Nick loves to sing. He has memorized hundreds of songs and sometimes he is like a human juke box, singing one song after another, end to end. This musical feast can get interrupted. Arden or I might receive a phone call, or there is something we need to talk about or we arrive at our
Sometimes I feel stuck. It seems that my life is passing me by and I don’t see that there are other choices I can make. Nick is so excited that Halloween is coming up. It is not just the opportunity to go trick-or-treating that he looks forward to. He loves the costumes. He is currently
Music has a way of touching our souls. Yesterday Nick and I were listening to an ’80’s station on the radio. Then “Cherish,” by Kool & the Gang’s came on. Nick loves this song. Imagine him singing along with the chorus, “Cherish the love we have We should cherish the life we live Cherish the
My perspective concerning what constitutes a crisis can change in a moment. Because of where we live, we are often without electricity for hours at a time. Although this can seem like a hardship to bear, we really are comfortable. Arden has developed a backup-generator system that is automatic. It runs the furnace, many of
Recently I was told that the definition of “hypervigilance” is an enhanced state of sensory sensitivity accompanied by an exaggerated intensity of behaviors whose purpose is to detect activity. It may bring about a state of increased anxiety which can cause exhaustion. The doctors explained to me that this was part of what I have
Although immortalized in John Lennon’s song “Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy),” this quote is attributed to Allen Saunders in 1957. It was certainly true in my life last Sunday. I was driving home from a wonderful writing conference. I had spent four days with other writers, attended educational sessions, heard inspirational key-note speakers, and pitched my
The doctors told us originally that Nick probably wouldn’t ever walk or talk. Yet not only did he learn to do both of these things, he sings. On the way home from church he was singing away and I captured a brief video of him singing “I Know That My Redeemer Lives.” I couldn’t get
Lately my friends are talking to me about trying to reduce my stress. I have been using my own style of stress reducing activities for all of these years, but it seems that the professionals are now saying that sugar can actually cause a stress response in your body. That has not been my experience.
For years Nick has experienced hallucinations. Many people are not aware that those with epilepsy may suffer other difficulties in addition to the seizures. Experts differ in their opinion of the root cause, whether it is temporal lobe involvement during the actual seizures or if it is anti-seizure medicine-induced psychosis. Which ever camp is correct, hallucinations
Nick is continually teaching me. Often his perception is profoundly different than mine. I learn these lessons if I am paying attention. One of the easiest things to notice about Nick is that he finds joy in simple pleasures. He loves it when people are laughing. He loves to hug others and receive hugs. He
Announcing that I have finished a book with the working title of “The Fairy Fort.” I am currently pitching it to publishers. Keep checking back to watch the progress of my newest novel.
Here is a quick glimpse of the story.
Sarah Doherty is an 18-year-old living in rural Ireland at the tail end of the Great War. Plagued by severe epilepsy, she is protected by her parents and lives a sheltered, secluded, lonely life. The Fae, local Irish fairies, interfere with her life. She falls forward a century in time through the local fairy fort of standing stones. She had a seizure in 1918 and woke up in 2020. The 21st century world includes life-saving prescriptions, physical comforts and the independence and freedom she seeks. The locals are welcoming and Andy Mclaughlin, a handsome young historian, is intriguing. She doesn’t want to return home.
Then a letter arrives from Boston divulging the story of Sarah and Andy’s lives that are deeply entwined in the previous century. They are not yet in love but as they seek to verify the letter through online resources, they feel a growing obligation to their unborn family and to each other. What would happen to their posterity living in Boston if they don’t return to 1918? Even if they do make it back, her parents can never know what happened to her or that would change everything.
This Young Adult time-travel romance explores the question: Do we have the freedom to make choices or is free will an elaborate illusion?
This is my third book. I love reading time travel romances. I am an advocate for epilepsy awareness because my 43-year-old son has intractable epilepsy. As a genealogist specializing in Irish research, I live part of the year in the village where the story is based. I wrote the book to help young adults understand that difficult situations can change your life. Sometimes miraculously.
