Novelist with MCS writes in “bubble”

Interesting post in La Bloga about author Mayra Lazara Dole, who has a serious case of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and writes in a glassed-in room, communicating with her editor only through email.

From Mayra’s editor, Rosemary Brosnan, Executive Edior, Children’s Books/Harper Collins:

“I’m delighted to share with you Down to the Bone, a first novel by Mayra Lazara Dole, a Cuban-born author with a fresh new voice. When I first read this manuscript, I was struck by Mayra’s portrayal of a Cuban Miami that is rarely written about-a Miami that is so alive that it almost becomes a character in her book. Mayra exposes intolerance on many levels within her community-an act of bravery on her part. But most of all, she reveals how her protagonist, Laura, learns how the word family can be defined in many different ways.

“Working on this book was a meaningful experience to me in many ways. I am glad that Mayra wrote this important and vibrant novel, and I’m proud to be publishing it.

“Mayra suffers from M.C.S., or Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, and must live in a ‘bubble’ in order to survive- a glassed-in room. A chemical injury from pesticides damaged her immune system. I have never spoken with her, as it is too exhausting for her to speak on the phone. When she feels well enough, we communicate by e-mail, and our work together was done on the computer, rather than with hard copy, as paper and ink contain chemicals. Unless she recovers, Mayra will not be able to hold her book in her hand when it is finished; however, her life-partner, Damarys, who helped us a great deal throughout the book production process, will hold the book up to the glass so Mayra can see it, and she will read it to her via speakerphone.”

Link to more about the novel at La Bloga.