"Islanders Write" hosted by MV TIMES & Edgartown Books

Welcome! In the morning, there was a great selection of workshops. The one I took, lead by esteemed New York Times writer Nicole Galland, was about layering characters and what might influence them:

Then, off to sell books (thanks to friends & neighbors for stopping by). At the evening cocktail party, writers had an oppportunity to read from their books:  

One of the bonuses of the day was having my good old friend Norman Birnbach present his book, Stealing Time. 

 

"Islanders Write" & Edgartown Books have a whoopdeedoo weekend coming up!

I'm thrilled to be part of "Islander Writes" and to have a book signing at Featherstone Center for the Arts on Saturday, March 15, from 2 to 3:00 p.m.

Followed by a reception from 5-7:00 pm hosted by EDGARTOWN BOOKS:

"Islanders Write" celebrates writers & offers a smattering of (free!) workshops on both Saturday & Sunday. Will be fun!

"Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver & the other is GOLD."

Best friends for an incredible 60 years!! Leslie and I met in 3rd grade in Miss Meyer's Quilt Club. On Wednesdays at Jefferson School in Maplewood, NJ, we brought our lunch to school and quilted. (Imagine little hands sewing together colorful squares of fabric.)

Leslie was intrigued by my lunches, which she said were "so Betty." (My Mother.)

"They would be these little rolled-up pieces of lunch meat with a toothpick, a bag of carrots or something else healthy, and an apple, or something else healthy. I'd bring something like bologna slapped into a hard roll and a Twinkie or Yodel."

After posting the photo on FB, someone who shared our beloved Maplewood childhood put up these shots:

These are from our Jefferson School yearbook. (Who even thought we had one??!?) Leslie and I look like we're babies! We share so many memories.

Wrote my friend Z, my other BFF: "The power of friendship is glorious." 

 

A Mammogram, Norman Birnbach's new book & My Mother's Spirit

The other day, I went to have a (.)(.) mammogram. The procedure is not fun but a MUST FOR EVERY WOMAN. Afterward, in my sexy medical apron, they give you, I took a seat in the waiting room. Soon, I was engrossed in Norman Birnbach's new science fiction/time travel/smart/fun-to-read book, Stealing Time. 

"Bonni Brodnick?" Eve, the sonogram technician, called out.

Dang. I was right in the middle of a scene where Tori, the time-traveling teenager goes back 40 years to her father, Bob, (now known as "Bobby" because she's meeting up with him in 1980 when he's 15 years old, too) are about to stop a diamond heist and, well, you have to read the book. It's clever, inventive, witty, and quick-moving.

Ready?" asked Eve. "We're going to room 3, on the right."

At that point, I always pray that they won't find anything hiding in my breast.

I got on the table. As I was lying there, Eve asked, "Did your mother pass away recently? Because I just saw her spirit following you."

WHAHHHH? How the heck did a sonogram technician at my health group know that my mother died almost a month ago? 

"Yes! She did!" I said with the belief that maybe Mom was there.

We immediately began discussing the afterlife, the parallel universe, and eternity.

Eve told me she has a sixth sense. Her body begins to tingle when there is a spirit in the room. She  went on to tell me about the sitings she has had. 

I believe in it all. I welcome spirits. 

I feel blessed that my mother is with me. She gave me life, not once, but twice.

American Heart Association Launches "2025 NYC Go RED for Women Class of Survivors"

 

If you had told me almost eight years ago, when I was lying in the ICU from a stroke that hit me WHILE I was driving at 65 mph on an interstate highway and left me unable to walk, talk, or swallow, that I would one day be part of an American Heart Association national campaign, I wouldn't have believed it. The journey and recovery back to what I call "my magnificent life" was, at times, excruciating. (You can read about it in my book, My Stroke in the Fast Lane: A Journey to Recovery.)

I'm incredibly honored today to be among the nine women the American Heart Association chose (see above!) for "2025 New York City Go Red for Women Class of Survivors". Since my stroke, I've wanted to share my experience to raise awareness of cardiovascular disease, the #1 threat to women, even over cancer.

I’d love your support! Please consider donating to this terrific cause to educate people and spread the word about strokes & women’s heart health.  

https://fundraise.givesmart.com/vf/GORED2025/BonniBrodnick

L
ve,

Bonni