A Novatan Goes for the Chance to be a National Best Seller

Once my friend Karen Lynch determined that writing an essay would be the road to get her book Good Cop, Bad Daughter published, there was no turning back for the retired SFPD homicide investigator and her friends.

Now, that essay, ‘The Road to Kyra,’ is one of five finalists among 220 entries in the 2012 Notes and Words Essay Contest.

As we all understand it in the digital age, new writers not only have to have talent and skill, they also have to demonstrate how they can attract an audience or be successful in a variety of platforms. Never one to mince words and always one to throw herself into causes she believes in, Karen is passionately going out and getting the post for her essay entry noticed on the Notes and Words Essay Contest platform. With a large following, she is also getting support from her circle of friends.

And I am challenging Novato Patch readers to help her fulfill her dream by voting for her entry before April 23. Novato might not be able to get George Lucas to build his studio here (but we hold out hope), but we can certainly help a fellow Novatan become a national best seller!

I have known Karen since my son, Ryan, was in fourth grade in the GATE program. Quick-witted, Ryan and Keenan became fast friends, which became the foundation of their mothers’ friendship.  I have learned since to admire her through the years, and not just because she is one of the coolest moms around! 

I first met Karen’s daughter and her extended Chinese adoption families when we were invited to Karen’s infamous Easter Egg Hunt.  I have wondered about and admired Karen’s decision to adopt a daughter after having two wonderful boys.

In ‘Road to Kyra,’ Karen talks about her journey of adopting her daughter from China, the enthusiam and support from her two boys; and how her husband, ever so reluctant of this idea of turning his perfect life upside down once again with a new baby, miraculously changed his mind.  This short essay vividly describes the passion, determination and love Karen had for her future, and now real daughter and we get a glimpse of what and who Karen is and why Karen has such a huge following by just being her.

Karen and I drifted apart just as our boys went different directions during their adolescence years.  We reconnected when I found out Karen was battling breast cancer three years ago. Never one to surrender and always one to share her experience. Karen fought her battle with cancer publicly and courageously, sharing her ups and downs with us all. 

Karen recovered and later jumped in and became a Relay for Life Novato team captain and led a successful campaign for one of the Quest church teams. Her story was documented by Beth Huizenga in a Novato Patch story last July.

I found her with her face painted in her Relay for Life booth. In front of her was a tableful of homemade cupcakes while she good spiritedly greeted each walkers checking out the display at her booth.

Winning this contest means a hugely increased chance for Karen to get her memoir Good Cop, Bad Daughter published.  Her book is a story of how being raised by a bipolar hippie mother whose view of Karen trained Karen to become one of the first female cops in San Francisco.

For Karen, the best part about winning the contest would be the opportunity to have 1-on-1 consultations with a Random House/Ballantine senior editor, O Magazine’s executive editor and a top literary agent at ICM. She would also be introduced to: Michael Chabon, Pulitzer Prize winner; Anne Lamott, New York Times best-selling author; John Hodgman, the Daily Show and HBO's Bored to Death; and Kelly Corrigan, New York Times best-selling author.

I, same as many Karen supporters, hope Karen win!

To vote for Karen’s Entry by April 23, click on the link for Notes and Words and click ‘LIKE’ on that FB post.

Thank you and now we await Karen Lynch’s book!

Link to text version of Karen’s Road to Kyra

The following is from Notes and Words:

Notes & Words is the annual signature event of Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland. Featuring New York Times best-selling authors and KFOG recording artists, Notes & Words promises an intimate and inspiring evening of spoken word and original music.

Notes & Words 2012 is the third annual event in a series benefiting Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland. It will take place April 28th at Oakland’s beautifully refurbished Fox Theater. The evening features an eclectic line up of recording artists and renowned authors for a dynamic mix of music and spoken word. Performers include CAKE, Pulitzer-Prize winning author Michael Chabon, New York Times bestselling authors Anne Lamott and Kelly Corrigan, as well as John Hodgman from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and HBO's Bored to Death. Notes & Words promises to be an event unlike any other, with the opportunity to take part in a moving and inspiring evening with some of the country's finest artists.

Mission

Our Hospital, Research Center, and You

For nearly 100 years, Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland has been delivering exceptional medical care to children from all regions of California.

As a facility we are 100% focused on kids and offer over 30 sub-specialties, from neurosurgery to sports medicine to urology. Our trauma center is the only Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center in Northern California, which gives kids twice the chance to make it versus any adult trauma center. We are one of few places with the specialized staff and facilities able to treat rare illnesses and health problems in children, and recognize that the medical needs of kids are vastly different from those of adults.

In addition to treating more kids than any pediatric hospital in the Bay Area, Children’s research center has over 300 scientists working on 150 clinical trials. Since our research center and hospital are in the same place, up-to-the-minute insights, trends and data go directly from the lab to the hospital, and vice versa. For instance, Children’s Hospital Oakland developed what are now the worldwide protocols for treating sickle cell anemia and cerebral palsy.

Children’s is not only an invaluable resource for current patients and their families, but also excels as a nationally recognized pediatric teaching facility and research center. As a teaching facility we receive over 600 applicants a year for only 20 medical internships—so we are able to pick only the best.

In 2009 we delivered 62.5 million dollars of charity care and community benefits, and want to continue delivering this kind of care in the future. Because full-service hospitals just for children are extremely specialized, few communities can support one. We need your philanthropy to ensure that kids out there get the care they need and that life-saving research can continue. You enable us to provide essential services to the children and families of Northern California—and beyond.