Well if this interview is any indication of what I should expect once my book is out, then I need to work on my public speaking skills (LOL).  This is me and my good friend Lisa Buske on Friday night after our public reading at the River's End Bookstore.  You never know what to expect when the two of us get together, but it always guaranteed to be fun and productive!

If you have not visited Lisa's website yet, you are missing out.  She writes from the heart and has a passion for everything that she believes in. She can be found at: http://lisabuske.weebly.com/index.html

This coming week should be very excited.  The deadline is fast approaching for stories to be submitted for the anthology and several newspapers have contacted me to put the information out to the public.  There are several people who tell me that their writing is almost complete and promise that they will have it to me by next Sunday.  I will be very busy with the preperations for the publisher, and I can't wait to see the final product.  Check back often for updates on the process!

In anticipation of my upcoming book, Sometimes The Wind Blows Sideways: Our Lives With A Special Needs Child, I decided to take part in a public reading down at the River's End Bookstore will some fellow writers within the community.  As always, the bookstore hosted a wonderful evening and we heard from many talented authors.

When it was my turn to share, I took out a piece that I had written, and read during the SUNY Oswego Summer Writing Institute.  It was not a story that I could share without shedding a tear back then, and it seems that time has not changed things for me. By the last paragraph, my voice was fighting to come out and the words were lost through the sounds of my tears.  It was not a sad story that I was reading, yet one very dear and close to my heart.  You see, it was the story of how my doctor advised me to abort my daughter, and instead of listening to his advice I listened to my heart.  Over the past fifteen years I have watched my daughter struggle, grow, and become a beautiful  loving human being.

The reason I shared this particular piece was simple.  I wanted to show the community what kinds of stories they will find in my upcoming book when it is realesed this December.  I want to show that just because somebody is labeled with a disability doesn't mean they can't become a valuable member of society.  And with this anthology we will show the world how the word 'unique' can also be defined as 'spectacular', 'amazing', and 'inspiring'.

Asides from the fact that I was almost too chocked up to finish reading my work, that night was a huge success.  Some people took my information to pass along to families that they knew who may want to contribute stories to the book and I got to mingle with the other writers who bravely took center stage to share their own precious words.

I'm sorry there is no picture to post with this blog.  I had my video camera running so that I could post the video to my blog, but when I finished my reading and went to click the stop button I realized that it froze 42 seconds into taping and I ended up with nothing more than me introducting myself to the audience.  Then when I came home to download the pictures I took with my camera, of course that did not want to work either.  But as you all know things happen in threes and the best part was that my last name had accidently been printed wrong so I started out the evening with a new identity.  Ce La Ve...what else can you do but laugh?  I had a great time and that's all that matters !

As I was preparing to leave to head up to Rome to meet my fellow writers during our monthly writer's critique group, I decided to check my email one last time in case of anything important was in the inbox.  Sitting right on top was a message from the River's End Bookstore in Oswego, NY...a message that would make me float on clouds for the rest of the night, and most likely for the rest of my life.  Here's what it said:

Hi Amy!

Today we had a customer call us in regards to a book they heard you were publishing. I think she's looking for the memoir that you read a part of at the Master Workshop Reading at the river's end awhile back.  She didn't have the exact title. 

I found an article on Oswego County Today about the anthology of stories about caring for special needs children  & the article included your e-mail,  so I figured it'd be the easiest way to get an answer! Is there a release date  on either of the books you've been working on so I can pass more information  onto the customer?

Also, would you mind if I shared a link to the article on Oswego County Today via our Facebook page?  I think it's a wonderful & incredible idea & look forward to reading it & would like to spread the word!

Thank you so much your help!

Julie
bookseller
the river's end bookstore
19 west bridge street
oswego,ny
  13126

315-342-0077
info@riversendbookstore.com

Imagine my excitement reading this email. There is somebody out there who is actively looking for my book in bookstores so that they can buy it.  OH MY !!!  I don't know who this person is, but I can say they are my biggest fan right now.  That was the biggest complement that I could have received, and if I ever had any quetions as to wether or not to publish such a personal story, those fears are now gone.  People need to hear it.  People out there are suffering, and want to connect with somebody else who has gone through similar fates.  I must pubish it!

As I said before I am hoping to have the anthology available for distrubution by December, 2011. (What a great Christmas present that would make for somebody!)  I had advertised the project as From Caring To Sharing.  When the book goes to print the title will be Sometimes The Wind Blows Sideways:  Our Lives With a Special Needs Child.

As for my memoir, editing a 50,000 word book takes a lot of time and patience.  But do not fear, I am working deligently on it and will keep everyone posted as to the progression of the project and you will be the first to know when it will be ready for publication.

In the meantime, take a moment to visit the wonderful RiversEnd Bookstore, either online or in person.  They offer a wide selection of books in a comfortable, inviting atmosphere.  Plus the staff are among the nicest people you will ever meet.  Oh, and did I mention that they offered to host a book launching party when my book is released?  I love that place !!!

What an amazing opportunity I had tonight.  While I did not get a personal interview with Jack Canfield, I was able to get into a special __ and listen in on an interview being done with Jack and Quantum Leap Publicity & Marketing Program.  I took four pages of notes..I cannot wait until I get some free time to pour over this information in depth.

Jack did this interview to allow future authors the opportunity to see what it really takes to make it.  He spoke about your dreams, perserverance, publicity, and marketing.  Did you know that the Chicken Soup for the Soul series was rejected by 144 publishers?  Now it rakes in millions of dollars each year in revenue.  Why?  Perserverance and determination.

The first thing Jack did was to visualize his dreams.  He actually took a copy of the New York Times best seller list, copied it, and used white out to erase the #1 spot.  He then typed in the name Chicken Soup for the Soul in the number one spot and posted this everywhere, from the bathroom to his work station.  This kept him motivated to keep working and to not give up.  He also has a copy of each of his goals as a screen saver on his computer.  Every day he visualizes what he wants for himself.  What a great idea!  When you can visualize goals you can start seeing solutions.  Then you are ready to act upon these to create your reality.

Jack went on and offered my great ideas for marketing your book and how to gain speaking engagements.  He knows that becoming an author is 10% writing and 90% marketing.  Below is a youtube video of Jack talking about taking steps to achieve your dreams.  "Dream big.  It takes no more energy to dream big than it does to dream small."  ~Jack Canfield

Reading and writing are an essential part of life. We learn it young and develop our skills as we grow. Working in a Kindergarten classroom, I get the privilege of watching first hand how these little ones learn first their letter reorganization, and then the letter sounds. From there they work on sounding out words which they are able to transfer into their writing. It is an amazing feat for such little ones!

Only five shorts weeks into school the kids are not only working on writing sentences, but putting several sentences together to create a book. This is an extremely hard concept for the young. They tend to only want to put one topic on each page. In their minds they told their whole story when they drew a colorful picture and put a few letters down. Once they see a clean sheet of paper they want to tell a different story. But now we are teaching them to expand their thoughts.

One child may draw a pumpkin on their paper and below it write “PMKN”. Not bad for phonetically sounding it out. If you ask them to tell you about the picture they will ramble on for five minutes on how they went with their family to the pumpkin patch, went on a hayride, and then picked out a pumpkin to bring home. Then they carved it out, put a candle in it and baked the pumpkin seeds for a snack. Wow, what a great story! But how do I get a five year old to put that entire thought onto paper?

Using the word wall, the kids are able to find the words First, Next, Then, and Last. Now the kids have a tool to start their writing. Using each one of the words above on a separate page, they are able to organize their thoughts one piece at a time. Page one may read “I wnt to the pmkn pat wit mom.” Now they turn to the second page and expand on that thought. “Next I gt a pmkin.” Turning to page three they say “Then Dad crvd the pmkn” On the last page they finish their masterpiece by writing “Last I at(e) sedz.”

Voila! They just create their own book. These future authors were able to tell a whole story and offer a scribbled illustration to go with each page. The written version may be severely shortened from the verbal story, but they were able to get their thoughts onto the paper enough where anyone could pick up the book and know what they were trying to express.

I am very impressed with the abilities of these four and five year olds, and I’m sure their families are as well. By the end of this school year they will be able to recognize around thirty sights words and correctly spell these words in their everyday writing. And you know what…the kids love it! They are so excited that they are able to read and write independently. And I am excited that I get to take part in teaching them this valuable skill.

While working on the layout of the upcoming anthology about life with a special needs child, I came across this book that was just published last month.  This book runs parallel to Chicken Soup for the Special Needs Soul and a Cup of Comfort for Parents of Special Needs Kids.  It is also exactly what I am working on with families right here in Upstate NY.  

In case you haven't heard I have extended the deadline for story/poem submission until November 6, 2011.  More details have been added to the From Caring Sharing link on the website.  

The book below looks like a wonderful and inspriting read and I can't wait to get my hands on a copy.  I wanted to share the amazon.com Editorial Reviews for you. (courtesy of Amazon.Com)
 
Product Description:
Wit and Wisdom From The Parents of Special  Needs Kids brings together dozens of the best writers in the
blogosphere,  sharing their stories of both the challenges and rewards of raising children  with autism and other cognitive disabilities. More than forty essays are included in this unique compilation, covering topics such as sensory issues, the  difficulties of social interaction, the impact on marriage and typical siblings,  and the world of special education and therapies. These parents cover the gamut  of experiences -- from initially receiving the
diagnosis for their child and  reconsidering their expectations for the future to learning how to let go of  children as
young adults – as well as an emotional spectrum from sadness and  loss, to the frustrations of assimilating
not-so-typical children into the  typical world, to the joy of living amongs their often hilarious quirks and 
obsessions. Wit and Wisdom From The Parents of Special Needs Kids is a must read  for anyone whose life has been affected by intellectual disabilities. Every  parent of a special needs child will identify with the life
experiences included  in this book -- they are as varied, unique, and inspiring as the children  themselves.

The past week I have been spending time working on the cover for the upcoming anthology based on living life with a disability in Upstate NY.  I have designed the layout of the book, which is very exciting.  For now I am going to keep the details of it under waps until everything has been finalized.

Many wonderful stories have come in so far.  Some are humurous, others will simply touch your heart.  Parents, grandparents, and those working with special needs individuals have taken the time to write about their experiences.  This is an opportunity for many to connect with others who may be going through something similar.

There is still time for you or someone that you know to dust off your notebook and just sit and write how you feel.  Where you upset when you first learned that someone you loved would struggle in life?  Did you laugh when your autistic child did something completely off the wall crazy?  Is there someone in your life who is the most inspiring person you have met despite all that they are faced against?  These are the stories that we want to hear.

If you would like to submit a piece of writing and still remain anonymous, that is perfect acceptable.  It is also alright to say in your story that you are changing the names to keep a loved ones privacy.  Multiple submissions are also welcomed!

I have decided to allow just a little more time for story submissions due to the late announcement of the project by the press.  Anyone wishing to submit a story can do so by emailing them to me at WindingRoadBook@aol.com.

The sun is shining and a hint of summer lingers in the air.  The calendar may refute that it's autumn, but the warmth of the suns rays offers us one last reminder of what we will be missing once the snow falls.  But like ant in Aesop's Fables, I spent the warm days preparing for the harsh winter that will be upon us soon.  As I worked,I longed to be like the grasshopper, playing in the sun and not worrying about what was around the corner.  But the wisdom from reading this book has taught me not to waste the opportunity to plan for the future.

One by one I packed up my patio chairs, stacking them neatly in their storage area.  The table and umbrella stands tall  next to them, ready to be emerged at the first sign of spring.  I am a little saddened at the sight of my bare porch as I lay in my hammock watching the blue sky form various shapes with the puffy clouds.  I tell myself that I will appreciate taking advantage of the good weather to take care of my belongings, as many of times I have found myself trying to do it as the snowflakes fall harshly onto my face and froze my fingers.

Now I have to be honest and admit that there are time when I do procrastinate, sometimes maybe even a little too much.  Then I find myself scrambling at the last minute and scolding myself for not being responsible.  This year I can relax because I worked hard like the ant.  How about you?  Have you made plans for the upcoming season, or will you wait until the last minute and then find yourself in a pinch because you weren't prepared? 

As if life wasn't complicated enough by having my husband spend five days in the ICU after having complications from his emergency surgery, my daughter was scheduled to have surgery herself this morning. 

While sitting in the waiting room, awaiting news that the surgery went well, my mind couldn't help but to recount how many times I have been in this position.  Eleven.

Eleven surgeries in the past fifteen years.  No wonder she seemed at such ease going in.  As you can see here she aquired a new stuffed animal, has her favorite movie playing up above her, and she was enjoying playing games on an IPad that they let her borrow.  She was having a great time waiting for the doctor to come and put her to sleep. To her this was nothing more than a typical part of life.  Doesn't everyone get poked and prodded on a regular basis?

While I have gotten used to playing nurse to her, having to be on double duty with my husband is something new.  Trying to take care of two patients at the same time will require some strategic planning on my part.  Will I be up to the challenge?  Stayed tuned to find out!