Mitch Albom is certainly no stranger to readers around the world. More than 26 million of his books in more than 40 languages have been sold and made into Emmy Award-winning TV movies.

What is perhaps lesser known about this internationally renowned and phenomenally bestselling author is the fact that he is also an award-winning journalist and radio host, playwright, songwriter and lyricist. He has stayed true to his long-time love of music through writing music for singers and soundtracks as well as through his work with The Rock Bottom Remainders, a band made up of writers including Stephen King, Dave Barry, Scott Turrow, Amy Tan and Ridley Pearson, who raise money for literacy projects through their performances.

In 1995, Albom re-encountered Morrie Schwartz, a former college professor he had been really close to, but had lost touch with. Morrie was dying of ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. His visits with Schwartz eventually led to Tuesdays with Morrie (1997), a chronicle of time spent with his beloved ‘Coach’. As a labour of love, Albom wrote the book to help pay Morrie’s medical bills, but the book was such a phenomenal success that it turned Albom away from sports journalism towards a career as an internationally recognised author proper.

The book spent four years on the New York Times Bestseller list and remains the most successful memoir ever published to date. His first novel, The Five People You Meet in Heaven (2003), is the most successful US hardcover first adult novel ever, while For One More Day (2006) debuted at No.1 on the New York Times Bestseller List and spent nine months on the list.

Have A Little Faith (2009) is his first non-fiction title since Tuesdays with Morrie. The book is the result of an unusual request: an 82-year-old rabbi from Albom’s old hometown asks him to deliver his eulogy. Albom describes it as “the most important thing . . . I have ever written.” The book topped bestsellers charts all over the world on the day of its release.

We caught up with the writer when he was in Singapore earlier this year. Here is the author, in his own words: