February 27, 2017

Authors for Autism / Black History Month - Monthly Mishmash



My Little Absence: I was slow last week in returning blog comments. My mom had a fall on Monday and needed my help. She's okay. Banged up, aching, with a splint on one wrist, but it could've been worse. 
NEW Anthology: I am a part of an anthology to help raise awareness for autism. Pieces of the Heart came out on Valentine’s Day. My mom is also in the anthology! :D

The story I contributed to Pieces of the Heart is Cancer Can’t. I wrote it for two women I know. The first inspired the initial idea when I got to know her (through Facebook) and learned about the cancer diagnosis she defeated years before. She told me about how she would crack jokes while receiving chemo, how she would yell at her doctors if their opinion wasn’t positive, how she refused to back down. I wanted to write about a character just like her. The other woman this story is dedicated to also conquered breast cancer and I wanted to honor her as well with this story, so I wrote about Harley, a tough woman with a heart of gold who takes on the big C with brass and class.


Blurb

Fifteen incredible authors have come together with stories of love, passion, pain, and triumph in support of Autism research. Pieces of the Heart by Authors for Autism is a collection of romance short stories of various genre and styles. Contemporary, fantasy, comedy, historical, and drama, all combined in an assembly of sweet short reads to fill your heart with emotion. All of the proceeds of every sold copy of Pieces of the Heart will be donated toward Autism Research. This is a cause near and dear to every author involved in this project, and they are all excited to share these beautiful stories with all of you.

Contributing Authors:


Don't forget to order your copy ASAP!


Black History Month:
I’ve been reading a lot of book for Black History Month. One book I read really hit me in a good way. Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom: My Story of the 1965 Selma Voting Rights March by Lynda Blackmon Lowery chronicles the real story of the youngest person to take part in the Selma to Montgomery March. While I read it, it was as though she sat across from me, telling me about her passion, her fight for freedom, and her fear following Bloody Sunday. It is a great story.
So, Lynda Blackmon Lowery is also my empowering woman for this month along with Michelle Obama. :)

 At the end of the book, we are told about the three individuals killed before and after Bloody Sunday, two of which were white advocates:
- Jimmie Lee Jackson was murdered during a march at night. He tried to shield his eighty-two-year-old grandfather, who was badly beaten, and his mother. A trooper shot him in the stomach.
- Reverend James Reeb answered Martin Luther King’s call for religious leaders. He participated in a peaceful march in which the marchers prayed and then left. Reverend Reeb and three ministers went to a cafĂ© for dinner. When they left, a group of white men attacked them with baseball bats and clubs. Reverend Reeb died.
- Viola Gregg Liuzzo was a homemaker who came to Selma from to Detroit. After the big march, she helped out by driving marchers home. On her last run, with one individual, the KKK forced her off the road and shot her in the head.
The young man with her (the author’s neighbor) used the woman’s body to cover himself, so the KKK thought they had killed him, too. He was nineteen when he ran for his life. He never returned to Selma.



Blogging: I will continue to post every IWSG and on Mondays, but I've decided to suspend the Friday feature for The Wild Rose Press authors. I've been struggling with low blogging motivation for a while now and decided this is best. I apologize.



Question: What are you reading?


44 comments:

  1. Congratulations on the anthology.
    Sorry about your mom. Family comes first and glad you were there to help her.

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  2. Congrats on the new release! Glad you're mom is okay.

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  3. What a great anthology and to be in it with your mom...that's sweet. And I'm glad she is not too badly injured from the fall.

    I am only posting weekly myself. It's too hard to find the balance between blogging, writing, and life.

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    1. Thanks, Elizabeth. It really is hard to find a balance. I seem to be struggling more and more with it.

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  4. Congrats on the anthology. Life has to come first indeed.

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  5. Sorry to read about your mother's fall. Hope all will go well for her. Some heartfelt reviews here.
    I am still fughting our "National Health Service " here about not having my medication for Epilepsy. Apparrently my new doctor who saw me for a 5 min consultation decided I WAS NOT OR EVER HAVE BEEN EPILEPTIC. I was diagnose 32 years ago and have had treatment until now.
    A poem will emerge when I get it sorted.
    Have a great week.
    Yvonne.

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    1. Yikes. I'm sorry, Yvonne. I hope you can get the help and medication you need.

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  6. Glad to hear your Mom is doing okay, and congrats to you both on the anthology! :)

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  7. Glad your mom's going to be okay. I hear you about low blogging motivation...

    Currently I'm reading The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi.

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    1. I love my blog, but my motivation is just...going away. :\

      Thanks for sharing your current read. :)

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  8. I hope your mom is feeling better. Take care of yourself. Blogging will be here when and if you're ready to dive back in.

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  9. Sorry to hear about your mom's fall. Congratulations to you and your mom on the anthology. I've been struggling with blogging too. But you are awesome.

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  10. I hope your mom has a speedy recovery. Falls are no fun.

    We all struggle with blogging motivation at one point or another. Sometimes I've had to recycle and edit down recovered files from my old Angelfire site when I can't come up with anything original for my blog, or I might just do a showcase of pictures. If you can't find something to blog about on your usual schedule, there's no pressure. Quality is more important than quantity.

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    1. I have posts for the year. My struggle lies with the act of blogging. I suspect it's due to depression. :\

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  11. Congrats on the anthology! Glad your mom is doing ok.

    I struggle with blogging motivation all the time, especially if I don't have any ideas. If I have an idea I can usually push myself to write it. But no ideas and no motivation? That's really tricky.

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    1. I have ideas and posts prepared. It's just everywhere else I'm lacking motivation.

      Thanks!

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  12. I'm glad things didn't end up worse with your mother!

    I totally get you on the blogging. It's like life throws stuff at you that you would rather be dealing with or focusing on, that you don't feel the energy to go out and hit all those bloggers you follow and do the interactions only. At least, that's where I'm at recently. Just have too much life to deal with that my passion for blogging isn't there at the moment.

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    1. That's where I am, too. I love blogging, but I'm not feeling it at the moment either. I hope my blogging mojo will return soon.

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  13. Best wishes to your Mom! How wonderful to be a part of such a worthy cause (the anthology). I'm sure your story is terrific and hope to read it and all real soon ;-)
    There are so many interesting folks to check out for Black History Month! Last year I enjoyed learning about Frederick Jones who invented, among other things, refrigerated truck systems!
    Enjoy some time for you, lady Chrys. You more than deserve it ;-)

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    1. Thank you, Diedre!

      I've been enjoying reading books for Black History Month. So much to learn. :)

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  14. The anthology sounds wonderful. Congratulations for having a story in it. Glad your mom is doing all right. That had to be scary. Have a super week.

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  15. Glad to hear your mom is okay. Congrats on the anthology too.

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  16. I'm glad your mom is ok! That's awesome that you are both in the anthology together, congrats! I can relate to the lack of blogging motivation. It's not that I don't want to be on my blog; it's sometimes just a lack of energy to balance my blog with work and family and other life events. I hope your extra time away refreshes your blogging motivation.

    I am currently reading the Wishsong of Shannara by Terry Brooks.

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    1. A lack of energy is right. I hope having Fridays and Wednesday off of blogging will help.

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  17. Awesome on the anthology! Great that your mom is okay. Hugs.
    I'm about to start Fool me Once by Harlan Coben.

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  18. Hi Chrys - so glad your mother is recovering and it wasn't as bad as it might have been. Congratulations on the anthology - all for a good cause or two and particularly autism ... I wish we could help humanity understand disabilities of all sorts. I'm off to see Hidden Women - should be a fascinating film ... cheers and take care - Hilary

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    1. Thank you, Hilary! I wish that, too. Enjoy the film!

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  19. Chrys, Yours is the second blog post I've read this morning about someone falling. It is just so common and I know a thing or two - having broken both legs in falls - about it. Glad your Mom wasn't more seriously hurt. I know all about blogging ennui. I just finished reading 'The Bertie Project' by Alexander McCall Smith.

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    1. Ouch. Two broken legs. I was relieved that my mom didn't have any broken bones.

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  20. That's so neat that both you and your mom are in the same anthology. Glad she's doing okay after her fall.

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  21. I think it's very cool you and your mother are in the same anthology, too. Hope she is feeling much better now! I hope your motivation and energy returns after a good rest, Chrys.

    Also, I was reading your newsletter earlier and regarding the part on your secret: Although they could turn out to be nice, of course, I have a feeling those aren't the ones you need and want in your world right now. You, sweet and charming one, will meet better. :)

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    1. That is such a sweet thing to say. Someone else sent me a message about my secret. It's nice to know that it's being read. :)

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  22. Sending big hugs to your mom! I'm glad she is doing ok!

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    1. Thank you very much! She's a lot better now. :)

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