Come meet Illinois Author, Theresa L. Goodrich, and get a signed copy of her new memoir: Diary of a Cockeyed Optimist.

She's living the life of her dreams, but it took a devastating diagnosis to realize she deserved to.

In August of 2020, fifty-year-old author Theresa L. Goodrich went in for her first mammogram. It was just another box to check. Then came the call. Another mammogram. An ultrasound. A biopsy.

Cancer.

What followed was the scariest, most frustrating, painful, ridiculous, and surprisingly joyful year of her life. Through surgeries and chemotherapy, wigs and fear, gratitude and anger, Theresa discovered that being an optimist didn't mean she had to be happy all the time.

Sometimes she was terrified. Sometimes she was furious. Sometimes she laughed so hard she forgot why she was scared.

Some people call cancer a gift, and Theresa is one of them. But it's the kind of gift you want to chuck in a bucket, light the bucket on fire, and shoot out of a cannon so far into the stratosphere there's no chance it will ever come back down.

In this poignant, touching, and humorous memoir, cancer is the canvas, not the picture.

Drawn from essays and journal entries written during her diagnosis, treatment, and beyond, Diary of a Cockeyed Optimist is a candid, funny, and sometimes heartbreaking memoir about facing uncertainty, finding joy without denying the hard stuff, and finally giving herself permission to live the life she always wanted.

Theresa L. Goodrich is an Emmy-winning author, publisher, speaker, and incurable storyteller with a knack for finding adventure in unexpected places. Whether she's exploring unique destinations (and they’re all unique), writing mysteries as Theresa L. Carter, or sharing stories about the beautiful absurdity of everyday life, curiosity and humor are never far behind. When she’s not writing, reading, speaking, or traveling, she’s most likely binge watching The Repair Shop or planning her next adventure.