As if I didn’t have enough going on with a new book coming out in October, I am also launching a new project. Please help me spread the word.

In talking to readers about the characters in How To Climb The Eiffel Tower, quite a few people have told me that they had a friend like Lara or Jane that helped them get through their cancer experience. Their stories have inspired me to compile a collection of stories and memories about the people you meet in hospital waiting rooms. They are a disparate group of people thrust together because they have one thing in common – cancer. The juxtaposition of moments of high anxiety with hours of mind numbing boredom makes the waiting room the perfect place for spontaneous, candid conversations. I want to hear about those conversations.

Are you a cancer survivor? Did you strike up a friendship with someone you met in the hospital? Did your friends help you get through the experience? Tell me about it. Write a short post (somewhere between 50 and 2000 words) about how friendship influenced your cancer journey. Really, I want to hear about it.

Do you know a cancer survivor? Share this project with them. It will give them a chance to reflect on the more positive moments from their cancer treatment.

I have put together a dedicated page for the project on this blog –  Waiting Room Friends Project where people can link blog posts to the project.

How do I participate?

• Post your story on your blog, then sign-up on the Inkylist on the project’s page  so everyone can visit your blog to read it.
• Email me your story to waitingroomfriends@gmail.com. Please note if you give me your permission to share your story and I can use your real name. Anonymous reflections are welcome.
• Post your story to the Waiting Room Friends Project’s Facebook page.
• Join the Waiting Room Project’s Google+ community and post your story there.
• Tweet, post, talk, shout about the project wherever you hang out online.
• Talk to the cancer survivors in your life and encourage them to share their stories.

Depending on the volume of responses I receive to this project, I plan to compile the stories in an ebook. Any proceeds would be donated toward cancer research. Watch this space for updates as the project gets underway.