A Childhood Cancer Survivor Blogging about the World of Childhood Cancer

Posts tagged ‘Childhood Cancer Survivor’

Selling 10,000 Books at a Time

Does this post title grab the attention of my author friends?

I imagine your ears are perked as high as a German Shepherd ready to protect his family from danger. I received an email today from my friend, Matt, who wants to assist me in achieving exactly what my title states.  You can imagine that my ears perked up to their perkiest level and my brain started crackling with all that he wrote in his email. Don’t you love when someone shares their wealth of knowledge with you– just because they want to help others?

It seems that authors and publishers would hoard this information, fearing that helping others would result in even slightly higher sales of other author’s books. This just might send them to the poorhouse. But then… there are people like Matt. Without Matt, I would never have had a clue of how to go about getting my book published. And I never would have met Matt if I had not taken a spur-of-the-moment, hour and a half drive to Santa Barbara last February with my mom.

Sometimes the decisions we make, the teensy-weensy little decisions, end up making a huge difference in our lives– and even in the lives of others. More and more, I am learning that we need to reach out to life every chance we get. That “reach out to life” last February has to be one of the best decisions of my life!

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Grace is at the Printer!

Yesterday, Sheila “bulletproofed” the final files for Grace: A Child’s Intimate Journey Through Cancer and Recovery and Bryan sent the files off to the printer. Oh my gosh– I am so excited to see a final copy!

In January, we began speaking with Greenleaf Book Group about designing and distributing the second edition of my book, and on February 15, I turned in my manuscript. Four months later, Grace is now created and ready for her formation into final printed book form. I love Sheila’s cover design, and I cannot wait to see the features, like the silver foil that spells out Grace!

I love Sheila’s balloon design, and I really love the “Happy Quails!”

What I desire most of all is for my words to reach people’s hearts. I am very grateful to Sheila for her cover design that will make people smile. She has been amazing in helping me reach people before they even read one of my written words.

Thank you Sheila!

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Grace Final File Approval and Summertime!

WooooooooHooooooooo! What could be more exciting than summer beginning and Grace nearly ready to send to the printing press? After a few minor edits, Grace: A Child’s Intimate Journey Through Cancer and Recovery will be complete. Seriously????? Complete?????

Let’s see, today is Flag Day, June 14th. I began writing my book in February of 2009. After one year and four months, over 90,000 words, and countless hours of effort to put it all together, my second edition of Grace is fully formed, lovingly created, and so close to being ready to share that I can almost hear that printing press rattling.

Perhaps tomorrow I will declare the day, “Balloon Day,” tape a balloon to my head (ouchy on the hair,) dance a major happy-dance, and sing a made-up song about gleeful authors completing their labors of love. Yes, what a celebration it is to complete an enormous project! Since my project comes straight from the depths of my heart, I believe that a Paul Bunyan-size celebration is absolutely appropriate, and entirely necessary.

WoooooooooooHooooooooo!

Completion and Summertime… Life is precious. 

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The Children Authors Show

On June 14th and 15th, my interview will be available for listening on The Children Authors Show.

http://www.wnbnetworkwest.com/WnbAuthorsShowChildren.html

Guess what incredible, amazing, unbelievable day it was today?

The very last day of my sophomore year of high school!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Whoa, I don’t believe there are enough exclamation points stored in my computer to express my tremendous relief. It has been a long and grueling 10th grade year. The overachiever in me nearly did me in. The bright spots have been dance, of course, my AP World History class with Mr. Houchin and my AP Biology class with Ms. Toshach. I would love to take AP Biology next year again– yep, I’m a “Bio-Nerd!”

And then, another huge highlight of this past school year has been working on Grace and Grace: A Child’s Intimate Journey Through Cancer and Recovery. It never seems like work when I am doing things for Grace. Today, yes, today, I received the final PDF pages to approve so that Grace can take her trip to the printing press. I will be spending my first free weekend from homework proofreading.

Also, the Civic Ballet is having their final performance of this season on Sunday night. Dress rehearsals, proofreading, more rehearsals and more proofreading. Ahhhhhhhhhh… isn’t summer wonderful?

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Grace is Going to Paris!

Giggle Giggle. I will not name any names because I respect the privacy of these kind people, but I have to tell you that there will be two Advance Reader Copies of Grace: A Child’s Intimate Journey Through Cancer and Recovery on a plane to Paris this Friday. Gracie-poo in Paris! Now I really feel how writing a book is like birthing a child– I feel like I  am going to Paris because I am so excited for Grace to go!

What is even more wonderful than Grace in Paris is that I have found a friendship in corresponding with these people that delights me so much I feel I am glowing in the dark. You know what I am talking about– when people gush love and kindness, it feels like sunshine inside of me. Grace is going to Paris with “Sunshine!”

For more news that excites me, my sophomore year of high school will end in two days…

And…

Grace  showed up on Greenleaf’s website today:)

http://173.203.240.190/publication/grace/1331

One more thing that is most important of all. I know a teenager named Logan who will be having surgery tomorrow for throat cancer and I would love to have anyone and everyone who believes in prayer to offer one or two or three or… for Logan.

Thanks for your love, for your care, and for your prayers.

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Wendy Robards, The Tribune, and ARCs

Bunches of Advance Reader’s Copies of Grace: A Child’s Intimate Journey Through Cancer and Recovery were sent last week, and there are more ready to be mailed this week. I heard back from Wendy Robards, awesome book reviewer and even more awesome dog lover! (Do you know anyone else who loves dogs?!) She even shared a photo of Raven with me, and I think I sent her a photo of Rowan and I, or maybe Echo. Anyway, Wendy wrote a couple of posts about my book, and she will review it in September when Grace gets closer to “her” publication date.

Links to Wendy:

Sunday Salon post

Mailbox Monday post

This was my last full day of school for my sophomore year– I am ready to rest my brain a bit. It feels like some jiggly and weary jello up in the ol’  cabeza! Also, I am so excited to have more time to devote to sharing Grace.

Today I signed a print rider to order final copies of Grace: A Child’s Intimate Journey Through Cancer and Recovery. Any guesses on how many books are being printing for this first printing? Just after I signed, we received an email from our local paper, The Tribune. I am grateful for this opportunity to share. When we share those rough roads we have driven down with others, it always seems to help. That is what I really, really want to do. 

Rowan Giving me Therapy

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Children’s Miracle Network Telethon

Today and tomorrow, the Children’s Miracle Network Telethon is going to be broadcast nationwide. The hospital where I was treated, Cottage Hospital, is a Children’s Miracle Network hospital. You can imagine why this cause is so dear to my heart. Money donated to Children’s Miracle Network goes to your local Children’s Miracle Network hospital. I am extremely grateful for the care I received and that Cottage Hospital has the staff, the equipment, and the facilities to give their patients the best health care possible.

You may not think that $5 or $10 is much of a donation, but imagine 500 people giving $10! It will add up and every single donation makes a difference.

If you live in the Santa Barbara area, my Children’s Miracle Network vignette will play tonight between 9:30 and 9:46 and tomorrow between 3:46 and 4:00 on KEYT Channel 3. Thank you for considering supporting your local Children’s Miracle Network hospital!

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Just Turned 16–Life is Great!

Not a day arrives that I don’t wake up (thankfully!) and feel gratitude for breathing, opening my eyes, and being able to get out of bed. This past weekend, I was especially spilling over with thanks. You know how the simplest, most pure things in life bring the most joy?

My 16th birthday was last Saturday. For the very first time since last August, I did not lift a finger to do homework… not even a pinky! The weather was something out of a Weather Perfection Catalog and I basked in the warmth of the weather and the love around me. My entire family went for a morning walk around the bike path and Gramma and Poppy joined us poolside in the early afternoon for a BBQ feast of steak, crab, and scallops. Mom baked a Lemon Chiffon Cake and served it with ice cream, whip cream and fresh blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries. Yes, she knows what I like!

Yum! Anyone hungry?

In the early evening, we went to the Shell Beach tidepools. I love living near the beach and it never gets old to watch the sun set with the waves crashing nearby. Spiritual renewal is touchable at times like this.

My brothers, Nicholas and Dean, gave me a present of Dueling Floaties with squirt guns mounted on them for fun summer pool games ahead. I already tried one out yesterday– squirting my dad while he tried to relax in the sun. I think those babies are going to be lots of fun!

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ARCs of Grace Have Arrived!

Last Friday, I was feeding Brownie, my neighbor’s dog.  It was late in the day, after school and dance.  I had already fed Brownie his two scoops of food and given him his pill-in-a-treat. He had finished eating, and I had already talked sweet “doggie talk” to him so he wouldn’t be so lonely for his people.  Brownie has trouble with his back legs, so he lies down when he eats. Each time I took care of him, I would rotate the bowl to make it easier for him, and when he was finished I would brush him. I miss him.

Anyway, I was finishing up with Brownie when I heard the familiar sound of the UPS truck rounding the corner onto our street.  Since Brownie lives quite a distance from our house, Mom and I raced down Brownie’s driveway so we could look down the street to see if the UPS truck would stop at our house (we knew that ARCs would arrive any day.) 

The Brown Truck drove past our house and pulled into the circular driveway just past ours. 

Mom joked that the Brown Truck would come back to our house after turning around in that cicular driveway.

She was right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Brown UPS Truck pulled up in front of our house and a man climbed out with a dolly and rolled three big boxes of Gracie Goodness to our front door… translated:

ARCs of Grace: A Child’s Intimate Journey Through Cancer and Recovery are here, and I am so happy to share!

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Launch Notes Radio, Craig Pollard, and Cancer for College

I loved meeting Khrys Vaughan of Launch Notes Radio this morning!  What a lovely lady, and what a wonderful thing she is doing by encouraging women starting new businesses.  

Have you heard about Craig Pollard? He has been in the news because he began an organization called Cancer for College. He is a cancer survivor who decided he is going to make a difference in the world, and I have to tell you that everything he is doing for cancer survivors makes me so grateful for him.  Whenever someone does something for cancer survivors, I feel like they are doing it for me.  Thank you, Craig, for helping cancer survivors accomplish their dreams.  And please thank your USC roommate, buddy, and cancer survivor supporter, Mr. Will Ferrell.  You both inspire me to do all I can to help others.

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