SALT LAKE CITY, UT April 9, 2018
“My mother, a recent widow, moved in with my family, and within weeks, she was diagnosed with dementia.”
This experience began Mary Ann Kampfe’s memoir writing journey. It started with a blog to help her cope with the stress of caregiving.
“I was encouraged by my readers to write a book based on my blog. Miraculously, I did just that,” Kampfe explained.
But authoring a book was not Kampfe’s first foray into writing. When Kampfe was a young girl, she was inspired by the descriptions she read in car catalogs. The descriptions were powerful enough to lead the reader from “I like that car” to “I want that car” – then “I need that car!”
“After experiencing this persuasive writing,” Kampfe said, “I never wanted to settle for anything less than top-notch writing; the kind that gets into your head and won’t leave you alone.”
This led Kampfe from a career in advertising copywriting to writing news stories for local school districts. And finally to authoring a memoir.
“When it came time to write my book,” Kampfe said, “I wanted to do more than bring a face to dementia. My goal was to expand beyond what I’d learned as a caregiver and to share what I’d learned as a human being as well. When an early reader of my rough manuscript described it as ‘a book of simple truths, beautifully told,’ I knew I’d hit my mark.”
But Kampfe wanted to be as careful choosing a publisher as she was about her writing.
“Many books from mass-market publishers don’t respect their audience; they do everything from dropping characters to leaving abundant grammatical errors on every page to cinema-centric writing,” Kampfe said. “That is why I am thrilled to publish with WiDo/E.L. Marker. I have done my research, and WiDo has a passion that other publishing companies lack. WiDo has a quality stable of authors, compelling titles, and top-notch editors. It’s the kind of company I like to keep, and I am honored to be a part of their family.”
The WiDo Family of Publishers is equally thrilled to release such an engaging story. Karen Gowen, the managing editor at WiDo said, “The characters are endearing and the relationships are vivid. I love the mother/daughter dynamic. We want this book!”
Mary Ann Kampfe looks forward to writing more books that have touches of humor and a lasting effect on readers. She enjoys humor writers like Dave Barry and the late great Erma Bombeck. She can’t wait to lose herself in the writing process again.
Visit Mary Ann Kampfe’s website at www.elderskelter.net
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