No, it’s not a chain letter, I swear. It’s called a Blog Hop. I’ve never done one before. I was tagged by my funny writer pal Norine Dworkin-McDaniel.

I’ve been asked to answer 10 quick questions about my big project, and pass the torch pen to the next writer I can arm-twist into participating. Kind of like a… oh, never mind.

1. What is the working title of your book or project?

Love Is Like This: A Family Grows Up with Autism.

2. Where did the idea come from for the book or project?

Readers who’ve read my guest blogs for the New York Times, the Huffington Post and elsewhere keep asking when I’m going to write a book.

3. What genre does it fall under, if any?

Memoir.

4. If applicable, who would you choose to play your characters in a movie?

Tina Fey. We both wear glasses.

5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your manuscript or project?

This is how my agent is pitching it: “With warmth, grace and enduring strength, Liane’s compelling story explores the uncharted terrain of raising an older child with autism into adulthood."

6. Will your book or story be self-published or represented by an agency?

I’m represented by Inkwell Management.

7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

20 years. I write long hand.

8. What other book or stories would you compare this story to within the genre?

Wild, without the Pacific Crest Trail. Okay, not. Seriously? Books by my friends/fellow autism moms Susan Senator, Laura Shumaker and Glen Finland.

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book or story?

Chances are that today you know someone who has autism, but twenty years ago, I didn’t know anyone with a child like mine. I had no one to talk to.  It was before the Internet; there were no websites, listservs or blogs to turn to. I decided to write the book I wish I'd had when my son was first diagnosed.

10. What else about the book or story might pique the reader’s interest?

What if a stranger had the power to decide if you were a good enough parent to your autistic child? That’s the actuality we faced when a court-appointed temporary guardian arrived at our house to ask questions. Our 17 year old son was about to become a legal adult. She was there to determine if we would be appropriate guardians for him. I was dumbfounded. The simple fact of having raised him didn’t ensure we’d be able to retain legal influence over his adult life.

My story of how we had to prove to the court that we were the best possible guardians for our own son is one of the many challenging realities of raising an autistic young adult. You can read more at Autism After 16,where I write a monthly column called “Roots and Wings.”   

In the next several days, I will post projects from other writers who are participating in this blog hop. Check out their sites and keep things hopping.

Norine Dworkin-McDaniel is writing a collection of humorous essays about stumbling through parenthood, called Don't Put Lizards in Your Ears … And Other Totally Bizarre Things I Never Thought I’d Do, Say or Think, but Absolutely Did After I Became a Mom. 

Susan Bearman has just written the charming Animal Store Alphabet Book.

Kathy Mirkin is writing a funny children's book entitled Kikki Klein is Not Doomed to be a Duck.

Nancy Hinchliff, the writer who started this hop, is writing a memoir called Roxie, Alfred and Me.