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Dear Dana

That time I went crazy and wrote all 580 of my Facebook friends a handwritten letter

Published by She Writes Press
Distributed by Simon & Schuster

About The Book

When Amy Daughters reconnected with her old pal Dana on Facebook, she had no idea how it would change her life. Though the two women hadn’t had any contact in thirty years, it didn’t take them long to catch up—and when Amy learned that Dana’s son Parker was doing a second stint at St. Jude battling cancer, she was suddenly inspired to begin writing the pair weekly letters.

When Parker died, Amy—not knowing what else to do—continued to write Dana. Eventually, Dana wrote back, and the two became pen pals, sharing things through the mail that they had never shared before. The richness of the experience left Amy wondering something: If my life could be so changed by someone I considered “just a Facebook friend,” what would happen if I wrote all my Facebook friends a letter?

A whopping 580 handwritten letters later Amy’s life, and most of all her heart, would never, ever, be the same again. As it turned out, there were actual individuals living very real lives behind each social media profile, and she was beautifully connected to each of those extraordinary, flawed people for a specific reason. They loved her, and she loved them. And nothing—not politics, beliefs, or lifestyle—could separate them.

About The Author

A native Houstonian and a 1991 graduate of The Texas Tech University, Amy W. Daughters has been a freelance writer, focusing mostly on college football, for the past decade. You Cannot Mess This Up is her first published book, meaning she can no longer claim to be “the author of unpublished books.” Amy lives in Centerville, Ohio—a suburb of Dayton—where she is a regular on the ribbon dancing circuit. She is married to Willie (a computer person) and the proud mother of two sons, Will (21) and Matthew (13).

Product Details

  • Publisher: She Writes Press (May 17, 2022)
  • Length: 320 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781647424060

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Raves and Reviews

2023 Readers' Favorite Book Awards Gold Medalist in Non-Fiction (Relationships)
2023 National Indie Excellence Awards Winner in Social Media
2023 National Indie Excellence Awards Finalist in Friendship
2023 National Indie Excellence Awards Finalist in Relationship
2023 Nautilus Book Awards Gold Medal Winner in Memoir in Essays
2022 Living Now Book Awards Bronze Medalist in World Peace


“. . . a captivating study regarding writing letters to friends and rethinking how people successfully bond in the modern world. An intriguing and inspiring exploration of different forms of communication.”
Kirkus Reviews

Dear Dana is an inspirational memoir about caring for friends near and far by reviving a lost art.”
—Foreword Reviews

“This is a book for anyone who wonders about the differences between a Facebook friend and a Real-Life friend and who yearns to see a person’s real life behind their Facebook image. It is also about the power of prayer and the abundance of kindness in our world. But ultimately, it’s about connection and how we are all connected when we come from love.”
—Rivvy Neshama, author of Recipes for a Sacred Life: True Stories and a Few Miracles

“Amy shows us how something as simple as a letter—let alone 580 of them!—can change a life. Who else would decide to write a personal letter to every one of their Facebook friends? The stories from these letters provide insights into how we can help people through difficult times and connect with others—and, of course, plenty of good laughs.”
—Brad Aronson, best-selling author of HumanKind: Changing the World One Small Act At a Time.

“Captivating . . . I laughed and I cried as I followed the pleasures of real mail, and the lesson hit home: Whether written or spoken, our words matter. They have the power to illuminate someone’s darkest day.”
—Laurie Buchanan, PhD, author of Note to Self: A Seven-Step Path to Gratitude and Growth and The Business of Being: Soul Purpose In and Out of the Workplace

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More books from this author: Amy Weinland Daughters