Book Business
Sound the trumpets. The cover and illustrations for Ready, Set, Lead! are done! Co-author Kathy Kasten and I are thrilled with the illustrations and thank Penny Weber for bringing our book to life. Penny attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City. She creates murals, greeting cards, portraits, caricatures, and has illustrated award-winning books. We are blessed to have this multi-talented artist on our team.
I am part of The Compassionate Friends (TCF) virtual conference team. My workshop, “Raising a Grandchild While Grieving for Your Child,” is on August 1st. It is based on my GRG (grandparent raising grandchildren) experience. Thanks to Cathy Seehuetter, TCF Director of Online Services, for inviting me to speak.
Audio books are more popular these days and I have three of them: The Family Caregiver’s Guide, So, You’re Raising Your Grandkids! and The Grandma Force. Evie Irwin, an accomplished voice actress, does a marvelous job of narrating the books, and they are packed with useful information. Audio is the way to go. Sign up for an Audible Trial on Amazon today and get a book for free!
Reviews
The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the need for grief resources, so WriteLife Publishing is releasing Grief Doodling: Bringing Back Your Smiles sooner than planned. The release date is now April 1, 2021. More information about this unique book will be in the September newsletter. Thanks to these experts for their reviews:
Mitch Carmody, artist, grief author/educator, author of Letters to My Son, staff writer for “Living with Loss” magazine, owner of Heartlight Studios
Sunni Brown, best-selling author of Gamestorming and The Doodle Revolution, founder/owner of AB Ink Consultancy
Joanne Fink, grief educator, best-selling author, award-winning illustrator, calligrapher, author of When You Lose Someone You Love, founder of Zenspirations®
Linda Goldman, Fellow in Thanatology, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, Adjunct Faculty at Johns Hopkins University, author of Life and Loss: A Guide to Helping Grieving Children and many other books
Sandy Goodman, grief educator/speaker, author of Love Never Dies: A Mother’s Journey from Loss to Love, founder/leader of the Wind River Chapter of The Compassionate Friends
Dr. Heidi Horsley, Executive Director of the Open to Hope Foundation, Adjunct Professor at Columbia University, Co-Host of Open to Hope Television and Radio, co-author of Teen Grief Relief and many other books
Glen Lord, President and co-founder of The Grief Toolbox website and co-founder of the International Grief Institute
Heidi Smith, Fellow in Thanatology, grief educator, support group leader, Certified Grief Counselor at Seasons Hospice in Rochester, Minnesota.
As soon as Grief Doodling appears on Amazon, I will add these comments to the Editorial Reviews section of the listing. Busy as they are, each expert reached out a helping hand to me. I am profoundly grateful for their time, generosity, and kindness.
From My Window
“How can you write and be John’s caregiver?” is a question I am often asked. My life is a balancing act. Every morning, an RN comes to help get John up for the day. Her help enables me to write. I stick to a schedule and am usually up at 5:00 a.m., clicking away at computer keys, and sipping coffee. Mornings are devoted to writing new copy and editing. Afternoons are devoted to emails, filing documents, and research.
Most of my books are based on life experience. This is my 23rd year in the caregiving trenches, nine years as my mother’s caregiver, seven years as my twin grandchildren’s guardian/caregiver, and seven years as John’s caregiver. My four-book series for family caregivers came from this experience.
Are you a caregiver? If so, Affirmations for Family Caregivers may be helpful. (Please see sunflower cover above.) I researched affirmations before I started writing. Some experts recommend writing about the life you hope to have. Other experts tell you to “fake it ‘til you make it.” Neither approach suited me. Instead, I affirmed the caregiving life I am living. Some sample affirmations:
Patience may be courage in disguise.'
No matter what happens in a day, I still say “yes to life.
Happiness is a choice and I choose it for myself every day.
Caregiving is love in action.
This beautifully designed book, with its sunflower cover and interior drawings of sunflowers, is a thoughtful gift for yourself or another caregiver. Donate a copy to the public library, your church library, or Little Library in your neighborhood. Caregiving support groups would also benefit from this inspiring resource. Reading an affirmation in the morning can set a positive tone for your day.
Quote of the Month
Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it’s the only way you can do anything really good. William Faulkner, author of 13 novels, recipient of the Nobel Prize, Pulitzer Price, and National Book Award.