Newsletter
Fall Newsletter 2025
Heck, where did my time go? I’m still salivating over our trip to Ireland/Scotland.
Ireland was DREAMY. Fell in love with not just the place, but the warm, incredible people who welcomed me to their home without reservation. The trip to the Scottish Highlands and the Isle of Skye showed vistas of untarnished beauty that made me gasp---straight out of a storybook.
One of the best things was meeting my dear friends from Ghana, Mike Downie and John Clayden (for more details about these amazing men, READ MY BOOK! Haha). We shared an Air B&B in Edinburgh and caught up over two days. Incredible. I also had a surprise visitor who listened to my audiobook and wanted to meet up in person. That’s a story for another day. It showed the reach of my work!
On the writing side of things, I sold 33 copies of my memoir in a few hours at the Sacramento Book Festival the day after I returned from Scotland! I have joined the board of directors for the California Writers Club (Sacramento). Interesting perspective to see how the organization works from the management side! Made a lot of progress on my next book at a Sonoma Writers retreat at Ratna Ling Center. So much peace and tranquility, glorious food the whole time. It has helped me get so cloooose to the finish line on Andorea (psychological suspense), stay tuned! We had yoga and meditation sessions, wonderful supportive writers and the two staff, Elizabeth Stark and Ellen Sussman, were beyond awesome in helping to shape and direct the writing. Highly recommend it. Life changing! Have some podcasts, book selling events and invitations to talk at a UC Davis book panel and also I’m an invited speaker for the Elk Grove annual meeting.
Family: My girls and their families are doing great. Shanthi is back at UC Santa Cruz; Shermila is an attending child neurologist at UC Davis and seems to be loving it. Attended her house warming with many family members. The three grandkids (Ky 9 months, Maira 3, and Surasi 7, are growing up like willow trees!) Tim is happy with his musical ventures and Zorro continues to be as lovable as ever. My siblings keep in touch almost daily.
What more does one need from life? I believe I have all a person needs. It’s wonderful.
Enjoy!
Summer Newsletter 2025
I’ve been lame, I apologize!
Haven’t updated my website (shamefully) since last Fall. I’ll blame my lapse on the cloud of dread that’s hit and paralyzed me since the awful results of our last presidential election…
The fallout has been too depressing…
Switching gears, what’s happened in the last few months?
My Stories on Stage, Davis event in December went off very well. Every seat was taken, which was gratifying. There’ve been numerous bookselling events and podcasts in the Bay Area and closer to home. I love to meet with prospective readers in person. I sold 33 books in a few hours at the recent Sacramento Book Festival.
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​I’ve been active in the Women in Film, San Francisco Bay Area group. It’s a great way to learn about all the elements of what happens AFTER the book or screenplay is submitted. Truly fascinating.
My screenwriter and I completed the screenplay for the 1st episode of our TV pilot. As we speak,we are pitching it to prospective directors/movie makers. I’m thrilled that there has been some interest and even a couple requests for not only the screenplay, but also my memoir. I will keep my fingers and toes crossed!
On a personal note, my daughter, Shermila and her husband Matt graced our family with our first grandson, Kyran Stevens, on January 2, 2025. Their family has moved to Northern California (yippee!) after Shermila accepted a position as child neurologist at U.C. Davis. My other daughter, Shanthi, is doing spectacularly well at U.C. Santa Cruz. The granddaughters are growing up so fast, and Chris is a rock. Life could not be more fulfilling for our family!
Tim and I just got back from a PHENOMENAL trip to Ireland and Scotland. An absolutely out of the world experience!
I'm looking forward to a writer retreat in Sonoma in July.
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I’ll try to get my act together and update the website more frequently!
Life is great. Enjoy the ride.
Fall Newsletter 2024
Summer came and went so FAST! I’m grateful for the cool days that have finally hit after the searing triple digits
The days whizzed by in a blur with book meetings, book selling and readings at bookstores. Tim and I also took a glorious holiday all the way down the California coast. We stopped in Cambria and spent time viewing some elephant seals near Heart Castle. It was then on to San Diego and Palm Desert and then heading back up to Long Beach and Burbank.
Loved getting away from everything with a final stop in dreamy Cayucos, population 2,500, and Morro Bay seeing some seals play in the harbor.
I’ve had a bunch of podasts and interviews: Here’s one from Briggs on Books.
It was an honor to have my piece “Appah” selected for the 2024 California Writers Club Literary Review, “Best of the Best”
The latest exciting development is that I’ve signed a contract with Alan Roth, who will work on a screenplay of The Fortune Teller’s Prophecy. He hopes to bring my memoir to the attention of a director for the silver screen in a few months. He pictures a six episode TV series. Will see…I’m looking forward to learning the process by which books make it to the screen.
Also, Stories on Stage, Davis is collaborating with Alan Roth to perform an excerpt from my memoir on Sunday, 12/8/2024. Time: 4 pm. Place Davis Sudwerk Brewery. Entry is free. Grab dinner and a pint and join me there.
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Spring Newsletter 2024
Drum roll please!
I’m bracing myself for the storm that heralds my memoir publication (The Fortune Teller’s Prophecy) on April 30, 2024!
Things are picking up and there is hardly time to smell the roses.
I did take off on a heavenly writers’ retreat (four days and three nights) in Nevada City with three writer friends: MP Smith, Robin Dragoo and Lisa Montanero.
Food, fun, writing, walking. I also connected with my former writing Coach, Sands Hall.
It truly was a heavenly break from reality.
I’m thrilled to report that I’ve had over 700+ preorders for my memoir. I presented a talk to Heartland Mental health services. They ordered 35 books (!). I personally endorsed each book AND will hand deliver them in mid-April when I tour their facility.
I also learned that I am a finalist in the Chanticleer International Book Awards and will attend their conference in Bellingham, Washington in late April with MP Smith. Can’t wait!
Multiple book signing events are coming up. : I will do book readings at the Davis library in late April, the Avid Reader bookstore in early May and I’ve been invited to give a presentation to Sacramento’s youth June 1. Other book readings are pending, including in Napa, the Bay Area and in Fremont. It will be a marathon for sure!
Please hold my hand for support as I take a flying leap into the future.
Let’s do this!
Winter Newsletter 2024
Welcome to a beautiful new year, blossoming with new possibilities and promise!
My beloved 49ers have earned home field advantage and they have clinched the Number One seed in the National Football conference! Yippee! For those who don’t understand football, this means the team is a significant step closer to making it to the Super Bowl in Las Vegas next month.
I’m thrilled that they are within breathing distance of the largest prize in football.
With regard to book publishing, I got a great Kirkus Review. I also had an online review of my audio book on 12/28/2023 by Jeremy Van Wert which was also very positive, so I’m glad that early indications for the memoir are pointing the right way. My audiobook is available from multiple sources
I have several scheduled book store appearances coming up including Napa (Copperfield’s Friday, January 26, 11 am), Fremont (Banter Bookstore Thursday, August 1 at 7 PM)
My book launch is scheduled for Thursday, May 2 at Avid Reader in Davis, with others in the planning stages. Stay tuned!
On a more subdued note, my 94-year-old father took ill and has been placed at his home with hospice care. He is in good spirits, but is unable to walk any longer, and there are times when he tells us he is simply tired of fighting. However he is not in pain and not in a nursing home, for which he is profoundly grateful. His infirmity, while sad, also emphasizes the wonder of life and our legs(!) and the health we often take for granted.
So get outside now. Do it! Smell the roses, try everything you’ve been putting off for too long.
Experience the weave of life’s tapestry–––with all the good and bad.
Happy New Year!
Fall Newsletter 2023
Isn’t life beautiful? I love when November turns to December...
Family! Food! Forty-Niner Football! Thanksgiving becomes Christmas.
Fallen leaves.. everywhere.
The shivering promise of new opportunities ahead. Yeah!
Newsflash: My audiobook is currently available from multiple distributors, so stay tuned for the launch at a local bookstore next month. I did the narration and my talented husband/sound engineer/sound editor Tim Pia worked his magic on the audio production. You’ll have to wait till the end of April for the print version, but preorders are available from multiple sites including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Target etc.
My writing journey has all the throttles released and is steaming ahead.
I was just interviewed by a former colleague/therapist from River Oak Center for Children, Jeremy Van Wert for his podcast, Mindful Mutiny. We discussed my upcoming memoir, The Fortune Teller’s Prophecy. I tried to avoid too many spoilers, so if you’re interested, here’s a link to the interview in its entirety: INTERVIEW
Another podcast that I had recently done at the end of November with hosts Stephanie McPhail and David Charon was for an episode of Toxic Love Transformation. It will air sometime in mid January of next year. LINK TO INTERVIEW/PODCAST (Coming Soon).
So there’s no rest for the wicked!
I’m loving this phase of my writing journey. It makes up for all the sleepless nights and countless revisions of this material that is so dear to my heart. I hope you enjoy my audiobook.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas season. Take a stolen moment to remember all the things in your life which make you grateful. My heart couldn’t be more full.
Cheers,
Lally Pia