Love At The Speed Of Email [Paperback]

Lisa McKay (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2, 2012

Lisa looks as if she has it made. She has turned her nomadic childhood and forensic psychology training into a successful career as a stress management trainer for humanitarian aid workers. She lives in Los Angeles, travels the world, and her first novel has just been published to some acclaim. But as she turns 31, Lisa realizes that she is still single, constantly on airplanes, and increasingly wondering where home is and what it really means to commit to a person, place, or career. When an intriguing stranger living on the other side of the world emails her out of the blue, she must decide whether she will risk trying to answer those questions. Her decision will change her life.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Lisa McKay is an author and a psychologist who specializes in stress, trauma and resilience. Her first novel, My Hands Came Away Red, was published in 2007, and her essays have appeared in a number of magazines. She currently lives in Laos with her husband and son.

Product Details

• Paperback: 276 pages
• Publisher: Karinya Publishing (June 2, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0985480904
• ISBN-13: 978-0985480905
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,170,976 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I still get confused when people ask me about home. Raised in Australia, Bangladesh, the States, and Zimbabwe, I have also lived in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Croatia. I am currently living in Laos ...

(The journey to Laos began with writing letters to someone in Papua New Guinea, and that is such a great story that I wrote a memoir about it - check out my latest book, a memoir, Love At The Speed Of Email).

In Australia, I worked as a forensic psychologist with the state police, in a maximum-security men's prison, and on a child death review team.

In Croatia, I worked with a development organization as a stress management trainer.

In Indiana, I earned a masters degree in International Peace Studies at Notre Dame University.

In Los Angeles, I directed the Headington Institute's training and education programs, providing psychological support services to humanitarian workers around the world.

In Laos, while my husband is hard at work for a humanitarian organization, I lie in a hammock by the Mekong River and drink mango smoothies.

At least, that is what I sometimes fantasize about when I'm busy looking after my first child, working as a consultant, or writing.

My latest book, Love At The Speed Of Email, was released in June 2012. It's a book that advance reviewers are calling "a modern-day fairytale" and a "travel memoir with a deep soul". Please take a moment to check it out, or to drop by my website and say hello. I'd love to hear from you.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth investing your time to read and savor! October 4, 2012

By Sheryl Chism

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Absolutely wonderful! Completely relatable on so many levels, touching deeply the heart and the soul. And I'm not even halfway through it! This is the first review that I have ever felt compelled to write, despite my love for books and reading which is only one of the things I have found in common thus far with Lisa McKay. "Love at the Speed of Email a Memoir" thoughtfully, honestly, transparently, and engagingly tells the story of life and love. Even more, the author seeks to reconcile the idea of what "home" means when you have spent much of your life helping and serving others across the globe, adjusting to cultural differences, often living among the poorest of the poor, and having part of your heart in each of those places. Lisa's life work is not just a job, it is a calling, a ministry to others where she is confronted with hard questions about the "why" or "how" of life. She writes with depth, clarity, and maturity about how she responds, and how she is challenged by her own questions, and those of a culture that expects a woman to be married with children by age thirty. The use of thought-provoking quotes from various authors including William Inge and C.S. Lewis, as well as heart-felt correspondence shared from like-minded friends and colleagues in the field of humanitarian aid, provide additional proof that so many of us share some of the same feelings, thoughts, and emotions, just not always in the same settings. I cannot digest the wealth of her experience in one setting. For me, taking it slow and reading small segments at a time, makes for an exquisite reading experience! I hope you enjoy this book as much as I am enjoying it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful, moving memoir reads like fiction September 14, 2012

By Katherine Scott Jones

Format:Paperback

I first heard of Lisa McKay's book Love at the Speed of Email on the Novel Rocket blog, where she wrote about why she chose to self-publish this memoir. I was intrigued by the notion that her story had too much God to please secular publishers, not enough to please Christian ones. I wanted to know more, so I read her book.

Synopsis: Lisa lives a life many women would envy. Her nomadic childhood has morphed into a nomadic adulthood, which she's augmented with a formidable amount of education, all of which has added up to a successful career as a stress management trainer for humanitarian aid workers. On top of that, she's recently published her first novel. Though she holds both Canadian and Australian passports, she lives in Los Angeles--or does when she's not traipsing the globe as part of her job. As she turns 31, though, Lisa wonders if what she has is enough--especially as those closest to her are marrying, having children, settling down. Making homes. What does home mean? she wonders. Is it a place...or a person...or both? While she's asking herself these questions, an unexpected email arrives from an intriguing stranger--and together, they find answers to her questions that change both their lives.

From start to finish, I loved Love at the Speed of Email. In this thoughtful memoir, Lisa has proven herself to be an exceptional writer and a gifted storyteller. Her skill does not stop with the words strung deftly across the page. It continues into her exploration of human character and her razor-sharp insights of the human condition.

Lisa writes with bold authenticity and breath-taking vulnerability. She's candid about past romantic relationships, but even more revealing about those aspects of her persona that move and challenge and humble her. At the same time, she knows how to tell a delightful vignette, many of which had me laughing out loud. You'll know what I mean when you read about her taxi ride with a driver named Bunny.

There were also many aha moments for me to identify with, such as: "I had always thought that being a `grown-up' would mean actually feeling that confidence. By the time I landed in Kenya, I was starting to think it just meant being better at pretending."

And of course, novel-lover that I am, I resonated with this: "Many people seem to view `real life' as the gold standard by which to interpret stories, but I don't think that does novels justice. For me, at least, the relationship between the real and fictional worlds was reciprocal. These books named emotions, pointed to virtue, and vice, and led me into a deeper understanding of things I had already witnessed and experienced myself. They also let me try on, like a child playing dress-up, experiences and notions new to me. They acted as maps, mirrors, and magnifying glasses."

But perhaps what I liked most was her honest grappling with her faith as she leaves simple childhood beliefs for a complex, mature Christian faith-one that embraces the hard truth that we cannot know all the answers to life's toughest questions. As I read Lisa's story, my list of people who had to read this book grew. All in all, I felt I was connecting with a kindred spirit with whom, should we ever find ourselves on the same continent, I would love to share an evening of memorable conversation over a bottle of red wine. Lisa McKay has written a deeply relatable, moving memoir.

And I have to say I love the happy ending.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Email romance October 2, 2012

By Trinity Rose

Format:Kindle Edition

This is Lisa McKay's second book and I really enjoyed it. Her first book My Hands Came Away Red, was fantastic.
In Love at the Speed of Email is a memoir that reads like fiction. You will get caught up in the amazing, fascinating life that Lisa leads and how she came to know her husband and their usual courtship and marriage. I believe marriage through email works because before email I met and married my husband of 30 years though letters. It works and is a great way to find out about your future mate. Like Lisa and Mike we also had a short courtship and God has blessed us.
I find it amazing how some people can travel and live in a different place every few years or so and seem to enjoy it, but that's not for me. You will read many strange and exciting things that have happened to Lisa and how she got though them and moved on with her life.
God has blessed this couple and I know you would love to read their love story.
Lisa is a very witty person and will have you laughing at the strangest things. I'm sure she is a wonderful speaker and has her audience laughing and feeling comforted many times.
A book to read and one you will get simple enjoyment out of. I recommend this book.

Thank you to the Author/Publicist for providing this book for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255