Autism.  A six letter, often silent, misunderstood word. What is it like living in their world?  We may never know, but we can express what it is like having them live in our world. And for those family affected by the disorder they find themselves waxing and waning in their emotions.  At any given time they can be:

*blessed/ stressed
*happy/sad
*understanding/confused
*holding their loved one tight/ desperate for a little time away to regroup themselves

Today I will be sharing an excerpt from Sometimes The Wind Blows Sideways: Our Lives with a Special Needs Child that focusing on Autism, and the love that they share for their child.

                
Having a child born with special needs has been at time trying. However, also a great and rewarding experience for my family and I.  We've had opportunity to create life, nurture that life through good times a nd bad, while having an opportunity to meet some of the most wonderful people on Earth- caregivers, teachers and advocates.  We as parents have brown having children wtih special needs, which allowed us to develop lifelong friendships. Even though it took alot of effort caring for our son Collin, our lives were limited more so than if we had a typical child. It was an experience that my family and I willl never regret having.  It has been the eride of our lives, but after all is said and done, it was a great ride.        

My son Collin was our first of three children born.  ZInitially, he seemed to have been born a happy and healthy baby boy. Generally he would eat every few hours, woke maybe just a few times each evening, slept alot, but cried very little.  In fact, Collins' crying decreased less and less as time went on. Even so, after the first few months of his lfie, we as first time parents felt his crying less and less was cause for concern.  When we brought this to the attention of collin's pediatrician, we were told "That we wre just lucky parents, we had a content baby." However, deep down his father and I still felt that it was a cause for concern. Another behavioral development we thought was concering was the Collin would often fixate on objects that were round, or that went around like ceiling fans. Ceiling fans seem to consume most of his attention. He even loved the tires on cars and walk in circles.

At six months of age, I had received a frightening call from his grandmother.......


To read more of this story and others, pick up a copy today from Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com, Createspace.com, Kindle, or locally at the River's End Bookstore.


Estore:
https://www.createspace.com/3703816

Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Sometimes-Wind-Blows-Sideways-Quonce/dp/1466419180/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321650454&sr=8-1

Barnes & Noble.com:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sometimes-the-wind-blows-sideways-amy-quonce/1036936317?ean=9781466419186&itm=1&usri=amy+quonce




 

Sometimes The Wind Blows Sideways: Our Lives with a Special Needs Child  is now available for sales !!
The price is $12.95 and can be found at the follow locations:

*My estore is open and running if you wish to purchase books right away.  You can find it at https://www.createspace.com/3703816.

*My account with Amazon.com should be active within the week.  If you plan on using them to make a purchase, keep checking the site as often the accounts are working before the standard 5-7 day grace period.  Keep in mind they do offer free shipping on qualifying orders of $25 or more!

* I will also have a supply of books availble for sales. I can offer a discount and sell the books for a flat $12, tax included.  These will be availble at the Mexico Church craft show on Saturday December 2nd. Additional craft shows may be pending, so stay tuned for details.
 
*The River's End Bookstore in Oswego will also be stocking the book. The hope is to have it there by next week, but I will update the website as soon as I have a definate date.

It's in my hands.  I am holding the actual proof of my book...can life get any more exciting? 

As you can see I am standing in front of the tree that is on the front cover of my book.  It may be slightly barren now, but the colorful spelendor that once was is now forever preserved as the picture that stands to represent the strength that every family with a special needs individual possesses.

The stories in my book will create smiles, tears, and compassion.  They were written to not only give insight as to what hurdles many of them have gone through, but so that we can raise awareness.

I am very happy to announce that the actual release date for publication will be sooner than expected.  While I cannot give specifics at the moment, I can tell you that the From Caring To Sharing tab above will soon be transformed into the details on my book.  Make sure you check back often to be the first one to know when it is availble for sales, the date of the book launching party, and where you can buy one directly from me at holiday craft sales.

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!

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
[email protected]

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 !!!