73°
“I woke up one morning and said, ‘What the hell are you doing?’’’ said Greenberg, co-host of ESPN’s Mike and Mike In The Morning. “No one is going to take this seriously. I sent what I wrote to my agent, and he said keep going. That was the first indication that I had a chance to do it.”
Greenberg will be the featured speaker at the StarWrite Author’s Luncheon to benefit the Wilton-based Connecticut Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at the Stamford Marriott Hotel & Spa. The luncheon begins at 11 a.m.
Greenberg wrote two previous books, “Why my Wife Thinks I’m an Idiot” and “Mike and Mike’s Rules for Sports and Life.” Both of those projects, however, were more in line with his sports background. “All You Could Ask For” is definitely not.
“It was a crazy thing to try, but I’m glad I did it,’’ he said. “I was constantly showing the three women in my focus group (including his wife, Stacy) what I was writing. They felt it was authentic. That was critical to me. I couldn’t have done it without them. They combined their efforts to make it as authentic as I was able to make it.”
The book was inspired by Heidi Armitage, a friend of Stacy’s who died in September 2009 after a six-month bout with breast cancer. “While she battled her illness, I watched three women rise up for her and around her and take care of her in ways that I wasn’t familiar with,’’ Greenberg said. “This is not about breast cancer. It’s about the power of friendship to rise above in times of great stress.”
Also, 100 percent of the proceeds will go to The V Foundation for Cancer Research. On Wednesday, he announced he will donate $100,000 to the charity.
The book received mostly positive reviews on Amazon. Reviewer Jeanne Anderson’s first comment reflected a sentiment shared by many. “First of all, amazing that a man wrote this book, and that man works for a sports show on ESPN,’’ she said. “He writes women well.”
“If I didn’t know it was written by him, I would think it was written by a woman,’’ said Dina Carelli, deputy executive director of the Connecticut Chapter of the Leukemia & Lyphoma Society. “It had me laughing and crying. It touched on a lot of aspects about friendship among women.”
Proceeds from the luncheon will benefit LLS, which seeks to find cures and ensure access to lifesaving therapies for all blood cancer patients. Money raised at the event will be invested in the LLS mission to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, and myeloma and improve the quality of life of patients and their families
For more information on the luncheon, including tickets and sponsorship information, visit the event website or contact Carelli at dina.carelli@lls.org or at 203-665-1400 ext. 1414.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Westport and receive free news updates.
