Happy Birthday!
To me
I’m a smidge uncomfortable publicly writing this, because I still have old remnants of shame and not being worth it. Fortunately, I’ve learned that’s old, very outdated stuff. My heritage is Norwegian. Norwegians are typically much more reserved and quieter than loud Americans. So I’m giving myself a break on my introverted nature.
Now……pushing through my reserved comfort zone:
I want you to join me in the celebration of my birthday!
My birthday is March 12!1 I’m so glad to be here. To celebrate, I’d like to give you, my beloved survivors, a free copy the recently re-released Paperdolls & Cowboy Boots.
My gift to you.
This gift will only be available on March 12, 2024.
This weekend I’ll send all the details, and how to get your free copy.
Happy Birthday to me!2
In the first editions of the book, I changed the identifying detail of my actual birthday for privacy reasons. After Elizabeth Smart returned home, on my birthday, I changed the book details to match my real birthday.
This gift brings me joy, but it feels feeble compared to the exhalation I felt on the ski slopes on my birthday, 2003. I tell this story in the book, but it is such a miracle, I love telling it again: I was on the slopes, and my phone started ringing constantly. Everyone I knew was calling to let me know Elizabeth Smart had been found. I sat down in the powder, gazed at the magnificent snow filled mountains and wept with joy.