. So true...

and I couldn't help but laugh at the account of the halloween costume. Which of us mothers with a son didn't dress up a mummy at one time or another? And, ya, after wearing it all day at school, there was just shreds of it left for treat-or-treat'n.

I've read all three of your titles, shared them with many, and look forward to the next one. You are truly an author who relates to humankind! THANK-YOU!

[Maria Amalia O'Brien]

It did a lot to me of those three books I've read which was highly referred by the family I work with in Massapequa. There is so much in it that made me wonder, think, imagine, meditate, as to how my life would be. So inspiring, that enlightened me to do more better in the world. Thanks for those beautiful books,I let my friends here read, then sent it to my family in the Philippines, so my nephews and nieces, as well as friends could read. Have not gotten the new one, I'm looking forward to it. Spread the word....

[Ashley]

Hello Mitch. Wow, you have got to be my favorite author of all time. The day this book came out I ran to the store and bought it without even knowing what it was about. I love your books and I'm hoping you'll continue writing for ages so I can read and own them all! I read through this book as quick as I could, I wasn't able to put it down. It was amazing. All of your novels teach such valuable lessons that I think everyone should read them. I make everyone I know read them whenever I can. Thank you so much for writing these novels. I enjoy them so very much. You're a great author, well done.

[GJ]

Mitch,
I just completed one more day in about 2 days. I have been very intrigue by the 3 works created by you. I'm in my mid 30's and each has hit a point of recognition in my own life. Each story carries certain feeling and morals that the reader can identify with.
I was another masterful piece of work that pushed me to write a letter to my mother who lives about 2,000 miles away and is currently 70 years old. You look back on your own childhood at why you acted certain ways and how you might of hurt your mother not knowing at the time that you were. Its a book that says be truthful with your love ones and don't take people for granted.
Not to place any pressure but I can't wait for the next work you release.
Thanks,

GJ

[Claire]

Mitch, i lost my mother to cancer was i was 16 years old, after reading the first 5 pages i was hooked. while reading it i felt you understood whats it's like to lose someone you love, its a relief ot know im not alone in dealing with such a great loss. I can't tell you how many times i thought to myself "yes, thats exactly how it is and how i feel." Thank you for writting such an amazing book. I'm truely impressed by you and our writting.

[Patricia Hsieh]

Dear Mitch:
I'm your Taiwan fan,and I introduce your new book on my blog in Chinese.When Will I see the Chinese translation of this book? I'm eager to see it!!

[virniel]

I've always loved the way you weave words and make them come alive. You words seem so alive because they touch readers' hearts and minds. I love For One More Day the way I loved Tuesdays with Morrie and The Five People you Meet in Heaven. For One More Day is such an inspiring book that I recommend it to my relatives and students :-)

I'll wait for another inspiring book from you...

[Grace B. Jimenez]

I really appreciated your book Entitled Tuesdays with Morrie It reallyeblightens me in my own perception in life Thanks!!

[Kiss]

Hi,

I just borrowed For One More Day from the national library.

I cried so much, and I just wanted to say thank you for sharing this story with all of us.

Your books are amazing, like The five people you meet in heaven.

Thanks again.

With love,

Laura