Blog-a-thon Day 3

People  ask me where I got my inspiration to begin writing  books.  I often share how day to day life with Kyle inspired many of my stories. I guess that's somewhat self evident given the types of stories in both books. Going back further than that, my friend and coauthor, Kathy Almeida inspired me to find my writing voice long before the first book was a twinkle in our eyes.

Another souce of inspiration has been my sister-in-law, Sylvia Nobel. She writes Arizona mystery novels and has written six books. She's a dynamo when it comes to talking to people and convincing them they must read her books. For a few years, I worked events with her and marvelled at her selling savvy.  Sylvia's books are light reading and just plain fun. Often parents, myself included, can fall into the trap of only reading about autism or ways to help themselves. We forget how gratifying it is to get lost in a fiction book simply for the sheer joy of it. Sometimes this is because we don't get a lot of "me" time to read. But it's also because we become distracted by our children and all the challenges we face. It's easy to let the "just for fun" stuff slip out of our lives.

Lately, I have gotten into reading more fiction again. It has been very enjoyable. I love the feeling of not being able to put a book down. A page turner is a perfect vehicle for transporting oneself into the present moment. I'm pretty sure this is another "oxygen-rich tool for loving and living well with autism".... particularly if the book has nothing to do with autism.

Sylvia's books are definite page turners.  Her first book in the Kendall Odell series, Deadly Sanctuary, comes to life in this short book trailer . I invite you to check it out.