It's almost back to school time and with that comes back to school shopping. What do most teenagers want in their fashion attire? Jeans. And not just any jeans, they want designer jeans. This is usually to a parent's dismay because these come with a huge price tag. I guess that makes me lucky. My daughter was born with designer genes, and they were free.


Just recently we found out my daughter's exact genetic code. For sixteen years we knew she had a deletion, but were never told of it's specific identification. While it is relief to finally have some answers, the sad part is that the doctor's don't know what her genetic defect means. They know having an extra chromosome #21 means Down Syndrome. A deletion in 22Q11 means Velo Cardio Facial Syndrome. But the deletion that my has does not come with a diagnosis, so still we are left with many unanswered quetions.

So, what do you know for sure? We know that my daughter is one of the happiest and easy going person I have ever met. She is kind, gentle, and loves everyone and everything. She is unique. Even the Chromosomal Disorder database cannot match another person exactly like her. My daughter is a one of a kind anomaly, and I wouldn't have it any other way!

When you are off at the mall searching for those specialty jeans that will make your child look fabulous and assure their place in a specific social status, take a moment and think of those children who were born with designer genes. They want to be socially accepted too.

With only two short weeks before I had back to work with a classroom of little kids, my writing schedule has been extremely tight. My goal was to finish up the changes to my manuscript before the school year starts. But how do I do that while enjoying my last few days of summer vacation?
 
I hit the road!

Packing a bag with my laptop, ipad, notebook and Beta book, I visited all of my favorite spots that refresh my mind and inspire my writing.

I am always the most relaxed down by the water, my first stop was to visit the stark blue shores of Lake Ontario. The ships were plentiful down by the port so I plopped myself down in front of them to gaze at when my eyes needed a screen break. After fine tuning several chapters I took a stroll down the path. I would like to tell you that I let my mind wander aimlessly, but of course it did nothing but things of others things that I needed to write down. All of this worked up quite an appetite, so I ordered some take out and hit another one of my favorite spots..The Fort.

Here I settled in for a few hours and worked feverishly on the synopsis that will be sent to the editor next week. Have you ever tried taking a 300 page book and summing it up in only 6 pages without loosing any of the important parts? Not as easy as it sounds! 

Of course I wasn't alone in my adventure. As you can see my puppy was enjoying the sunshine just as much as I was. He had a ball playing hide and seek in the grass while I was typing away. By the end of the day we were both tuckered out, yet happy with our accomplishments. (his only goal was to shell out plenty of kisses, so he acheived that pretty quickly)

Where do you do your best writing at? Leave a comment below to let me know :)

Last night I became a cowgirl. Donning my helmet, I brushed my steed and then led him out to the corral. I mounted, took hold of the reins, and pushed my girth into him as I stared in the direction I wanted him to go. We moved as one as my trainer taught me how to command my horse to follow my directions. It was the most exhuberating experience I have had. Despite the stormy conditions, I didn't want to leave my saddle. Up there the weight of the world escaped me.

My friend on the other hand, had a bit more intimate experience with her thoroughbred. Let's just say her horse exposed her to a new way of feeling free and hanging out!

Prior to living out our western dreams, we had checked into a beautiful bed & breakfast and were treated to a massage (which in retrospect we should have done after our workout with the horses!) After we were settled in our host gave us a tour of the grounds and was nice enough to print out directions to where we would be dining that night. Little did he know that two blondes in a car together would require more than 2 gps systems, printed directions, and verbal directions on two different occassions. But no need to worry because by 8pm we finally found our way to dinner.
 (I won't mention that it was only 8 minutes down the road, which took us 1 1/2 hours to navigate)

Upon our late return to our quarters, we rifled through our welcome gift basket and broke open a delicious bottle of red wine. Needless to say the giggles broke out after that and we were like two teenagers at a slumber party. Aahhh, to be young again!

The next morning we awoke to an elaborate (and delicious) breakfast and enjoyed some adult time together before heading back to reality. We were two caregivers, my friend and I, each with our own worries and challenges. Together, we visited David's Refuge and temporarily were able to focus on ourselves for once, allowing us to come back to our loved ones a better person.

This was the dream of two people; a couple who raised and lost a little boy with special needs. They know what it is like to be constant caregivers, feeling alone, and needing a place to temporarily escape to. Together they made this dream come true for families who are raising their own child with special needs/life threatening illnesses. In honor of their son, they run a non-profit Bed & Breakfast named David's Refuge.  Here you can customize your own retreat. They offer many ammenities to pamper and relax their guest. You can get salon treatments, take dance lessons, go kayaking, sailing, horse back riding or even skiing. There is something for everyone!

Do you know someone who could benefit from a retreat? Warren and Brenda Pfohl hope that you will visit their website @ http://davidsrefuge.org/. "It goes without saying that being the parent of a child with special needs is demanding.  As a result of this stress, marriages fail, families crumble, and very often hope is lost.  During your stay at David’s Refuge you will be pampered, encouraged, and reminded that you are not alone, that God loves you, and that what you do really matters." ~David's Refuge

Who else but a sister could feel so much pain for when a sibling is abducted? Lisa Buske's sister, Heidi Allen, was abducted in 1994. Her world has never been the same since. Lisa spent years being angry at the world, dissapointed in her faith, and saddened when each about her sister turned up nothing. Then a child entered her life and changed it forever.


With a new outlook, Lisa knew that she needed to live despite the loss of her older sister. She had a husband, a daughter, and two parents who all needed her. There was something that was in her power that she could do to protect her sister's memory...she could write. Eighteen years later, Lisa is finally ready to debut her book: Where's Heidi? One Sister's Journey.  

More information on the book's release date and to view the book trailer, visit Lisa's blog at:
http://www.lisambuske.com/1/post/2012/08/wheres-heidi-one-sisters-journey-to-be-released.html

Lisa has also created a facebook page dedicated to her upcoming book. Please check it out at:
https://www.facebook.com/WheresHeidi?ref=ts

 Your book is your baby, do you trust it in the hands of just anyone? Finding someone to represent it can be just as hard (or harder) than finding a good sitter for your little tyke. So what are your options if you really want to get see your work in print?'

Basically there are two: Keep hitting the pavement and hoping that an agent or publisher will represent you, or represent yourself by self publishing.

Last month I gave a presention on self publishing at the Delta Lake Writer's Gathering. Recently one of my fellow presenters, Diane Estrella, blogged out what I had taught. Here is what she had to say:

"Amy Quonce was another of the presenters at the Writer’s Conference I recently spoke at. She recently self published her first book and gave us all the lo down and the in’s and out’s of using CreateSpace, the self-publishing branch of Amazon. Here are some of her notes. The very best tip is at the end for anyone that may want to order proof books for their beta readers. Amazing!"

Pro’s and Con’s of being your own boss

Self Publishing
•You are in control of pricing and royalties
•Books can be sold at retailers, online, and libraries
•You can publish your book, your way
•Unless you opt for the marketing services, it is up to you to promote your book

 Agent/Publisher
•Royalties depend on your contract
•Books can be sold at retailers, online, and libraries
•Agents/Publisher may want to change your content
•Agents/Publishers have extensive connections to promote your book

Self publishing in 10 easy steps

1. Create an account and choose either a free ISBN assignment or enter one of your own
2. Choose a trim size for your book and decide if you want white or cream colored pages
3. Save your completed (and edited) manuscript as a pdf file (making sure that your pages are already in your chosen trim size)
4. Upload your book’s interior
5. Create a cover. Choose either one of their many designs, upload a photo of your own, or use a professional designed cover
6. Write a blurb for the back cover
7. Upload the book’s cover
8. Preview what your book will look like. (You will get a virtual book to flip through) When satisfied, hit the complete button
9. Files will now be reviewed by the company and within 48 hours (typically 24) you will be able to approve the book or make changes.
10. Once approved you can set up your e-store, write a product description for your book along with an author bio. This will be displayed on your Amazon account. Then choose your distribution options.

Your royalties will vary with each distribution.

Example: 144 page book (trim size 8.5 x 5.5), with a selling price of $11.95
CreateSpace e-store ~~~Royalties earned $6.99
Amazon.com (US) ~~~Royalties earned $4.60
Amazon.com (Europe) ~~~Royalties earned £2.44Retailers
Sold yourself ~~~Royalties earned $9.80

What services does CreateSpace offer?

• Blog (Free)
• E-store (Free)
• ISBN number (Free)
• Library of Congress number
• Design layout
• Editing
• Marketing services
• Kindle conversion

Helpful hint:Even if you chose not to self publish, you can upload your manuscript and order proof books to give to Beta Readers. This is cheaper than making copies at Staples and easier to read than looking at a pdf file. You can always cancel your ISBN number as long as you did not approve the files.

Take some time to Diane at her website "That's What I'm Here For" @ http://dianeestrella.com/self-publishing-with-createspace-is-it-right-for-you/. She has an amazing blog and is always offering book reviews for the