An author loves
to get notes from readers. I've gotten quite a few since my book was released in May 2011, for which I am very grateful.
I was so taken by the one I recently received that
I have to share it with you here:
“I just finished
Leaving the Hall Light On this
morning. I wrote my review on here and Amazon. As a published author I know how
fulfilling it is to receive feedback from readers. I write you this message
today because I would request that you read my review. I am a writer, nurse,
mother, and wife who suffers with Bipolar 1 disorder. I would like for you to
know that I felt Paul's soul in the core of my bones. I know intimately the
feeling of quietly walking down the hallway as to not disturb my loved ones,
locking the bathroom door, and making the decision to end my life. As I sit
here this afternoon writing this message I struggle to stay out of the bathroom
today. I began reading the book through the eyes of someone who suffers from mental
illness, but finished the book with a new understanding of the loved ones who
have to fight the battle by our side. I appreciate that you dedicated the bench
in Paul's name. That was so thoughtful. I also thought that it was wonderful
that his legacy lives on through the names of his cousins. What a wonderful way
to celebrate his life. I cried when I read how you were shunned by your
friends. I was cheering when you wrote how you found new friends who cared and
was willing to invest in your experiences. I wish your family happiness and
peace. I hope Ben has many grandchildren for you to enjoy. :) Paul's life was
something to be greatly celebrated. He was a talented music creator, a loving
son (even though it was hard to see sometimes), and a man who wanted to o find
the light in the darkness, but unfortunately lost the bipolar battle. Please
know that I know the feelings he was experiencing as he made the decision to
lay in the bathtub. It was nothing you or your husband did. It's a chilling
pain that suffocates us with the thought of loss. Loss of stability, loss of
normal, loss of loves, and loss of independence. The destiny for many of us is
a life full of living as ghosts. We fight the need to die and in the end die as
we live. I thank you for taking the time to read this message and hope you have
a wonderful evening.”
* * *
And I am thrilled that one of my writing teachers, Barbara Abercrombie, took the time to read and post her lovely review of Leaving the Hall
Light On, on her blog, Writing Time - where she provides
reading lists, creative writing exercises, and nurturing for the writing
community.
I had the
pleasure of taking an essay workshop with her a couple of years ago through the Writers’ Program at UCLA Extension. Barbara has published novels, memoir, books for
children and numerous personal essays and articles. Her latest book
is: A Year of Writing Dangerously: 365 Days of Inspiration and Encouragement (New World Library, June
2012).
Barbara wrote:
“Leaving the Hall Light On by Madeline Sharples is a memoir about the
most wrenching subject possible – the suicide of her son after his seven-year
struggle with bipolar disorder. I have to admit I put off reading this for awhile
because of the subject, but Madeline's tone is so direct, honest, and lacking
in self-pity, and the narrative, even though you know what's going to happen,
is so compelling and gripping, that it turns into a book you don't want to put
down once you start reading. It's also the story of how a family survives this
tragedy, how Madeline saves herself and finds a balance of keeping her son's
memory alive yet moving on in her own life. The ending is beautiful: her other
son's wedding eleven years later.”
