Putting Up with Autism

 I came across this blog, The One-Minute Writer, that I think has an awesome idea going on. Beth, who runs it, has a one minute timer on her blog. The idea of it is to write for one minute. She has a prompt and you can respond in her comment section or on your blog linking back to hers. How fantastic is that? There are rules so be sure to check out her Q&A if you want to participate. The prompt that I responded to is PUT UP.

 Write about something in your life that you put up with.

My one-minute response can be found on her blog - just click on the link for The One-Minute Writer above.

My longer response would be:

Autism. Without a doubt this is what I put up with. My grandson, who is four and on the spectrum, lives with me. Everyday is a challenge, sometimes a heartbreaking one. For instance, once when we were walking outside to our door and he saw some children playing. There were 2 boys and a girl. He has played often with them. This day he stopped dead and leaned against the fence looking at the ground. I asked him what was wrong. He said ,"she don't like me. I try to be her friend but she says I'm not right. I try to be like the other kids but I don't know what I am doing wrong." You have seen this. You know it happened. You know it is going to happen again. What do you do? Your heart breaks. And the challenge is there. Staring at you. Daring you to make it right. So you pick up the challenge and you put up with autism because it is not going anywhere. Before he goes to school you role play "how to be a friend". After school you role play, " what to say when....". And you know this is still not going to do it because now he sounds like a robot. How do you cover every possible conversation? And even though you know it is not enough you keep doing it. Every day with the hope that never dies. The hope that he will pick up on some of the social skills he needs.

Then there is the sensory challenge. Junior hits every one but not consistently. So you never know when he is going to go into sensory overload or how. You just have to be ready. Ready for light to bother him. Sometimes from the sun, sometimes from lights. You learn to live without opening blinds all the way. You learn to keep the lighting in the house dim. You learn to time how long you can be in the store. Ready for touch to bother him. This is a toughie. Sometimes it's his clothes. Sometimes it's you. If you touch him to lightly it is like scraping his skin. If you touch him to hard it is uncomfortable and he pulls away. You learn where to buy clothes that have no tags. You learn how to touch with the right amount of pressure. You learn to let him come to you for a hug. And those you savor like it is nectar from God. Ready for sound to bother him. On sensory days he can have the most amazing things bother him. The sound of lights, the sound of water , the sound of a birds wings flapping, the sounds of wind, the phone ringing, normal talking, so many sounds. You learn that he can hear those lights way up high in the ceiling of the grocery store. You learn to wash dinner dishes in the middle of the night. You learn to shower when he is gone. You learn to fill the tub when he is out.  You learn to turn the phone ringer off and watch for it to light up. You learn to whisper. Then there is smells and taste to deal with. Not to mention the meltdown that occurs when he is in overload and there is nothing you can do. You learn to make sure he is safe and that others are too. You learn to ignore the hostile looks. You learn to ignore the comments of "bad parenting skills." You learn to be grateful for that one sympathetic look. You learn to take strength from the one supporting comment. And your friends. You learn how much you love them. Without them you aren't sure how you would make it. So here is a huge thank you to my support: Jennifer Griffin, Robin Y., Robin G., Melissa, Sid,  Annemarie, Rachel, Regina, Jamie, Sara, Iris, Cat, Bren, Donna, Susan Case and Jeni Decker.  You have my eternal gratitude.

    

 

                                                                                             

                                               

Please leave a comment. I love hearing from you.

FF

Hi everyone! Welcome to the Alaskan Book Cafe! I am Cristi.  Today is Follow My Book Blog Friday, (or FF). FF is hosted by 2 wonderfully awesome blogs, Parajunkee.com and Alisoncanread.com. Every Friday they feature 2 new blog and today I am one of the featured blogs, the other is Alaiel at Librarianmouse.com! *The crowd roars!*  I am so excited!!  For those new to my blog I read a wide variety of genres so you probably never really know what you are going to find here. I also have my grandson, who lives with me and is on the autism spectrum, on here sometimes doing children's book reviews. You can see him by clicking on One Face of Autism in my tabs. I also have pictures of Alaska both on a tab and also on posts. Right now I am hosting a giveaway for Ghost on Black Mountain by Ann Hite so I hope you will all enter that. It is an awesome book and there will be 2 winners. So I hope you look around and like watch you see. Have a super awesome weekend! As you all know there is a question each week. Today's question is:    It's that pesky magic book fairy again! She has another wish: What imaginary book world would you like to make a reality?
Omgosh! There are so many! I want to live in Storyland. A magical place where you move from one book world into another much the way we travel city to city. That's not too much to ask is it?  My first pick would have to be the world of Anne of Green Gables. I have loved that book since childhood. Others I would like to visit are the world of the Midnight Breed series. I would so love to be one of the women living in that world. A bit dangerous yes but I am sure I would be kept safe.  I would love to walk into the world of the book I review below, Pirates of Savannah. Also dangerous but who has not dreamed of being a pirate? The world of Sookie Stackhouse would be another awesome place to go. All the different breeds coming out, vampires, shifters, the fae. It makes me dizzy from excitement. Really I think there should be a Book World to rival Disney World. I know you all would join me for a vacation there.
Please visit my fellow bloggers in the hop!

Enter Here for the Ghost On Black Mountain Giveaway!

Jarred Into Being by Pat Lawrence

Jarred Into Being by Pat Lawrence

I received a copy of this book from the authors to review. No promise of a good review was made. The review is based solely upon my honest thoughts and feelings. No offer of compensation was made nor was there any compensation given. 

 On Sunday night after TrueBlood, I was sitting downstairs waiting for Junior and had decided to check out the first chapter. Junior came home - I was still reading.  Junior brushed his teeth  and changed into his pajamas and I was following him around with the book open. I tucked him in, reading. When I finally checked I discovered I was on chapter 10! That's the kind of book this is. I forced myself to stop there with the promise I would continue it the next day. I picked it back up the next day and read it straight through in a few hours. We meet Eva as a well behaved child of two very loving parents. Then her parents leave her with her aunt and fail to pick her up. We know this is because they died in a car accident on their way to pick her up. She ends up living with her aunt and the downward spiral begins. Eva's aunt gets pregnant; continuing her abuse of drugs and alcohol. By the time the child is born Eva has grown up quite a bit and takes on much of the responsibility of her baby cousin. By the time Eva is 16 and Tina is two things have gone from bad to worse. Loretta, Eva's aunt, is now a prostitute and her boyfriend Dwayne  has moved in. One night Dwayne decides it is time for Eva to earn him some money too. The next day Eva awakes to find a note from Loretta telling her she left and Eva needs to take care of herself and her cousin Tina. She makes the decision to leave with Tina. Realizing that at 16, with only $22 she took while Dwayne slept, she is unable to take care of Tina.  Eva makes a heart-wrenching decision. The decisions Eva make that follow lead her to make a good friend but also unto more violence and abuse. When she takes a bag of money from drug lords her life changes once more and leads up to an explosive end.


As you can guess I really enjoyed this book. I liked that Eva kept having both good and bad things happen - that is how life is. Some parts were a bit unbelievable but I was fine with that. I was reading a fictional book. If I wanted everything to be believable I would have chosen non-fiction. I thought the characters were well developed and I could easily follow how Eva reasoned things out. I was able to make the connections on how experiences in her life affected how she thought and felt. Some of her actions were not the most honorable but they were human responses. The romance, I thought, was both sad and happy but, most of all, her love for Rafael was beautiful. The authors, a husband and wife team, wrapped things up nicely.  I would give this book 4 stars and recommend it if you are looking for a fast read thriller. 


Jarred Into Being by Pat Lawrence can be purchased in both paperback and hardback copies as well as E Book. It is available at OUTSKIRTS PRESS.
An audio sample is also available free at the above link.


A couple of questions with the authors, husband and wife, Pat and Lawrence. 


What would you say your book is about?


After the tragic death of her parents, Eva Lange must battle for her freedom; indeed, her very life. Fleeing her aunt's abuser, she falls prey to a murderous drug lord and his wife in their luxurious lair of lust. Using her wits, beauty and sexuality to save herself and break the bonds of captivity and degradation, Eva struggles against corruption and powerful political forces to reclaim her independence and save the life of the man she loves.


Why did you decide to write it?


We wanted to write the type of novel that we ourselves enjoy reading: a taut, suspense-filled roller coaster of a read that keeps you turning pages until you reach The End.


Congratulations. You succeeded with that goal. What types of readers  do you imagine will be interested in your book?


Anyone who enjoys fast paced, exciting fiction with a strong protagonist and convincing  fully drawn supporting characters will enjoy this book.


I liked that you made Tina real for me. Since she was only two and not a major part of the book, many authors would have chosen to just let her be without a real personality. You chose to give her life and it made Eva's decision all the more heartbreaking to read. 
So tell us please, why should we choose your book over others in this genre? What do you believe makes it different?


Our main character's physical beauty is both a curse to her and her ultimate salvation. Eva is preyed upon because of her desirability, and she learns to use that same attribute unapologetically to free herself and assert her total independence.


What else have you written? Are you writing anything now?


We have previously penned Murder Mysteries and a two act comedy play, SQUIRRELS IN THE ATTIC. We do have plans to publish more novels;  in fact,  our second novel is already underway.

Thank you for answering a few questions for us. The authors webpage is the link to OUTSKIRTSPRESS.COM

Please leave your comments below. 

Theme Thursdays is a fun weekly event that will be open from one Thursday to the next. It is hosted by Readingbetweenpages Anyone can participate in it. The rules are simple:

• A theme will be posted each week (on Thursday’s)
• Select a conversation/snippet/sentence from the current book you are reading
• Mention the author and the title of the book along with your post
• It is important that the theme is conveyed in the sentence (you don’t necessarily need to have the word)
  

This week's theme is FEELINGS

My snippet is from Jarred Into Being,  found on page 6:

The unthinkable nightmare of that morning was merciless to Eva. She repeatedly pictured her parents smiling, laughing, hugging her, joking with one another, and her eyes spontaneously welled up with tears that blurred her vision and streamed down her face when she curled up in the corner of her room, hugging her knees to her chin.

 

Enter the GHOST ON BLACK MOUNTAIN GIVEAWAY Here

Waiting on Wednesday and WWW

P.O. Box Love by Paola Calvetti

January 2012

I came across this book and was intrigued. I googled the author to get to her website. It is in French and is located here http://www.librairierevesetsortileges.fr/ . I clicked on her books and they sounds like awesome romances. I really want this one!

Nice Girls Don't Bite Their Neighbors by Molly Harper

March 2012

I love Molly Harper! She is the queen of snark. This is the fourth in the Jane Jameson series. If you haven't tried her yet type fast over to B&N or Amazon, RUN to the nearest bookstore, call the library, whatever it takes, do it. You will not regret it. She is so funny.I first came across her from a book recommendation from my friend Robin Goodfellow, for How To Flirt With A Naked Werewolf, (set in Alaska). When I finished that I immediately purchased The Art of Seducing A Naked Werewolf. Her other books are And One Last Thing..., and of course, the Jane Jameson series starting with Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs, followed by Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men and Nice Girls Don't Live Forever. If you haven't read her and you are looking for some fun pick her up, (WARNING *These books may cause you to laugh so hard you tinkle*).

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading? 
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

Just Finished Reading:

  

I had a really bad week due to an out of control migraine that refused to leave me alone. So I am still working on everything from last Wednesday. :( 

Currently Reading: 

         

What's Next:

      

Reviews are coming for Jarred Into Being, Pirates of Savannah and The Caretakers. 

What are you waiting on? What are your three W's? Leave a comment and let me know. :D

Enter giveaway of Ghost on Black Mountain here

What's Cooking? & Teaser Tuesday

Cucina Provera by Pamela Sheldon Johns 
Hardcover 192 pages
Andrews McMeel Publishing
Expected Release today, September 13, 2011

Cucina Provera Tuscan Peasant Cooking by Pamela Sheldon Johns, with photographs by  Andrea  Wyner and published by Andrew McMeel Publishing LLC, is a new Italian recipe book releasing today. This is a beautiful book that is more than a cook book. This is a book you, (and your guests), will thumb through just for the beauty of it.  In my home, I suspect, you will find this book on the coffee table as often as in the kitchen. The stories from the people who lived in the regions during World War II were fascinating. The rebuilding and reeducation were inspiring. The amazing photographs give one a glimpse of Tuscan and mouthwatering views of the food. The recipes are ones that I found easy to make. The Ricotta Cake is super easy and amazing to serve to guest with coffee. The Acquacotta is now a simple but favorite soup in our home. We also love Uova ai Piselli alla Marelia, (Marelia’s Peas and Eggs).  This lovely “cookbook” is perfect for gift giving and is one you will want in your home as well.  A solid 5 star book!

Just Tacos by Shelley Wiseman
Paperback 176 Pages
Taunton Press Incorporated
Expected release date October 18, 2011



Just Tacos by Shelley Wiseman is now my favorite Mexican style cook book. The pictures are mouthwatering.  I love the many different recipes, going past juat tacos. I tried making a variety of things from Atole to homemade tortillas and salsa. Recipe directions were clear and easy to follow. Ms Wiseman included descriptions of equipment needed and lessor known ingredients. She gave tips that are usually ,from my personal experience, handed down through the family. If I were allowed only one Mexican style cook book on my shelf at home, this would be the one you would find there. I love this cook book!


Sugar, Sugar: Every Recipe Has A Story by Kimberly "Momma" Reiner & Jenna Sanz-Agero
Hardcover 312 Pages
Andrews McMeel publishing
Expected release date October 25, 2011

This cookbook is a family dessert lover’s dream. The recipes are delicious. They are easy to read and follow. There are tips and secrets galore. There is a place to write your own notes and secrets. The pictures make your mouth water.  The stories included make you feel a part of the fun. Most of the recipes and stories brought back fond memories of times gone by for me. This cookbook is a treasure. One you will write in and hand down. Then your son or daughter will write in it and hand it down. You may find yourself telling the story while serving the dessert. And that will result in everyone sharing their stories of the first time they had that particular dessert. For the recipes are not new ones. They are well loved ones. 


All three of these cook books will be in my home, where they will be well used. Please leave me your comments as I love hearing from you!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB ofShould 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!

My spoilers come to day from a book I received Saturday. It is a taut, fast paced suspense thriller. My review will be on Thursday.

Jarred Into Being by Pat Lawrence

Outskirts Press, Inc.

Page 40

"I want you to hold this money tight in your hand," Eva continued, pressing the two one dollar bills into Tina's tiny hand. "I want you to sit here and wait like a good girl, okay?"

Page 69

The wedding took place exactly one month and one day after Maria was buried. Juan never knew if Carmella had personally slit Maria's throat or whether she had ordered it done. 

Enter here for THE GHOST ON BLACK MOUNTAIN Giveaway

Don't forget to leave a comment. I love hearing from you!

Ghost on Black Mountain Release & Giveaway

Releasing Today!

GHOST ON BLACK MOUNTAIN by ANN HITE

This book is one of my favorite reads this year! This haunting story will stay with you long after you finish the book. From the start you are drawn in and held spellbound until you reach the satisfying end. An ending that, strangely, leaves you feeling good about how the story ends yet, at the same time, leaves you wanting more. Buy your copy today and prepare to be held captive by The Ghost On Black Mountain.

Ann Hite will be having several book signings this month and October. Many of the signings are in Georgia along with stops in North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi and Tennessee. Please see her website for more information. If you live near any of the areas I hope you will stop and see her. I know she will be very happy to meet everyone.  Recently she wrote about the fictional community of Black Mountain on Caroline Leavitt's blog. 

CarolineLeavittville

ANN HITE WEBSITE

In celebration of the release of Ghost on Black Mountain by Ann Hite I will be giving  2 copies away. Sorry but this giveaway is only open to US residents. Winner will need to respond within 24 hours so be sure to use an email address you frequently check. You will need to provide a complete valid US address, via email, if selected as winner. Please be advised the blog host is not responsible for late, lost or misdirected mail.

Author Mark Rudolph talks about Facing the Son

Hi everyone. Sorry I have not been around much. I got knocked over by a migraine that has held on for 6 days. It is finally going away. I have asked author Mark Rudolph to speak with us today about how he came to write his book, Facing the Son, A Novel of Africa. 

Here is the synopsis from Good Reads:

American Matt Reiser travels to The Ivory Coast on a mission to locate his estranged son. His only guide is a three-year old postal address. Fighting cultural vertigo and disorientation at his arrival at the Abidjan airport, he relies on a glib and persistent limo driver who speaks just enough English to gain Matt's trust.

The next morning, Matt wakes up drugged, robbed, and dropped into a grim city slum. Without ID, without money, and with no idea where to turn, Matt forges unlikely alliances. Caught up in a local gang battle that takes him on a perilous journey out of the city and through the backcountry, he strives to stay neutral and continue his search for his son.

Loyalties form. He makes choices. Facing his son however proves to be his toughest challenge

Thanks Cristina for asking me to contribute to your blog. 

 

My first real job was working for a US multinational, based in Brussels, from where I was responsible for organizing the sales and delivery and maintenance of major truck fleets to West African countries.  This was in the early eighties when communication was by telex, when flights to Africa were infrequent, and when once you were there, you were largely on your own.  I would go for a month at a time to tour the West African countries where the State, AID, and United Nations organizations ran projects and kept offices.  These men, and they were all men, were my potential customers.  My competitors were the Soviets, the Chinese, the French, the British, the West Germans, and the Japanese.  All business was conducted in French, which slapped my textbook French into shape pretty fast.

 

Most the projects were meant to improve the lives of people living in near-Biblical conditions: improving access to water, building roads and bridges, establishing self-sustaining businesses, and improving agriculture.  Some projects were major buildings that provided jobs for the period of construction and afterward were intended to be a source of continuing employment, such as churches, stadiums, museums, administrative buildings, and other municipal structures.  Some projects were just excuses for politicians to get rich

 

Graft and corruption were rampant.  How much of the money lined the pockets of corrupt politicians and middlemen is hard to say, but it was obvious to me as a young executive that by complying with the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which all my colleagues and I signed, we were at a significant competitive disadvantage.  We agreed not to provide payment to any middlemen not directly related to a project.  Our competitors labored under no such restrictions.  

 

Corruption however didn't stop the many people who spent significant portions of their lives in these countries striving to contribute to the improvement of the environment, and the quality of life, at the grass roots level. 

 

I observed the contrast between the world of multinational head-to-head competition, and on-the-ground person-to-person education.  I had many conflicting thoughts at the time as I became acquainted with a full range of people involved in all apsects of foreign aid.  Nearly everyone did the best they could with the tools at their disposal.  But the deck is stacked against the indigenous people.  The poorest of the world's poor are still the poorest of the world's poor forty years later, despite the billions of aid money poured into the region.

 

I devised a story so I could explore again what it was like to straddle the developed and the developing world at a pre-9/11 time, prior to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, which in a geopolitical sense started the chain of events that brought us to today's dangerously polarized world.

 

Matt Reiser is a naive, untraveled American, who makes one huge simple mistake, which sends him on a journey that he is wholly unprepared for.  He needs to find his son and deliver a letter from his ill wife who desparately wants to reconnect with their son.  Matt's life until this trip has been orderly and predictable.  His son chose to strike out on his own for a different and more challenging life, joining the Peace Corps right out of college, and cutting off all contact with his parents for his own reasons.  

 

On the way to find his son, Matt discovers a West Africa outside the confines of the taxi-airport-hotel-embassy bubble which is where most tourists spend their time.  By the time he reaches his son, he's in a better position to understand him, and himself. 

 

My hope is the reader enjoys and respects the characters, and the countryside, as much as I did when I first traveled through the territory.  And will develop a deeper appreciation for the region and its ongoing challenges. 

 

Thanks for giving me this chance to connect with your followers, Cristina.  

Thank you Mark for sharing with us today. I will be reviewing Facing the Son, A Novel in Africa at a future date. 

MARK RUDOLPH'S GOOD READS PAGE

Information on purchasing Facing The Son, A Novel of Africa can be found at the following links:

FOR KINDLE

FOR NOOK

KOBO BOOKS

iTUNES