Book Blog Tour: Day 5

Today I am excited to have Katie from tissue tales (formerly connective tissue disorders) hosting Allergic to Life and I on Day 5 of our first ever book blog tour.  Katie and I connected about seven months ago when she began following my blog.  I read the name of her blog post and was baffled.  I had no idea what connective tissue disorder was so I immediately went to her blog to learn more.  I discovered that Katie is a young woman who is dealing with a painful disorder.  She describes connective tissue disorder as:

Connective tissue is the most diverse of the body’s four tissue types. If I were to describe it to you in a “nutshell” it would look something like this: connective tissue is the glue of the body. It holds everything together both inside and out (organs, joints, arteries, everything). As you can imagine, it does a very important job and is found and needed in virtually every fraction of the body.

I began following Katie immediately to learn more about she manages her life with such a disorder.  I soon learned that she is also a very talented artist from the drawings she shares on her site.  Check out her poetry and art section.

I have written a guest blog post for today’s tour stop.  During my battles I began to lose my identity, my sense of self, and depression wanted to be my best friend. Today I have included an excerpt from my book about what life felt like to me.

Book Blog Tour – Day 2

Today is the second day of Allergic to Life’s Book Blog Tour.  I am excited to be featured as a guest blogger for  Jen Owenby of Jen’s Thoughts.  Jen is a fellow writer and shares information on writing and her own journey through writing on her blog.  I first discovered Jen when she began following my blog a year ago and soon discovered that she was a writer.  I have been inspired to keep pushing forward after reading her well-written posts.  Jen once posted a list of quotes that I have saved on my computer and have referred to when I think I cannot go on.  Two quotes are:

“Believe in yourself and in your own voice, because there will be
times in this business when you will be the only one who does. Take
heart from the knowledge that an author with a strong voice will
often have trouble at the start of his or her career because strong,
distinctive voices sometimes make editors nervous. But in the end,
only the strong survive.”

– Jayne Ann Krentz

“It’s never too late to be what you might have been.”

– George Eliot

An excerpt from my book will be shared today.  As I finished writing my book I felt it was important to ask my daughters to write a short piece on how my illness and extended periods away from home affected them.  Excerpts from their writing will also be featured in this post. Jen will be featuring a link to my Rafflecopter Giveaway.

Book Blog Tour Stop: Day 1

After years of writing and crying over my story, I was so excited that all my work finally came to fruition.  My  book, Allergic to Life:  My Battle for Survival, Courage, and Hope, and I  are beginning our Book Blog Tour.

Today I am being featured by Sonda of sondasmcschatter as a guest blogger where I will share an excerpt from my book and a little of my story.  Sonda has been following my blog for almost as long as I have been blogging.  I immediately began following Sonda as well.  We both share a sensitivity to chemicals that makes life so very difficult.

Sonda shares information from her own experience as well as information that she has learned from her extensive reading of other blogs and articles on MCS and health.

Despite living with chemical sensitivity for many years, she always displays a little humor and shares of bit of the wonderful part of Missouri where she lives.

Be sure to enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway on Sonda’s blog for a chance to win one of three signed books (US Only) or an Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card to purchase a book for those outside the US.  Sonda was the winner of my first Rafflecopter Giveaway and won a handmade apron from me.  You may also enter Rafflecopterhere

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e15d873/“

Sonda wearing my apron.

My Book Is Making The Rounds!

This past Friday, a fellow high school classmate hosted some of us for an outdoor dinner in his back yard.  My husband and I attended and I took George a signed copy of my book.  My book was totally written by me but I have had help along the way in the photos for the covers, the cover design, the editing, and in the photos that you will see inside the book.

I was told by the publisher that the photos would have to be black and white.  I could submit them in color with my text and they would convert them to black and white.  George took a look at my photos that I had pasted into a word file and then added text boxes (the extent of my know how when it comes to photos and publishing).  He immediately said he could make them look better.  And he did.  They don’t look like the scrap book version that I created but now look professional thanks to him.  This is George and I with his copy of the book.

George and I

The photo was taken just outside his patio and he turned it into this amazing photo.  This photo reminds me of something you see on the red carpet.  If I had known my photo was getting this treatment, I would have worn my evening gown.

I have asked all my doctors to send me photos of themselves with my book.  I want to make a collage frame of photos of everyone involved in making this dream come true.

My Website Has a Link

Hooray!  My website now has links to purchase the books from either Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or to purchase signed copies (US Only) through PayPal.

My Slush Heap Interview

Hooray!  Today we finally connected and I had my Google On Air Hangout Interview through Slush Heap.  You may remember me talking about it earlier in the year.  There was some technical glitch and my portion never recorded.  Today we did my interview again and it recorded.

You can watch me here:

Book Blog Tour Starts Soon

WOW – Only six more days until my Book Blog Tour begins.  I am very excited to be hosted by twelve wonderful bloggers, some of which are ill with chemical sensitivity like me, others have different invisible illnesses, and some are fellow authors and writers.  As I was working on my introduction posts for the tour stops I realized that I had left Rachel off my list.  This has been corrected.  Sorry Rachel.

My wonderful eleven bloggers are:

Amanda from celiac and allergy adventures

Amy from an allergic foodie

Christine from bored sick

Cynthia from black lilac kitty

Jen from jen owenby

Katie from connective tissue disorder

Lindsay from dysautonmiac

MCS Gal from sensitive to chemicals

Molly from based on a sprue story

Nonnie from nonnie writes

Rachel from do I look sick

Sonda from sondasmcschatter

All of these women write beautifully and I am grateful that they are willing to allow me and Allergic to Life to be featured on their blog.  I will posting links to their websites and the dates I will be featured on their blog on Monday with a follow-up featuring each of them the day the tour stops at their blog.  There will be a rafflecopter giveaway of three signed books starting the day the tour begins and ending a few days after the last blog tour stop.  I hope you will take the time to not only visit each of these blogs along the tour but to also follow them as well.

It’s Party Time!

Well almost.  I just mailed out the invitations to the book launch party. I worked all evening yesterday addressing envelopes, stuffing envelopes, sealing envelopes and stamping them.  My husband took them to the post office this morning.  This afternoon I received a call from our friend whose back yard I am using for the party. I made a mistake on the address.  I have mentioned many times that I type as if I am dyslexic.  Well the address is 1012 and I put 1021.  I was panicked.  He said not to worry.  He would put a sign in the front yard and the next address jumps go 1040 or something like that.  UGH!

On the bright side,  I have been receiving some great donations from companies whose products I use.  I started soliciting samples to use in gift baskets for my party.  These companies have been amazingly generous with me.  Some of the products are sample sizes and some are full size products.  The companies are 7th Generation, One with Nature, Magick Botanicals, and the makers of Egyptian Magic.  As soon as I can get out from under all that I am trying to do, I will post pictures of what I have received.

Don’t forget the giveaway of 3 signed books (US only) on Goodreads.  If you haven’t already entered please hope on over and enter.

Allergic to Life’s book blog tour starts in a little over a week where 3 more signed copies will be given away through rafflecopter.  Of course he want an e-book they are available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble.  I hope to have the link up very soon to purchase signed copies through my website as well.

Goodreads Giveaway

I told you that I would be giving three additional signed copies (US Only) on Goodreads.  I am excited to tell you that the giveaway starts today, September 19th and runs through Saturday, October 19th.  Please use this link to take you to the Goodreads site where you can register for the giveaway.

I wish you all the best of luck in the giveaway.

Look who has my book!

I have talked many times here and throughout my book about my wonderful ENT.  Dr. Spitzer came into my life in 1999 when nothing was working to help

Dr. Spitzer holding is signed copy of Allergic to Life.

with my constant sinus infection and pain.  He has seen me through many ups and downs (a lot of downs).  He has taken on workers’ compensation and he has worked outside the box with many of my holistic practitioners.  When I could find no one to give me my IV’s, he stepped up and offered (he gave me one this morning in fact).

When Dr. Spitzer announced several years ago that he was moving into a new office I told him that I may not

Dr. Spitzer taking a look inside.

be able to go there because of the paints.  He immediately asked me what paint I had used in my house and ordered the same kind of paint for his office.  You just don’t find that kind of doctor any where.  I don’t believe it was coincidence that I was sent to Dr. Spitzer 14 years ago.  I needed to be with this insightful and wonderful man.

Dr. Spitzer received his signed copy of Allergic to Life:  My Battle for Survival, Courage, and Hope today.

Photos posted with his permission.