I know this isn’t my usual Saturday blog, but if I don’t get something out to you today, I may slip down the book marketing rabbit hole for the next couple of weeks. This week I’m doing a local morning TV show and two more podcasts. And a week from today, May 19th, I have my formal book launch event in San Antonio, followed by another event here, two in Dallas, and another San Antonio event the week after. I’d love to see you at one of them, plus in the weeks to come, I’ll be at two events in NYC, and one in Charleston, SC. 

More events are planned around the country. 

Last week, I was the keynote speaker for the 19th annual Girlfriend Gala at the Penn Oaks Golf Club in West Chester, PA. In a torential wind and rain storm of epic proportion, over 100 women turned out to benefit United for HER: integrative wellness programs that help those diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer. It was such an amazing event, filled with women who are generous and supportive of one another, and they gave me a standing ovation! Later, I was told that in all the years this event has been held, it was a first, so thank you! Thank you for inviting me. I loved every minute of being with you.

The women I met in West Chester, along with the podcasts I’ve been doing, have shown me that more than ever, in these troubled times of world upheaval and division, people need to hear the messages in MAYA BLUE. I may have told you, but Maya blue is a real color, and according to art historians, it’s the oldest, most resilient pigment known to man. I’ve used Maya blue as a metaphor not just for my strength and resilience, but one that applies to all of us. No one lives a life without heartbreak and difficulties, and we need to know we can survive these times and make it through to the other side with our hearts, minds, and our selves intact. We need to know how to fight and stand our ground, even in the face of what looks like certain death.

Now, an invitation for you and your book club:

MAYA BLUE has been called “the perfect book club book,” because it helps you think about your own life and perhaps make different decisions as you move forward. One reviewer said, “Brenda Coffee is the embodiment of bravery, strength, and courage, a badass woman who teaches us to advocate for ourselves.” While it’s a memoir that offers life lessons, it’s also a memoir that reads like a thriller. 

If every member of your book club pre-orders MAYA BLUE A Memoir of Survival, I will do a zoom call with you and your club.

In addition, I’ll make sure you have a list of questions to think about, and you can ask me anything. No question if off the table, and once you’ve read MAYA BLUE, you’ll realize this is a big offer. Some of the things I’ve written about are still somewhat difficult for me to think about. 

Here’s a link that includes big bookstores, small independent stores, plus Simon & Schuster’s website, where you can place your orders for the ebook and softcover. Also, the audiobook I’ve recorded will be available sometime in the next week or so. To help me make a big splash with MAYA BLUE, I’d appreiciate it if your book club could order it by the end of May. If you can’t, by then, that’s okay, but please order it.

Thank you to everyone who’s preordered MAYA BLUE. Delivery date will be May 20th, or a few days after.

I’m reposting my current book tour schedule, so please come and bring your spouse and your friends! BTW, the men who’ve read MAYA BLUE love it! A few weeks ago, the former editor of Fortune Magazine read it and wrote me a blurb. During our phone conversation, he told me, “You can open it to any page, and it grabs you, and you can’t stop reading.”

I’m sending my love and thanks to all of you and the support you’ve given me along the way. Because I couldn’t have done this without you, I’ve dedicated the book to all of you. Stay #MayaBlueStrong