December 19, 2007

Dancing to Save My Life By Yocheved Golani
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I went to an Israeli wedding tonight. The wedding proceeds, dinner begins, and we dance, dance, dance. Tired dancers leave as younger, more energetic celebrants hit the bumpy stone floor adjacent to King David's grave. The band strikes up a Celtic sound in the starlit night. We get jiggy with it, and the wait staff joins the foot-stompin' party. Women and girls toss glitter, wave paper pompons and metallic streamers of many colors, ululating to the beat. Teen girls wind paper leis around their arms and necks and rock-sway with them to the music. Guys perform acrobatics or dance with full-throated song.

I took a break to sign copies of my book in the parking lot. Merrymakers who'd seen me dance were stunned to realize how well Iëve recovered from a benign brain tumor that almost killed me. They'd heard of my book about how to cope with medical crises from avid readers in Israel and elsewhere. They knew that a local bookstore had just agreed to carry "It's MY and I'll Cry If I Need To: A Life Book that Helps You to Dry Your Tears and to Cope with a Medical Challenge."

"I read about it on many websites," "I heard you on radio," "Listservs are buzzing about your book," "How'd you get so much publicity?" and similar comments filled the air, as well as my heart. .

I explain that having several decades of paid writing experience in my background plus maintaining reciprocal relationships with writers and editors over the years led to a community of professionals helping each other. "We share references for paying gigs plus advice on writing and marketing techniques, and critique each other's developing manuscripts."

"Writers make friends with each other?" one man exclaimed, holding his hand to his lower jaw.

"Yes," I smiled. "Some of us bring out the best in each other's writing. That pays many kinds of dividends." I return to the wedding with the impromptu writing workshop members.

The bride's family had seen me through an emotional obstacle course when I'd been diagnosed in 2004. My writing career crashed due to sudden blindness, life-saving emergency surgery, and the years-long road to gradual recovery. The wedding party sweeps around the hall, beaming at me as the evening ends. They recommend my book far and wide. The Musella Foundation for Brain Tumor Research and Information calls it "Recommended Reading." See http://www.virtualtrials.com/books.cfm.

Yocheved Golani regrets that she never became a better dancer, but she is thrilled with her recharged writing career. She carries a few of her books wherever she goes, to satisfy demand for signed copies and because it's a productive marketing strategy.