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Today’s question:
A while ago, I interviewed my readers for a change, and my final question was, “What question have I NOT asked at BTT that you’d love me to ask?” I got some great responses and will be picking out some of the questions from time to time to ask the rest of you. Like now.
 Two people asked a similar question:
Charlie Quillen asks:
Has a book ever inspired you to change anything in your life, fiction or non-fiction alike?

My response:
I would say yes, a lot of books.    I take away and/or find something in many fictional books and memoirs that I can either relate to, as far as the premise or characters and that also create thought provoking thoughts.

Three books come to mind that I have recently read.    Two were fictional, but the premises were  controversial moral issues that both educated and enlightened me whereas my original standpoint was waivered.  Betty’s (Little Basement Garden by Laurel Dewey, which is about medicinal marijuana and acceptance of it, and The Volunteer by Barbara Taylor Sissel, which deals with the death penalty.

The third book is a memoir, that truly touched me to the core.   A book that will stay with me for quite some time.  Ragdoll Redeemed: Growing Up In The Shadow of Marilyn Monroe by Dawn Novotny.   The author shares a very traumatic childhood into adulthood life and how she fights back to regain her life.  Ms. Novotny  was victimized and has dealt with issues that are so profound but has the courage and will to change her past to become a happy, forgiving and content person today.  This book is the one that mostly changed my life.  There were so many issues, thankfully not to the degree that the author had to face, that paralleled my own life.  And in some of those instances, I am trying to mirror the author’s courage and outlook that has inspired me to live each day differently.  I can’t stress enough, how good this book is.  But on June 7th, mark your calendars, she will be a guest here where you can meet her, read a little about her journey through life and even get a chance to win a copy of this amazing book.  This book is such a must read!!!

……of The Smiley Book Of Colors by Ruth Kaiser

18 Maureen Carol Be a Public Follower of ‘CMASH Loves to Read’

An email has been sent to the winner and she has 48 hours to respond with her mailing address or another winner will be chosen.  Thank you to all that entered.

Oh….so many good books….so little time.  That’s why when Rebecca from The Cadence Group contacted me about this author, I had to share it with all of you.  So please help me welcome today’s guest, Ms. Andrea Kayne Kaufman!!

ABOUT ANDREA KAYNE KAUFMAN

Andrea Kayne Kaufman has guided and mentored hundreds of students as a professor at the DePaul University College of Education, where she serves as Chair of the Department of Leadership, Language and Curriculum. A professor and attorney who earned a bachelor’s degree from Vassar College, a master’s degree in Education from Harvard University and her Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, Andrea has students who are primarily teachers, seeking masters and doctoral degrees in Educational Leadership to serve as principals and superintendents.

Andrea is an award-winning expert in the area of school law, and has published and spoken widely about special education law, education civil rights, the No Child Left Behind Act, cyber bullying, and other legal and political issues having an impact on students and schools.

In her personal and professional life, Andrea has been involved with issues relating to special needs, in particular Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Her debut novel, Oxford Messed Up, is a literary love story that transports readers on a redemptive and emotional journey, where the academic world of Oxford University serves as a backdrop for true learning, self-discovery, and transcendent love. Andrea’s professional expertise and personal experience have given her the vision to create a novel hailed by experts as one of the first to present the inner workings and treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder accurately, from the inside out.

Andrea is currently working on her next novel, Parent Over Shoulder. In this poignant love story, Andrea brings her education background, sensitivity, insight and articulate writing style to another “hell” found in many school communities – cyber-bullying. You can preview the first sample pages of Parent Over Shoulder here.

Andrea draws inspiration for her writing and life from poetry, Van Morrison’s music and other classic vinyl, her daily walks along Lake Michigan, and her time spent with her husband and two children in their equanimity-filled Chicago home.
You can visit Andrea at her website here.

GUEST POST

Oxford is NOT Gloria and Henry’s Kind Of Town
But That’s The Point

My main character, Gloria, is from Chicago. Chicago is a great city (and my home). But the love story for my novel, Oxford Messed Up, unfolds across the pond at Oxford. I’ve had readers ask how I chose that setting. The university, the oldest in the English-speaking world, is steeped in history, culture, and beauty with an impressive and profoundly rich intellectual tradition. I’ve traveled there with my family and as soon as Gloria began developing in my mind, I knew she belonged at Oxford. And I knew Henry belonged there too, even if he didn’t believe me (or Gloria) at first!

Gloria heads to Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship. Being a Rhodes Scholar means you were singled out for your achievement in a particular area. It is considered by many to be the single most prestigious academic award available and Rhodes scholars go on to become leaders in their field. Rachel Maddow? Rhodes Scholar. Bill Clinton, Nick Kristof, and Naomi Wolf, too. She’s in some pretty good company. When we meet “Our Superstar” as Gloria’s father calls her, she is being reminded over and over again on her way to the airport that this is a natural next step for her. Of course she would be receiving the most prestigious award after graduating from Yale and discovering a missing manuscript. It’s only natural that this superstar shines on many continents, even if she can’t use the bathroom on her way there.

But for Gloria, Oxford is many things besides an academic notch on her belt. It is way, way, way outside of her safe, sealed world. Gloria built a controlled and disciplined life, thanks to Oliver, allowing her to navigate relationships and obligations while still being ruled by her OCD. Oxford is, well, going to mess that up. The hallowed halls of learning are also full of risks and dangers for someone like Gloria. Even getting on the plane to go is a huge gamble once her impressive supply of hand sanitizer is confiscated by TSA. She’s attempted to work around it by creating schedules and living a disciplined life in her private quarters, not knowing that private doesn’t mean there won’t be a dashing English boy sitting on her toilet when she arrives.

The world of academics grounds Gloria. The Bodleian Library, for example, is just the kind of place Gloria likes. The Bod, as Oxford students call it, is the second largest library in all of England and one of the oldest in Europe. I liked the idea of Gloria immersing herself in all the old books and documents wearing white gloves to protect the pages and to protect her hands from prying eyes. It makes sense that she would gravitate to places like a silent, hermetically sealed archival library to lose herself in her feminist poetry. She can trust that, there, even the air is clean enough for her tastes.

Gloria thinks she’ll be able to disappear into her work at Oxford. The location is almost irrelevant to her as is blurs by during her car ride to campus. She’s not thinking about all that Oxford is besides a place to study and to achieve. She comes to find that it is a place that offers her escape as much as it offers risks. The music stores, restaurants and pubs, even her favorite bench outside her room are places she can begin to define herself as more than the superstar and as more than her OCD. And for Henry, dear Henry, Oxford’s traditions of excellence are a constant reminder of just how much he’s messed up. Every turned corner presents the possibility of bumping into his legendary father, a professor at Oxford and a pain in his butt. He is convinced that, with his father’s unrelenting help, he doesn’t belong there. Gloria thinks she can escape to Oxford to prove herself worthy. Henry feels like he’ll never escape Oxford and never prove himself worthy of anything.

And so this centuries-old university is a place that two young people discover themselves anew. Henry thrives as a guide to Gloria, taking her to places connected to their musical hero, Van Morrison. He’s able to tap into Gloria’s human side just as she’s able to tap into his scholarly side. Gloria tests out just having some fun now and then while also guiding Henry towards his first tastes of academic success. Oxford is their distant land, their Achilles’ heel, and ultimately their love nest.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Who knew that life in one Oxford dorm, with a shared bathroom, would become the catalyst for self-examination and exploration not only of one’s soul, but ultimately of one’s soulmate? The lyrics of Van Morrison‘s music, the poetry of Sylvia Plath, and an old clawfoot bathtub provoke this unexpected journey where the exotic locale of Oxford University is an engaging backdrop for true learning as Gloria Zimmerman and Henry Young discover the loveliness in their own germs and each other.

Rhodes Scholar Gloria Zimmerman is an academic superstar, who has come to Oxford to study feminist poetry. Yet the rigors of the academy pale in comparison with the untreated Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder that she suffers, fueled by her overachieving Chicago parents, and manifested in a deathly aversion to germs and human contact. Her OCD has left her hands rubbed as raw as a burn victim’s and her psyche shattered and in thrall to a possessive and codependent externalized inner voice.

Her dormitory room neighbor (who is also, to her mortification, her loomate) is Henry Young, the appealing but underachieving musician son of an overbearing and disapproving Oxford don. Still mourning the death of his supportive mother while enduring the mockery of his disapproving and merciless father, Henry is haunted by the unexpectedly serious ramifications of a reckless and tragic youth.

Their relationship evolves from a shared obsession with Van Morrison’s music into a desire on the part of each to fill in the gaps in the life of the other. Henry seeks to enable Gloria to conquer her OCD and enter the world of intimacy, while Gloria will help Henry achieve academic success and earn the respect of his implacable father. Yet the constraints of a debilitating illness and the looming revelation of a catastrophic secret conspire to throw their worlds into upheaval, and threaten the possibilities of their unlikely, yet redemptive love.

THANKS TO REBECCA FROM THE CADENCE GROUP,
I HAVE ONE COPY OF THIS BOOK TO GIVE AWAY.

CLICK HERE TO BRING YOU TO
THE GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE.

DISCLAIMER
No items that I receive
are ever sold…they are kept by me,
or given to family and/or friends.

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IN ORDER TO BE INCLUDED IN THE GIVEAWAY*
BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL

ADDRESS IN THE RAFFLECOPTER FORM
SO THAT I CAN CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN
*LEAVE COMMENT: DO YOU KNOW OF OR

KNOW SOMEONE THAT SUFFERS FROM OCD?*

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*NO P.O. BOXES*

**HONOR SYSTEM**
ONE WINNING BOOK PER HOUSEHOLD
PLEASE NOTIFY ME IF YOU HAVE
WON THIS BOOK FROM ANOTHER
SITE, SO THAT SOMEONE ELSE MAY
HAVE THE CHANCE TO WIN
AND READ THIS BOOK.
THANK YOU.

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Continue reading “GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE “OXFORD MESSED UP” by Andrea Kayne Kaufman ENDED“ →

Hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

Hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
*Grab your current read
*Open to a random page
*Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
*BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
*Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Now, when I try to remember Jamie’s face, I see only the horrified expression he wore the night baby died: the wide eyes, the trembling bottom lip, the pale face, the disbleieving twisting of the head from shoulder to shoulder.

Kindle:   16%

…..of The Quaker State Affair by Dan Romain

20 Jaque Richards Leave a Blog Post Comment

An email has been sent and  the winner has 48 hours to respond with a mailing address or another winner will be chosen.  Thank you to all that entered!!  More giveaways to come!!!

I have been waiting a month for today.   Robyn from WOW contacted me and asked if I would read and review a book.  After reading the synopsis, not only did I want to read it but I wanted to share it with all of you.  So today, I am hosting a visit from an amazing person and fantastic author.  Please welcome Ms. Chynna Laird.

ABOUT CHYNNA LAIRD

CHYNNA LAIRD – is a psychology major, freelance writer and multi award-winning author living in Edmonton, Alberta with her partner, Steve, and their three daughters [Jaimie (almost nine), Jordhan (six), and baby Sophie (three)] and baby boy, Xander (five). Her passion is helping children and families living with Sensory Processing Disorder and other special needs.

You’ll find her work in many online and in-print parenting, inspirational, Christian and writing publications in Canada, United States, Australia, and Britain. In addition, she’s authored an award-winning children’s book (I’m Not Weird, I Have SPD), two memoirs (the multi award-winning, Not Just Spirited: A Mom’s Sensational Journey With SPD and White Elephants), a Young Adult novel (Blackbird Flies), an adult Suspense/Thriller (Out Of Sync to be released March 2012), and a Young Adult Suspense/Mystery/Paranormal/Sweet Romance (Undertow, to be released 2012). She’s also working on a sequel to Not Just Spirited called Not Just Spirited: The Journey Continues and a few other projects in the works for Middle Grade and Young Adult readers.

Please visit Chynna’s website at www.chynna-laird-author.com, as well as her blogs at www.the-gift-blog.com and www.seethewhiteelephants.com, to get a feel for her work and what inspires her.

Just thought you should know:
April is… Alcohol Awareness Month, National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

**GUEST POST**

From Abuse to Ability

 The only things children should ever have to worry about growing up is learning, discovering the wonder and beauty in our world and having fun. It is the job of the adults around them to guide them on their journey with patience, wisdom and unconditional love. Sadly, for many children this isn’t a reality.

When a person is abused at a very young age, it changes her at the very core of her existence. It’s sort of like re-wiring something that was working perfectly fine. After you mess with it, it might still work but it will never run as well as it had before. And that’s so unfair.

You see, once a child has been changed in this way, it can be extremely difficult to build him back up again. Self-esteem and self-worth are two things we aren’t born with; they are learned and nurtured by trusted adults. And abuse—any kind of abuse—crushes those things. So these kids need steel-level support to relearn these basic traits. And I know a group of amazing people doing just that.

A few years ago while doing research for a school paper I was writing, I came across a link to a charity called Zebra Center. Not only was I drawn to the name but their purpose also captured my heart immediately.

Zebra Center is a Child Protection Center that helps children who have been abused or otherwise victimized. They help give these kids a new path to follow and give them the strength and courage to keep moving forward. The Center’s mandate is child-focused, which means the children brought there are put under the protective wing of the center, social services and the legal system. That doesn’t mean they don’t acknowledge the accused. They simply feel there is enough support for that person, and not enough for the victim.

I immediately emailed the CEO, Barbara, asking her if she and I could connect for an interview. For some reason, my gut told me that that this was a place I needed to connect with, but I didn’t know why at the time. The next day Barbara emailed me back and that was the start of a beautiful friendship.

Now, I went through a lot in my younger years. My brother and I could have really benefited from a place like Zebra Center, but there was no such place for us back then. So hearing some of these kids’ stories, I related. As she shared with me how this place came to be and why, and told me edited version of some of the kids’ stories, I felt it in the deepest part of my soul. I understood how it felt to have my privacy and my rights invaded. I knew that daily fear of not knowing what horrific things were in store for them. My heart broke picturing strangers coming to their home, giving them five to ten minutes to pack up whatever they could into a green garbage bag, to take them to a safer place.

But she also told me the amazing things they did at the Center to help repair whatever damage had been done in these kids’ lives. You can’t fix these problems, you can only find a new path for them to follow. And this starts with teaching these kids to define themselves rather than being defined by what they’ve gone through. That is essential. And Barbara taught me that too.

When I was finally able to tour the Center after more than a year of emails and phone calls with Barbara, it was an overwhelming experience. There is a feeling of wholeness there. There are stuffies and kid-sized chairs in every room. The waiting rooms for the children have complete sets of puzzles, games and play sets (and for those of us who are abuse survivors, the message in that is incredible). There is even a room called “Hope’s Closet” that is filled to the brim with brand new toys, games, costume jewelry and other items. Every child gets to choose one new item from the closet to take with him after his visit.

I think the part that touched me the most was when Barbara told me that they work closely with a local business that provides new backpacks filled with basic personal items such as pajamas, toothbrushes, a change of clothes, a pillow and other items that the child may not have or thought to have packed when removed from their home. Think about the significance of that for a moment. Before that, they had to stuff their belongings into a garbage bag. How could that not solidify the feeling they already have of their situation and themselves? Zebra Center recognized that.

Standing there in ‘Hope’s Closest’ with Barbara, looking around at all of the hope and future they are giving to back these kids was incredibly emotional. It was in that moment I realized my life had come full circle.

Years ago, I swore if I made it out of my childhood, I would do everything in my power to ensure that no other child had to endure what I had to. I made a pact that if I had the chance to help one child…like Zebra Center does every single day…I would be there in some way.

Barbara gave me the strength to tell my story and share it with the world. And hearing about how these kids came from so much pain and turmoil but have never allowed what’s happened to them to determine where they’ll go inspired me to do the same.

One thing that Barbara said to me during our very first telephone chat has resonated with me until this day: “I am so sorry the system failed you and your brother back then, Chynna. And I am sorry we couldn’t be there for you.”

My response to her is theme of this post: “It’s okay because you’re here for me now. And I’m comforted in the knowledge that kids have you here for them.”

Even the name of this place signifies the importance of what the people running it do. You see, zebras in the wild surround their young when danger is near. All of the in the adults in the zebra family encircle the younger ones so that no matter what happens, they will be protected. And we should all be doing the same thing for children.

We can’t erase what’s happened to these kids. I know my experiences will be engrained in my memory forever. But what we can do is help these kids be all they are meant to be from this day forward, taking them from abuse to ability. Just like Barbara and Zebra House did for me.

For more information on Zebra Center and the campaign Barbara and I created together, check out this page on my website: http://www.chynna-laird-author.com/p/chynnas-bookshelf.html

ABOUT THE BOOK

Elephant in the middle of the living room–that is one way of explaining how a family walks around the invisible presence of huge problems. Hindsight is what brings the elephant into focus.

Somehow at the innocent age of five Tami began to see the bulky creature crowding her family and took on a sense of responsibility far beyond expectation for her age. Her mother was different than other mothers. Family life in their household was not pretty. No one seemed to notice. No one did anything about it, and Tami wanted someone to do just that. As an adult Tami took on her first name, Chynna, and took up the challenge to find out what might have helped her mother fight her battle of self-destruction. She couldn’t help her mother, but she would consider it worth everything if her family’s story helped another.

This candid memoir is a story of one girl’s struggle to deal with her mother’s alcoholic/bipolar condition–the white elephant no one else would see. With a conversational tone, Laird shares her remarkable story of abuse, survival, and her triumphant recovery into becoming a healthy, well adjusted wife and mother. Tastefully written, this book will touch your heart. It offers hope that, no matter where you come from, life is what you make it.
See my review here.

THANKS TO AUTHOR, CHYNNA LAIRD, I HAVE
ONE (1) SIGNED COPY OF HER BOOK TO GIVE AWAY.

CLICK HERE TO BRING YOU TO
THE GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE.