R is for...Rarity

R is for...Rarity.

First cover - my drawing & pic of Soren

Rarity is my first published novel with Limitless Publishing. It was originally self-published but was accepted by Limitless and received new edits and an awesome cover. My son was diagnosed with a rare and life threatening genetic disorder. But now that we know he has this condition, we can make good choices to keep him safe, have him monitored, and take meds to prevent some of the complications.

Is he cured? No.

But there is hope on the horizon with amazing treatments like CRISPR (genetic editing). So what about those that aren't diagnosed? Great question. There are so many patients with the same condition as my son that have not been properly diagnosed. So even if a cure exists, if they aren't diagnosed...it does them no good.

2nd Cover

So my goal was to use my talents (writing) to educate others about Vascular Ehlers Danlos Syndrome.  Rarity is a book about a teen diagnosed with this disorder and the emotional rollercoaster that all involved endure. I wrote it based on my own emotions from my son being diagnosed. It's a young adult book, the characters in it are in High School, a time when kids are very much thinking about themselves and how things will impact them. At the back of the book, there is information about the disorder and signs and symptoms to consider. My hope is that someone reading it may have a lightbulb go off and a proper diagnosis can be made on someone not previously diagnosed.

I thought I'd show some of the covers for it as it evolved for your viewing pleasure.

Final cover - published with Limitless Publishing

★•✩•★ SYNOPSIS ★•✩•★

Brogen Mathers can’t deal with teen drama…

As an empath, she is constantly bombarded with other people’s energies. Despite coping techniques taught by her psychologist mother, it’s often too much to bear, forcing her to avoid most activities a typical high school junior would enjoy.

Jay Wilken won’t let his past define him…

A dead mother and an alcoholic father brought Jay to Stanton, but he doesn’t want pity. His good looks, charisma, and friendly nature quickly win over the whole student body, but he has his eye on one girl…Brogen.

Brogen can’t believe anyone could be so genuinely nice. It has to be an act, right? But when Jay literally saves her from deadly jaws, she has to admit he’s exactly what he appears, and he’s worth risking the potential emotional upheaval.

“Drama” might as well be Becca Grant’s middle name…

Another newcomer to Stanton, Becca’s blonde beauty and abundant attitude shoots her straight to the top of the popularity charts—and she believes Jay belongs right there beside her. Accustomed to getting exactly what she wants, she launches a relentless mean-girl campaign to shake up Brogen and claim Jay for her own.

Everything changes with a devastating diagnosis…

When Jay learns he has a rare and potentially fatal disorder, he keeps it secret and begins to push Brogen away to spare her future pain—which is exactly the sort of opening Becca is waiting for.

As Jay’s well-meaning deception unravels,

Brogen realizes there is much more than her heart at stake…

But how far is she willing to go to fight for someone she loves?

GOODREADS - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25712819-rarity

★•✩•★ Grab your copy! ★•✩•★

AMAZON US: http://amzn.to/1Gk4nHz

AMAZON UK: http://amzn.to/1CCdVTL

PAPERBACK: http://amzn.to/1M49djo

Q is for...Questions

Q is for...Question

Since becoming an author, I've been asked more questions. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions and their answers.

1. When is book 2 for the Demon Hunters series coming out?

  I don't know for sure but probably by Fall 2016.

The cloud couch

2. What are your favorite writing conditions?

  Quiet music, sitting on the cloud couch with my laptop, & at least 2 uninterrupted hours to work.

3. Have you ever had writer's block and if so, how have you overcome it?

   Yes, I backtracked in my plot line and tried a new path. I knew it worked because the story flowed out of me quickly once I made the change.

4. Have you had any strange people try to friend you or chat you?

   Yes, I get a large amount of single military guys and middle eastern guys.

5. Where do you get inspiration for your stories?

   Characters are often inspired by people I know or have met. Plot lines can come from anywhere, songs, emotions I experienced, suggestions from people I love...

6. When did you decide to be a writer?

   It wasn't till 3 years ago when my dental hygienist encouraged me to write down a story that happened to me while I was young. She said it would be a great way to pay homage to them and their kind acts. I never thought, going into it, that I'd become a writer. But I thoroughly enjoyed the process of writing a book and continued with it.

If you have any questions for me...ask away!

P is for...Procrastination

P is for...Procrastination

I've been spot on with all my posts in this A to Z blogging challenge...except this one. I have two family members that are master procrastinators so I know all about this topic.

Reasons why people procrastinate:

-They desire to do it perfect

- They wait for more time to accomplish the task

- Fear of failing

- Poor time management/organizational skills

- Wanting to do something fun instead of the work needing to get done.

How to stop procrastinating:

- Make to-do lists

- If you need to take a break during your task, make it a brief break or avoid the break all together to keep the momentum going.

- Reward yourself for completing your task

- Make someone hold you accountable to help you stay on task

- Avoid distractions (email, phone calls, etc)

Put it into practice...

Recently my husband came home and said he had a horrible week at work. "I haven't had a chance to get anything done. People keep scheduling meetings or coming in to ask questions." I felt bad for my husband, he seemed to be drowning in work and not sure how to do anything but tread water. Here's what we did: We made a list of 4 things that NEEDED to get done. He looked at his meetings for the next day and canceled one of them. He went into work early, turned off his phone, and instant messenger, and did not check email till 10AM. He checked in with me mid-day to let me know what he accomplished. And finally, he set up a reward at the end of the day.

"That was the BEST day ever." He felt so accomplished at the end of the day and was able to finish the week with higher spirits.

O is for...Obstacle

O is for... Obstacle

I watch my 7 year old overcome obstacles everyday and am amazed at his creativity in overcoming them. He'll say "I want to have a drink in the living room." I don't want him to have another drink so I simply say, "You can't, no drinks allowed in the living room." He asks, "Why?" And I answer, "Because if you spill it will be hard to clean up." He walks away and returns a few minutes later with a cup with a lid and straw, and a plate to set it upon. I quickly ask, "What's going on?" To which he answers, "Just getting a drink in a cup that won't spill. And don't worry, I'll set it on the plate."

The little bugger has found a way to work around my excuse for not letting him have a drink. He does not hear the word "No", instead he hears, "find another way". 

And what a great lesson can be learned from that...find another way. 

My husband is the smartest man I know (to be honest it was one of the things that attracted me to him). One New Year's Eve, while we were dating, we went to a party in a hotel room in downtown Chicago. The party hosts were friends of ours and worked hard to get everything set up. Unfortunately, they brought the stereo but left the speaker wire at home. Well, it's hard to have a party without music. My husband (boyfriend at the time) ran off to the bedroom and returned with a wire coat hanger. He then proceeded to fashion speaker wire out of the metal coat hanger and the party was saved. Obstacle overcome.

So bringing this to a personal level...I currently face an obstacle. I need to write a 10,000 word thriller story for an anthology and it's due by mid-May. The obstacle is that I have never written a thriller. My story is half way done but I am struggling with creating twists and turns or a surprise ending.

How am I overcoming it? Well, I'm in the thick of it now and am reading short thriller stories and taking note of what works so well in them. Few characters, simple plot that can be summed up in 2-3 sentences. I'll keep you posted on whether or not I make it past the obstacle.

Any other tips for writing thrillers?

Any obstacles you have boldly overcome?

N is for Nostalgic

N is for...Nostaglic

There is one place that, upon hearing it's name, brings back good feelings and happy memories...

Long before Six Flags bought Great America, in Gurnee, IL, it was known as Marriott's Great America. It was the amusement park that my family frequented almost every year.  To this day, I can close my eyes and see the Zenith sign as we neared the park. I can hear Baker's Street playing on the car radio. And I can picture the roller coasters that peaked high above the park that were visible shortly before the entrance to the amusement park. As a kid, I'd stare at those coasters as we drove by, watching as the car halted at the top of the biggest hill before slowly lurching forward, picking up speed with the passengers screaming for their lives. I swore I'd never ride that ride.

In fifth grade, thanks to some peers that were braver than me, I went on my first BIG rollercoaster...and it was the ride I swore I'd never go on. The American Eagle was a very tall and fast wooden coaster. You begin by climbing a very big hill, a very big hill that many cars have been stuck atop. Once you reach the top you slowly inch over the peak and let gravity pull you toward the Earth. The scary part was at one point the track seemed to disappear beneath us. I know that on my first ride I began screaming before the car even began it's descent, but my volume steadily increased as we plummeted to the ground below.

But I survived it! So what was next? Why the Demon of course! The Demon had a big hill, 2 loops, and a few corkscrews as well. Great America was also where my friends and I visited the day after our senior prom. There are many, many happy memories of feeling alive, being young and free, and being in love tied to this place and that is why I feel nostalgic at the mere mention of it.

 What makes you feel nostalgic?

M is for...Madi (I guess!)

M is for...Madi! 

Hello everyone! My name is Madelynn Wilde and I'm D.A. Roach's PA! She was gracious enough to hand me the reigns today since my name starts with an M! I just wanted to use this time to tell you a little about myself since I will hopefully become an active contributor to this blog in the next month or so!

So my full name is Madelynn, but I also go by Madi, Maddie, Cat, or about anything else you'd like to call me. If I had my choice of any name in the world, I'd probably choose Anastasia with Ana for short, just because it's so pretty and I rarely meet anyone with that name. What really bugs me is when I have a class where there are 5 other different "Maddie's" and everyone gets confused because there are so many people with the same name. It was more of a problem for me in high school because the classes were smaller back then. Which brings me to my next topic!

I am just finishing up my freshman year of college at the University of Colorado-Denver! I came in with a ton of AP credits from high school (because who needs a life outside of academics??!) so I decided to commit myself to a triple major with one minor and graduate in the honors program. My three majors are currently psychology, sociology, and french, but whenever someone asks what I'm majoring in and I don't feel like going into the reasons why I'm triple majoring, I usually just say psychology since that was my original one. However, I also LOVE french, and I'm very proud of myself for making it this far with a language! Est-ce que vous parlez français ou une autre langue? (Kudos for you if you understand what I just said! If not, put it into Google Translate, and it's easy enough to get an answer!) 

I live at home with my parents and my younger brother in Parker, CO. I did not want to pay for on-campus housing, so I was happy when my family decided they didn't want to see me leave either! We have two cats, Tedsy and Kiki. Ted was our first cat, and boy is he lazy. His favorite pastimes are eating salmon and sleeping on a fuzzy blanket in the sun. He also enjoys going outside when he's allowed to-- one of my favorite things to do last summer was read in the hammock in our backyard with Ted! And yes, his original name was Teddy, but everyone calls him Tedsy now. Not sure when or why we made that change, but it's how it is now! Here's a picture! 

Kiki also goes by Kik, Kia, Ki, and every other word that starts with a K and an I. She's very feisty and is notorious for biting people. However, she can also be sweet when she really wants to. She just jumped up on my lap while I was typing this. I think she's mad because she thinks the chair I'm using is hers. She also loves playing with her laser shark. That's a shark that shoots a red laser dot out of its mouth. My dad brought it home from work one day and it's been hers ever since. Here's another picture for you since I love animal photos! 

Before I end my post for today, I'd like to mention that my picture for my Google account is not up to date. I'm not sure if you're able to see it, but my hair is not black anymore. I decided it was too expensive and difficult to keep it dyed so I went back to my natural color which is a sort of dirty blonde. It's not the prettiest, but at least I don't have to go back to the hair salon. I hate the mirrors in those places. I think they make everyone look bad. Anyways, feel free to leave me questions or comments! I will be back later to answer them all! I will leave you all with one of my favorite memes! I don't know why I love this one so much, but it always makes me crack up! 

L is for...Limitless Publishing

L is for...

June 2015 I published a book with Limitless Publishing and this past March I published my second book with them. It was my jump from self-publishing to an indie publisher. The biggest perks of joining Limitless are the amazing covers, fantastic editors, and the family I've gained by publishing with them. I've learned so much since joining them and have become an even better writer from the tips I have picked up from fellow authors and editors.

Anyone else take the leap and enjoy their publishers?

K is for... Kugelis

K is for... Kugelis!

Today my post is about Kugelis because...an author has to eat and this is a yummy treat. Probably everyone reading this post just said, "What the heck is Kugelis?" Kugelis is basically a potato cake (though savory, not sweet) that Lithuanians eat, especially at celebrations.

Making Kugelis is a bit labor intensive, which is probably why I only get to enjoy it when I head to Chicago for a holiday and visit with my Lithuanian relatives.

This is the potato grater my mom owns. It weighs a million pounds but does the job. It's literally a wood box with a motor inside that runs a spinning grating wheel. We often joke that some guy made it in his garage and probably made a fortune off of them because they make save so much time and effort.

Simple machine...plug it in, plop the potato chunks in the top, flip the switch on, and push the potatoes down with the press (wooden stick part). To clean, open the latch on the clear window in front, remove parts and wash well, then spray with Pam to keep lubricated.

Here is a picture of what a baked Kugelis looks like. You can freeze the cooked pieces and fry them up when you are ready to eat them. It's best with a brown gravy and a dollop of sour cream.

Kugelis:

10lbs Yukon Gold Potatoes

8 or more eggs

12oz Carnation Milk

1 tsp salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

8oz Sour Cream

1/2c. Cooking Oil (heat the oil)

1/2 soft French Bread (or 4 pieces of white bread) crumbled

1 Medium Yellow Onion Chopped fine & sauted 

1 package of Center Cut Bacon chopped real small & fried

2 Sticks of Butter

Directions:

Use Crisco to grease 2 large casserole pans (13x11) then wrap the bottom of each pan (outside of pan) with foil to prevent burning. 

Preheat oven to 425F

Crumble bread into large bowl

Cut your onion and bacon

Fry bacon and onion (fry onion in the bacon grease)

Melt butter

Add onion, butter, bacon, & bacon grease to the bowl of bread.

Have a large bowl of water ready to put peeled potatoes in. This next part needs to go fast or the potatoes will turn colors...and not a pretty color. The Yukon Gold potatoes buy you a little time on the color issue though. Peel the potatoes and cut into quarters and plop them in the water till ready to grate. When finished peeling, grate them in the machine (should be the consistency of applesauce). 

Combine potatoes with all other ingredients then pour into the 2 greased pans and bake at 425F for 15-20 minutes.

Reduce heat and bake at 350F for 2 hours

Serve with Sour Cream and Brown Gravy.

Here is the nutritional value (roughly):

Give it a try...Kugelis is the Breakfast of Champions! (At least in Lithuania!)

J is for...Jobs!

J is for...jobs

How many people end up in a job in the field you studied in College?

According to a study in November 2013 on CareerBuilder, 1/3rd of college grads will never work in the field they studied in school. I personally graduated with a degree in pharmacy, took the boards, got a job at a  retail pharmacy in Michigan, but found that it was not for me.

I'll leave the details of why pharmacists deserve more respect for another blog post.

After my year in pharmacy, we moved to Austin, TX and I began taking classes in Engineering Design Graphics.  The classes taught me how to use AutoCAD to draw up architect and engineer plans. Then it was a matter of the right place, right time. I was offered a job at the college to manage the continuing education classes and later asked to teach a semester long class for the community college. I truly loved my job and the people I worked with. But soon it was time to start a family and so we moved back to the midwest to be closer to family. And unfortunately, the midwest is less liberal with offering jobs to quality people without a pedigree of job experience. But that was alright because I soon found myself pregnant and well on my way to mommyhood.

Three kids and 14 years later, they are all now  in school for 9 months out of the year, giving me time to write books. The first book I wrote was to pay homage to a family that came to our aid during a difficult time. It was a very short story that I self-published. I did not intend on making millions off the book, rather, I wrote it to honor the folks who were so helpful to my family during that time. But I loved it...the writing and creating, and will continue writing as long as life allows it.

What will yo be when you grow up?

I is for...Ideas!

I is for...Ideas

When I speak to students about being an author, one of their questions is, "Where do you get ideas for your stories?"

While writing my first book, I came across an article that said first time writers often write an autobiography or biography. Indeed, this was true for me as well. as my first book was based on real life events. It was a story I knew well, with characters I did not need to create. I just had to find my way to putting the story on the page.

But let's face it, I am no Ben Franklin. I have not invented many important things or saved many people. And while my mom and I may think my life is interesting, I know the rest of the world could probably care less. So one short book was enough to give me some confidence in the book writing process.

Non-fiction is real, but fiction is fun. So how do I come up with the ideas for my works of fiction?

Stories do not come to me all at once, instead I get inspiration for scenes from music, tv shows, feelings, quotes, etc. I write down something that moves me and see if I can work that into my story. In Between the Bleeding Willows (my latest YA Paranormal book), I really wanted a scene where a girl woke up in a strange place after being unconscious. I wanted a strong man, standing with arms folded in the room when she woke up. He would be annoyed with her, for entering and complicating his life. And while she did not choose to enter his life, she now is very much a part of it and trying to understand her role.

Later in the story I have the girl attend a martial arts class and meet a young and charismatic guy. I intended on him just being a friend and only in the story for a brief time. But as the dialog unfolded between him and my main character, I fell in love with him and couldn't let him go. In fact, he has a big role in book 2 of my Demon Hunters series.

My ideas come from many different places but are usually just snippets that I piece together to build the story.

When the well runs dry, here are my go to tips and tricks:

- Ask someone else for an idea (my daughter suggested I write about demons, and so I did, Between the Bleeding Willows is a story of demons and demon hunters)

- Take a walk (walking has been proven to spark creativity)

- Turn off the tv

- Go some place new (new restaurant, new town, new outing) I went to a quiet restaurant with a journal in hand and told the waitress I'd be awhile and to keep the Diet Cokes coming. I managed to frame out all of my 2nd book and she was grateful for the generous tip. It was nice to be away from the distractions of home.

- Get into someone else's mind. Think about how the CEO of your company or your child might view and react to a situation.

- Brainstorm and write anything and everything that comes to mind - no filter. I catch myself wanting to write something and stopping myself and saying "you might lose the YA genre if you add that scene or say that". And it distracts me from my train of thought. Now I know better...I just add it in and will think on it later when I re-read it or when my editor mentions it. First ideas need to be free of judgement or inhibitions. Julia Cameron has a great book called The Artist's Way and in it is valuable advice on sparking creativity. One of the main exercises she encourages is Morning Pages.

"There is no wrong way to do Morning Pages– they are not high art. They aren’t even “writing.” They are about anything and everything that crosses your mind– and they are for your eyes only. Morning Pages provoke, clarify, comfort, cajole, prioritize and synchronize the day at hand. Do not over-think Morning Pages: just put three pages of anything on the page…and then do three more pages tomorrow." - Chris Winfield, Entrepreneur and Morning Pages believer (for more insight on how Morning Pages helped Chris visit: http://www.chriswinfield.com/morning-pages/ )

Anyone interested in trying Morning Pages with me for 1 month??? We can share our experience once it's done :>

H is for...Happiness.

H is for...Happiness

I have a 7 year old who counts his thunderstorms instead of his rainbows. One bad event in a day can erase 10 good events and he has suddenly had the "worst day ever". Unfortunately, he is not the only one on this planet who has this perception.

The rest of our family does not let one bad event ruin the day. That being said, we have worked with him and read a lot about the subject. And while I would love to make sure his day is perfect, that's not possible.

Happiness is based on your perception.  

When we lived in an apartment in Austin, TX we were frequented by a stray cat. It was the skinniest thing I ever saw and I couldn't help myself, I put a can of tuna out for it each day. Well, the cat sure enjoyed that and continued coming around, although we never interacted with each other as it was skittish. But I was content with my pet cockatiels and helping the poor skinny kitty.

One day the cat was sitting proudly on our patio next to a dead bird. I thought "Oh no! He's letting me know what he wants to do to my pet birds!" So I tried to make the patio less inviting by removing our chairs. I headed off to school and told my friend about the "sick message" Miss Kitty sent me. She was a cat lover and began laughing at my story. "That wasn't a sick message, Miss Kitty was giving you a present for being kind to her." OMG, I felt so terrible for being mean to the cat and went home and reset the patio furniture, letting Miss Kitty know she was welcome back.

An interesting experiment was done regarding perception and noted on CreativityPost.com:
http://www.creativitypost.com/create/change_the_way_you_look_at_things_and_the_things_you_look_at_change

"John Bargh and his colleagues at New York University asked their volunteers to do a mental task involving words relating to old age, such as "wrinkled", "grey" and "bingo". A second group was shown words unrelated to old age. The researchers then said the experiment was over and secretly recorded the time each participant took to walk down the long hallway to the exit. Those with old age on their mind took significantly longer to walk down the corridor."
Being able to change your perception is a useful skill as it can also help you manage your pain. But how do we change our perception?

Here are things we have tried with some success with our own son:
-Take turns at dinner sharing 2 good and 1 bad thing about your day. This will help everyone see that bad things happen each day, to everyone, but it doesn't have to ruin our day. It is also important to tell how you managed the bad event so they have ideas for how to manage their own bad events.
-Remind them that while they cannot control everything that happens in the day, they can control how they react to those things.
-Tell them that if they look around and only see the bad things around them, their day will be bad. They need to start looking for the good to make their days better.  Count the rainbows not the thunderstorms.
-Be an example of optimism. When something goes wrong, find a positive spin on it. "My favorite pen quit working....but that's ok, I can buy a brand new one or even better...I can find an even cooler pen!"

My son has begun saying (with no prompting) "I just know that today is going to be a great day." He is far happier than he was when he saw the world through the pessimistic lenses. In the words of Ice Cube "Check yourself, before you wreck yourself!"

Just Can't Lose by the Aquabats is one of the best examples of having optimism during bad circumstances! Here's the lyrics...great song too.

"Just Can't Lose" by The Aquabats

I can’t open the door to my car anymore

But I don’t care

You don’t call me on the phone anymore

But I don’t care

I got hit on the head with my new surfboard

And it’s making me bored

Cuz I don’t know I don’t care anymore

I got a littering ticket at the dump

Such a tragedy

My parents fired me for mowing my lawn

Finally

My hair gel’s obsolete

My shoes don’t fit on my feet

Juicy Fruit’s not as sweet

Cuz I don’t know I don’t care anymore

Must be a voodoo doll with my name on it

Maybe a black cat has crossed my path

But I never get sad and I never look back

Cuz no matter what I do

I just can’t lose

And even if I do

I’ll jump your bike

Right off of your roof

Cuz if I crash real bad

Your sister will think I’m rad

No matter, no matter what I do

I just can’t lose

I stepped on a crack and

It broke my momma’s back

But she’s okay

I’m a hypochondriac and

I think I had a heart attack

But I’m okay

Things are looking up

Didn’t get hit by a bus

Maybe I’m starting to care

A little more than before

Must be a voodoo doll with my name on it

Maybe a black cat has crossed my path

But I never get sad and I never look back

Cuz no matter what I do

I just can’t lose

And even if I do

I’ll jump your bike

Right off of your roof

Cuz if I crash real bad

Your sister will think I’m rad

No matter, no matter what I do

I just can’t lose

Yeah I broke my leg but

I guess that’s just my style

It’s a victory because

It made your mamma smile

Cuz no matter what I do

I just can’t lose

And even if I do

I’ll jump your bike

Right off of your roof

Cuz if I crash real bad

Your sister will think I’m rad

No matter, no matter what I do

I just can’t lose

And even if I do I can always move

And even if I do

I can auction off all of your shoes

You lose

G is for...Genetic Mutations

G is for...Genetic Mutations.

In pharmacy school, very little was taught to us students about genetic mutations. My only conversations about mutations were when I talked about the X-men movies. But 3 years ago, my 4 year old was diagnosed with a rare and life threatening disorder, Vascular Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. It's a mutation of the COL3A1 gene, or in simpler terms, a collagen disorder. VEDS  is like having your body be made with faulty glue. While most people have 100% strong glue, VEDS patients have just 15% strong glue...in EVERY cell of their body. Skin tears easily, organs tear or rupture easily, blood vessels develop aneurysms or may dissect, and the cherry on this sucky diagnosis...surgery is dangerous and reserved only in life saving measures. For some reason, when a VEDS patient is hurt, injured, sick - the body goes into this "inflammatory state" where white blood cells head to the injury to try and repair it, but this inflammatory state makes the glue turn to water and VEDS patients fall apart in their surgeon's hands, many do not survive.

VEDS is "rare" but is it really? It is so frequently misdiagnosed or undiagnosed throughout the world that it is estimated that only 5% of people with EDS (the common and less deadly form) have actually successfully been diagnosed. The other 95% do not know they have it. The VEDS population represent a small amount of that number but VEDS can easily be ruled out with a blood test if doctors suspect it. The numbers are shocking and appalling.

Common VEDS signs and symptoms:
-flat feet
-bendy finger joints
-low muscle tone
-veiny chest
-bruises easily or skin tears easily
-family history of early death or aneursyms
-sleeps with eyes open

Unfortunately VEDS patients often experience their first vascular event in the twenties and the average life expectancy is 48 years old. However, many have died in their teens and young twenties and several have lived into their 50's and 60's.

We take our son to see the top doc in this field at Johns Hopkins Hospital every other year. We have him on the medicine they hope will prevent some of the issues and every fall we give a talk at the local med school to educate them on the disorder.

I also wrote a YA romance called Rarity to raise awareness about the disorder. One of the characters gets diagnosed with it and it complicates their relationships. Here's the link to buy Rarity if anyone is interested in giving it a read. http://amzn.com/B00YTETSGK

Where do we go from here?
Onward and upward toward a cure. No, you did not mishear me...a cure. There is a new procedure that has been developed to splice out the gene mutation and recode it with the corrected gene information. This procedure is known as CRISPR. It works on EVERY cell in the body. Scientists all over the world have begun human testing with fantastic results (cured leukemia in a child, muscular dystrophy, genetic blindness to name a few). So my challenge now, is to shine a light on VEDS so that researchers become interested in testing it on this rare disorder.

For more info on CRISPR: http://vector.childrenshospital.org/2014/09/genome-editing-a-crispr-way-to-correct-disease/

For more info on VEDS: http://www.ehlersdanlosnetwork.org/vascular.html




My son is now 7, soon to be 8. I'd love for him to have a chance to live a "normal" life, to not worry that playing football with the kids at recess might kill him. To not worry about lifting something heavy (may cause aortic dissection). Here's to hoping we can get this cured before it's too late.

F is for...Family/friends

F is for...Family/friends.

In my book, there is a big difference between the two. Family will ALWAYS be your family, no matter if you fight or have many miles and years between you...they will still be your family. With that being said, you can't pick your family. Sure you might have some A+ family members, like Aunt Martha who will gladly knit you anything you ask or help in anyway she can. But you also get the D- family members, like Uncle Bobby who doesn't show up to any family functions, and when he does he belittles the other adults in the room. And unfortunately, all too often, there are family members who put on a grand facade of being a perfect family. But upon closer inspection, you'll see through the cracks in the facade to the crap that lies beneath.

Yes, fertilized by bullshit indeed!

But friends, on the other hand, are chosen and friendships can be lost. 

What makes a good friend?

-Someone who has your back

-Someone who makes you feel good about yourself

-Someone who doesn't judge you

-Someone whose company you enjoy

-Someone who won't put you down

-Someone who will help you when you face a tough situation

-Someone who will listen

-Someone who respects you

I also find it interesting that some people have many friends that they are close to, while others have just one or two. One theory behind why some choose one over the other depends on the economy and whether or not people move a lot. When the economy is good, people tend to move making the relationships more shallow but widespread. When the economy is bad, people tend to stay put and build stronger relationships with the people in close proximity to them. 

I'm the kind of person that has one or two close friends...a strong and deep relationship with them.

Do you have many good friends or a handful of best friends?

E is for...Escape

E is for...Escape.

Escaping into a good book at the end of a hard day can be such a treat. You can leave your troubles behind and go on wild adventures, fall in love, and have a wild rumpus! There are a handful of books that, once I began reading them, I could not stop. My favorite of these was the emotional read, Reason to Breathe by Rebecca Donovan. It was a very strong story with the most amazing love that grew between two characters. What a truly talented author she is to use her words to slowly strip away the real world and immerse me into the intense action. I literally had a wooden spoon stirring the spaghetti noodles while the other hand held my book. 

Read because it's good for you.
Read because it's fun.
Read because it makes you feel happy.
Read just because.

I escape every night before bed.

When do you escape into a book?

D is for...Dreams

D is for....Dreams.

When I grow up, I want to be an author.
This was not my dream as a child. I loved to draw and wanted to be an artist. But dreams change as your life changes. And sometimes we get so caught up in the daily hustle and bustle, that we forget our dreams. We stop mid-ladder and get busy on the rung we're on, forgetting that we can still climb higher. I'm guilty of this. When I had kids, life got so busy that I was stuck in the now, trying to get through each day that came. But it is very satisfying to set a goal, strive for it, and achieve it.

So what makes those dreams and aspirations so difficult to achieve? Are we setting the bar too high? Do we lack motivation? Have we been dealt the crap card in life?

In my opinion, the biggest barriers to achieving one's dreams is self-doubt and fear.

When I first started out in the author world, a cousin of mine congratulated me on successfully becoming an author. She said "I would love to publish my poetry someday but I have to become a better poet first." It was a classic example of self-doubt.

I quickly said, "Just do it. I did not wait for anyone to tell me I was good enough before publishing a book. Heck, I was a pharmacist and teacher before this...not a writer! Take the leap, see what happens."

But how do you quiet the inner critic enough to let you bravely put it out there? 

For me, I wrote a story about a time in my life when our chips were down and people, strangers, came to our aid and were so generous. I did not write it to become a writer or be successful. I wrote it to pay homage to them. It's a super short book that I self-published and it's rough...but it tells the amazing story that people have loved hearing for all these years. BOOM! First book published. 

This was all I needed to introduce me to the literary world and the self-publishing process. So for me, the way around self-doubt, was to go in and not expect much. Think of it as more of a spontaneous road trip where you are game for anything VS a planned expensive vacation. The expectations for the road trip are low so every cool site you discover, every cool person you encounter, every experience feels like a win. While the expensive planned vacation may be truly wonderful, there is an expectation. If you shell out good money, you expect to have a good time. But if it doesn't go as planned, there is potential for disappointment.

So where did bypassing my self-doubt leave me?

I now have 2 published books with Limitless Publishing. Here's a pic of them:

But I still have to work at keeping the inner critic in check and probably always will. Have you successfully steered clear of your self-doubt and fear to achieve a dream?

C is for...

Critics.

When I set out to write books, my motivation was to try to inspire at least one person to see the world in a positive way. I hoped that single positive change would have a ripple effect and impact many others. Soon after releasing my first book, I received a private message from a reader telling me she was so moved by my story. I felt I had truly succeeded at using my words to make the world a better place. It encouraged me to pick up my laptop and work on my next book.

But like Statler and Waldorf, the infamous hecklers on the Muppet Show, there are people that boldly vocalize their dislike for something. But is that such a bad thing?

WALDORF: They aren't half bad. 

STATLER: Nope, they're ALL bad!

I'm not gonna' lie, when my book received a 1 star rating, I was crushed. I could not help but read the review to find out why the reader felt it deserved such a poor rating. One of her reasons included, "I found Brogen to be selfish and incredibly rude." The defensiveness came out and I found myself saying, "aren't most 17 year olds selfish?" A five star review for the SAME book said this, "Rarity touched me way more than I ever thought it would when I read the summary." Polar opposites on the review spectrum. And for some reason, Rarity has that effect on readers. It seems you will either fall head over heels for the story or hate it - there's no in between.

So here's what I learned about reviews:

-Bad reviews will exist, if you worry they may shake your confidence...don't read them. Stick to the 4 & 5 star reviews to drive you through your next writing project.

-Bad reviews that offer constructive criticism can be a learning opportunity. I learned that readers of Rarity wished it was longer. They also wished it showed a bit more of the male MC's point of view. These were two important criticisms that I was careful to be mindful of when writing my next book.

-Using a chocolate chip cookie analogy...You can make the best chocolate chip cookies in the world, even win awards for the recipe - but there will still be people that hate chocolate chip cookies.

-What to do if you get a bad review... put the pencil to the paper and keep writing. EVERY book I have written has been better than the one before it. Don't give up. Push forward and get working!

-Shouldn't I comment and correct the reviewer? In my opinion, no. If the reviewer has a history of bad-mouthing and trashing people in reviews, report them. But arguing with someone's review will more than likely not get them to change their review and it's tacky.

When I see a book that has (25) 5 star ratings and (2) 1 star ratings, I go and read those 1 star ratings. And usually, I find I disagree or could careless about the points they mentioned in their negative review. Besides, if all you had were 5 star reviews, people would suspect you had your entire family and friends read and review it!

B is for...

B is for....

Book Boyfriends. 
Mine is Evan Mathews from Rebecca Donovan's Breathing Series.



"Emma, there was never a choice. I will always choose you. Always."
 ~ Rebecca Donovan

When I read the books, I picture Evan to look like this picture of actor Chris Wood.
The series is an emotional rollercoaster about a girl who endures an abusive home life, but has an escape in her charismatic best friend and her loving and supportive boyfriend. It's my favorite book series and worth a read.

Who is your Book Boyfriend/Girlfriend?

A to Z Blogging Begins!

This month I am participating in the A to Z Blogging Challenge. Each day I will blog about something beginning with a letter in the alphabet. Sundays are off so don't look for the awesome posts then.

So to begin...our first letter is:

"A" is for...

Author. 
I am a YA author who has published 2 books with Limitless Publishing. I self-published 4 books before an indie publisher (not Limitless) pursued me and my work. While I didn't sign with that publisher, it got me thinking about trying my books at an indie publisher.


The pro's of going with an indie publisher:
- meet lots of great authors
- support/advice from authors and editors
- facebook following grew from 200 followers (after 2 yrs) to 1300 followers (in 7 months)
- have an awesome street team
- have a PA who helps promote and looks for marketing opportunities
- kick butt covers (they pay for it)
- amazing editors (they pay for it)

The con's of going with an indie publisher:
- the profits are shared with the publisher

Overall, it's been a wonderful move for me career-wise and highly recommend self-pubbed authors to consider indie publishing. Now, if only I had a chance to compare self-publishing and indie publishing to publishing with one of the big 6 publishers!!!! HINT HINT!

Signed Paperback Giveaway!

Chance to win a signed copy
of Between the Bleeding Willows (Book 1 of the Demon Hunters series) the newest YA Paranormal novel by D.A. Roach

Enter by clicking the link below:
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/179491-between-the-bleeding-willows

Contest ends 3/30/16