Maybe I AM the luckiest

This week has been an anxiety fueled whirlwind and yet, as I sit here writing this, I am happy. My new book, The Luckiest: A Memoir of Love, Loss, Motherhood, and the Pursuit of Self hit bookcases, e-readers, and headphones everywhere on Tuesday. This very intimate telling of the many layers of my life is out in the world and that is as exciting as it is terrifying.

So far, thankfully, people seem to like it. If you liked it as well, please consider leaving a review on Amazon or GoodReads.com - they can make a huge difference in early sales. If you didn’t like it - maybe just don’t tell me.

Wednesday night was The Luckiest book tour kick off event in our hometown of Maplewood, NJ and it was basically perfect. Miguel sang with Jackson and his middle school’s 8th grade select choir, I got to speak about why this book is so special to me, and then Miguel and Jackson sang a duet - and obviously no shock to anyone but they killed it. Later on I got to sit with our friend Vanessa Pollock and answer questions about the book as well as audience questions before Miguel and the choir returned to the stage to close us out.

Despite Jackson’s pleas to bring him with us on the rest of the tour, we will unfortunately not be traveling with Jackson or his middle school choir. That said if you have the opportunity to see our little show in New York, Chicago, Boston, San Diego, LA, or San Francisco and have not gotten tickets or reserved your seat - you are missing out.

Am I tooting my own horn? Well, I suppose I am. Toot, toot, toot!

I am really proud of this book. I genuinely believe that is has the opportunity to connect with all sorts of people in a variety of different ways: from the young person trying to make their way in the world, to the mother suffering identity loss, to the frustrated caregiver, and of course the griever. Please read it, please share it, please help me reach the people who need to hear it most - or that you think would enjoy a good old fashioned memoir.

In addition to the events above, Miguel and I will also be performing at The Hayden’s House gala on Friday, November 14th in Moonachie, NJ. This is the organization that led the grief retreat that I attended a year after Adelaide passed away and that I wrote about in Normal Broken. If you are looking for a great time on a Friday in November, look no further. Tickets and information here.

Also, while I am in LA I will be attending and moderating a panel discussion at The Grieftastic Bookfair. Their tagline is that it’s like your childhood book fair only sadder, but it is also much more than that. The line-up of authors appearing and attending is INSANE and if you are in LA on November 21st I highly reccomend attending. Tickets and information here.

Last but not least, I published not one, but three essays over the last week in addition to my new book. If you missed them, links are below:

People.com: “Kelly Cervantes Reveals Her Cancer Journey in New Memoir, The Luckiest — Read an Excerpt (Exclusive)”

KatieCouric.com: “The Grief We Don’t Talk About”

WBUR (Boston NPR): “The bad news? I had breast cancer. The good news? Doctors knew what to do.”

If you haven’t ordered The Luckiest yet, but have enjoyed reading my latest Inchstones installments for years or even just months - please remember that you have never paid a dime for these weekly essays. Purchasing my books not only helps me support our family but allows me to continue writing and connecting with all of you.

Thank you all for your love and support an I cannot wait to see you on the road!

ID: Kelly is sitting on a chair on a stage. A pop-up banner with the book cover for The Luckiest is behind her. She is wearing a maroon and pink floral dress and smiling out toward the crowd with a microphone in her hand.