Coming soon from eFitzgerald... available in print and in eformat

Hello and welcome to our book's blog. How David Met Sarah is the story of a young man with Down Syndrome who falls in love with a young woman with autism. What makes How David Met Sarah different from any of my previous work is that I wrote the book for my youngest brother. He is 36 and has Down Syndrome.
I wrote How David Met Sarah with two goals in mind: to give my brother a story he could read and enjoy on his own, as well as one that had a hero with which he could identify. Like the main character in the story, my brother lives at home with his parents, works in a mail room and has even been in love.
I didn't intend to publish the story at first. My brother loved the initial chapters, and that was enough to encourage me to complete it. But one day I needed a sample manuscript to use at a writing workshop. The only work in progress I had to share was this one. I used the opening chapters in the workshop, and the response was so positive, I was encouraged to share the story with everyone.
How David Met Sarah is a story that is not only accessible to those with developmental disabilities, but also offers insight into what it's like to live with such a disability. My brother and I hope everyone enjoys it. Thanks for stopping by....Annie Kelleher (and David Kelly)

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Why "How David Met Sarah"

"We read to know we are not alone."
                                    Anthony Hopkins as C.S.Lewis in Shadowlands

If you haven't seen the film "Shadowlands," and you love books, I recommend you download, borrow or buy a copy.  It's about the relationship between the English author of the Narnia books and the American woman he marries and falls in love with, Joy Gresham. The line above is one of the single best explanations for the pleasure of reading I've ever heard. 

It's also why I wanted to write How David Met Sarah

At 36, my brother is not a child.  Although he has a disability, he wants many of the same things most adults I know want.  He wants a job he enjoys, and a special someone to love.  He likes to do things that are decidedly not childish - golf, international travel and opera are some of David's favorite past-times.  He's an active member of his church and serves in serveral capacities quite faithfully, including usher.

So active, in fact, in the community is my brother that it's difficult to go anywhere with him in the town he lives without running into someone who knows David.   He has challenges and limitations but who doesn't?   The more time I spend with him, the more I see how much we have in common.  We are more similar than different. 

I decided to write How David Met Sarah to give my brother an experience that I think most average readers take for granted - that sense of not being alone.  I wanted my brother to have what I have always had from the time I remember reading the Honey Bunch and Norman series in first grade... stories in which I could, in my imagination, stand in for one of the characters.  Reading has always been one of my greatest pleasures and I began to write because I wanted to do what all my favorite authors did.  Books continue to be my companions and my friends, providing hours of pleasure. 

With How David Met Sarah and its sequels, I hope to give some of that back.  
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