The Pearlsong Letter November2011 -- Love is the Thread & Body Gratitude

Healing the World One Book at a Time | November 2011

Being thankful for our bodies, our friendships,
our opportunities to connect

Left to right: Pat Ballard, Lynne Murray,
Tracey Thompson, Bonnie Shapbell
& Leslie Moïse.

The approaching Thanksgiving holiday offers those of us in the U.S. an occasion to feast with family and friends and count our blessings. This coming Sunday, Nov. 20 we can also gather virtually in a Pearlsong Conversation focusing on gratitude for our amazing bodies. Those outside the U.S. are welcome as well, of course.

Thanks go to Pat Ballard, Queen of Rubenesque Romances & author of 10 Steps to Loving Your Body (No Matter What Size You Are), for suggesting our November teleconference call topic. Pat will join me and several other authors at 5 p.m. Eastern/4 p.m. Central to talk about body gratitude. We hope you'll join us.

There's no cost to participate, other than any long distance charges that might apply. To receive the teleconference call details (phone number & access code), send an email to pearlsongconversations @ pearlsong.com. The call details will be automatically emailed to you. The Conversation will be recorded and available for listening/downloading afterward, but we'd love for you to join us live if possible.

Other authors planning to be on the teleconference call include Lynne Murray, author of The Falstaff Vampire Files, Bride of the Living Dead & the Josephine Fuller mystery series, Leslie Moïse, Ph.D., author of Love is the Thread: A Knitting Friendship, Tracey Thompson, author of Fatropolis (coming 2012) & Bonnie Shapbell, author of Hiking the Pack Line (also 2012).

For more information about Pearlsong Conversations and a link to previous recordings, check out the Pearlsong Conversations webpage.

Another thing to be thankful for this month is the publication of Leslie Moïse's wonderful memoir Love is the Thread. The official publication date is December 1, but I'm happy to announce the original trade paperback & ebook are available now from the Pearlsong Press website. The Kindle ebook is also available now from Amazon.com The trade paperback listing should show up at Amazon, BarnesandNoble.com, Powells.com and other online retailers soon.

Love is the Thread traces the way one spiritual friendship can change all our relationships. It centers on the friendship between two women, one snared in a lifelong struggle with bipolar disorder, the other reweaving her life after an abusive relationship. Spirituality, encounters with nature, and vacations on the Delaware shore form the threads of a friendship as varied and closely knit as the stitches in a handmade sweater. From the discovery of hidden colors in fresh snow to the satisfaction of teaching a young nephew to knit, Love is the Thread savors life's small glories, ultimate challenges, and all the moments of humor and tenderness in between.

I hope you'll put Love is the Thread on your reading list, and join us in this Sunday's Pearlsong Conversation to count our bodily blessings.

In Joy,

Peggy Elam, Ph.D.
Psychologist, Editor & Publisher
Pearlsong Press

P.S. This summer Pearlsong Press republished the first volume in Lynne Murray's award-winning Josephine Fuller mystery series, Larger Than Death, in trade paperback & ebook form. Look for the second book in the series, Large Target, to be republished by Pearlsong Press soon!

"Loving one's body is directly opposed to consumerism.
If I love who I am, then I will not believe you
when you tell me I must be new and improved,
I must not age, I cannot be sexy,
I cannot be disabled.
Loving one's body means
demanding joy instead of satiation,
achievement instead of improvement,
intimacy instead of thrills."

Pattie Thomas, Ph.D.
I Take Up Space blog
www.psychologytoday.com/blog/i-take-space/201110/why-loving-our-bodies-is-dangerous

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