Blog Archives
Their ADHD Doesn’t Have To Limit Them
Andrew’s Awesome Adventures with His ADHD Brain provides insights into ADHD behaviors and provides pragmatic strategies for children with the inattentive subtype of ADHD. Why was this an important book for you to write?
My son does not fit the stereotypical profile of a boy with ADHD since he is not hyperactive and impulsive. Inattentive-type ADHD is under- and misdiagnosed in boys due to the absence of hyperactive behaviors; these children are often labelled as lazy or apathetic. The current literature is lacking in resources for children, parents and teachers on boys diagnosed with the inattentive subtype of ADHD.
What is a common misconception you feel people have about children with ADHD?
That they are all hyperactive and impulsive; that they are not smart because they cannot keep up with school assignments, or get failing grades; that their behavior is deliberate and they can just change it, if they put in the effort.
What is one piece of advice you would give to someone who is struggling with ADHD?
Realize what your special talents are and strengthen those. Kids and adults with ADHD are creative, great problem-solvers, and fearless.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your book?
To realize that their ADHD doesn’t have to limit them, but instead they can have limitless possibilities.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website
How do you survive life and middle school with an ADHD elephant in your brain? Kids with ADHD will relate to Andrew’s reactions to everyday and school-related situations, like remembering to turn in homework, staying organized, and making friends. Using practical strategies Andrew learns to manage his ADHD even when his brain sometimes feels “like and overstuffed garbage can, the lid won’t stay on and garbage is falling out all over the floor”. He even realizes there is a positive side to having ADHD like creativity, fearlessness and hyperfocus.
Dr. Wilcox’s unique perspective as both a mother and a researcher allow her to discuss, parent to parent, the science behind ADHD from someone living in the trenches, learning to work with Andrew’s ADHD brain. Kristin discusses the significance of various aspects of ADHD and the theory and practices of the education and medical professions related to them, distinguishing inattentive-type ADHD from other subtypes. Two helpful appendices include a means for parents to “diagnose” the inattentive subtype of ADHD and a list of resources for parents and children with ADHD.
This book provides unique insights into ADHD behaviors and suggests highly pragmatic and successfully implemented strategies for children with the inattentive subtype of ADHD and their parents (with implications for educators and others who work with children with ADHD). A must read for kids with ADHD and their parents!
Stand Tall, Stand Strong, and LIVE!
Serenity follows an embattled prisoner of war who is haunted by a hidden magical past. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
The story has been with me since I was a young teenager. Many characters have a base from some beloved kids show characters that I developed backstories to back in the 90’s. Slowly, over the last 20 or so years, they blossomed into their own unique characters. What started as a simple story soon evolved into something more complex. Mental illness came into play, and the project took on a whole new meaning to me personally. I no longer wanted to just share my world and story but my message. That we can all rise above our mental illness. That we can all be happy no matter what. That we call all Stand tall, Stand Strong, and LIVE!
Kain Raingel is an intriguing character that I loved following. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
At its core, I wanted to show that no matter what you live through, you can always find a way to be happy and to find peace. Kain has lived through some horrific times at such a young age. All he wants is to be left alone but in the end, he finds something more to hold on to. I also wanted to share that you don’t have to be alone in your internal struggles. Having a support team can be beneficial to the healing process. Seeking help isn’t weakness but strength and we shouldn’t shame ourselves or accepting help and support.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
When mental illness became a major role I pulled from my own personal experiences to truly show what it is like to live with a mental illness. I also heavily researched what I didn’t know so I could portray it correctly. Living and battling mental illness can be a silent battle that no one would know about unless they know and understand the signs or live with it themselves. Many of those with mental illness battle in silence in fear of not being understood or looked down upon. One important theme in this book is that mental illness is real and it can be debilitating. Kain is a seasoned warrior but feels helpless at times because of his PTSD and anxiety.
What can readers expect in the next book in The Blood Moon Prince series?
The story will continue from where Serenity left off. The relationship between the main character and their love interest goes through some growing pains as everyone adjusts to what happens at the end of Serenity. Readers will begin to dive a bit deeper into the hidden magical past of Kain and of course a new foe arises. Readers can expect more magic, more suspense, and of course more action.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
Through newfound love, Kain begins to heal and learns how to live again. When his new companions are taken hostage, he must find the strength within himself to face the man who tortured him, risk losing his memory, or allow everyone to die. Serenity (The Blood Moon Prince) strives to bring light to mental illness and shows that through love and support, anyone can overcome anything. It strives to show that even though one may feel broken inside, they are worth something and deserve to find happiness. The awareness of mental illness in today’s youth has become more apparent. Today’s youth struggle with socialization, mental illness, and accepting themselves. Serenity (The Blood Moon Prince) brings relatable topics in a fantasy setting with a new world, fun characters, and magic.
That Playful Little Ghost
The Ghost of the Torn Underpants follows a ghost that is given a unique name and is teased for it, he learns to accept his different name with the help of a new friend. What was the inspiration for your story?
The inspiration was really my children. I used to try to spook them by going into their room with a sheet covering me, waving my arms and yelling that I was The Ghost of the Torn Underpants. Of course they would always burst out laughing. At a certain point, young children accompanying their older siblings to signings of my THE ADVENTURER’S series asked me to write something for them too, and so I indulged them. I reminisced in that game I used to play with my children and one summer I decided to write the story of that playful little Ghost who was marginalized by others due to his crazy name, and was deeply saddened by this. And it has been a great success!
The art in this book is fantastic. What was the art collaboration process like with illustrator Pedro Pires?
After writing this book I searched for an illustrator whose work I admired a lot, Pedro Pires. In this case I sent him the book and left it to his creativity. I had no idea what would come out of his hands. When we hear about ghosts, we always have this common image in our minds, but the illustrator’s vision was very original and innovative, with a ghost with red hair so long that it even wrapped around the lamps. I was surprised by the final product, but I enjoyed the uniqueness. And it was a good choice indeed, because kids love him and they really like his different and strange look.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The main theme is the acceptance of difference and diversity. This book has a pedagogic component to it. I wanted to demonstrate to all children, through a fun way, that we are all different, but at the same time, all the same. We all have hearts and feelings that must be respected and we must not treat differently those who are different from us. This way, children learn to accept and respect difference with ease. During the course of this story, we also discover the value of friendship.
This is a Portuguese children’s literature bestseller, with successive editions, very dear to children of all ages, as well as Educators, Parents and Teachers.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I am currently writing my next historical novel, in Portuguese, which always takes longer as it requires very deep and comprehensive research. Later this year, Underline Publishing will release “The Enchanted Forest”, as well as “The Forgotten Treasure”, the second volume of The Port of the Grail trilogy, in succession of The Quest for the Lost Map. There will also be a new adventure: “The Adventurers in Underground River”.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website
Grief Is Unique
Sixteen Days is an emotional memoir and enlightening handbook on grief. Why was this an important book for you to write?
It was important to write the book as so many people said to me, and to my family “I don’t know what to say” when my niece, Mary-Lou died. And I’d been in a similar position too, when attempting to support friends and colleagues who’d experienced bereavements. Whilst grief is unique, there are some things which, in my view, are probably helpful to many people. I wanted to share these to help other people feel more confident to know what to say, when someone dies.
What is one thing many people struggle with while grieving and what advice would you give them?
One thing is the weight of other people’s expectations. This is something I think many find hard. There can be expectations that the grieving person might behave in a certain way, and their journey of recovery, in the sense of feeling better, will be linear and will get better over time. I’d advise grieving people to be aware that despite what other people might think, say or do, it’s OK to feel the way you do. Go at your own pace, listen to yourself, work out what helps you to feel a bit better than you do right now – and do more of that.
What is one thing someone can do to support someone else that is grieving. And what is one thing they should not do?
If you’re trying to support grieving people, the best advice I can offer is to be there. You don’t have to fix the grieving person – despite how much you’d like to – be there to listen, to empathise, to agree that it’s utterly awful that their loved one has died and listen and watch for their cues on how you can help them. There’s no universal truth on the right or wrong things to do – but one I’d say is quite surely something to avoid is making assumptions about how the person is thinking or feeling. Whilst tempting, it’s thought to be unhelpful to suggest you “know how they feel” – even if you’ve experienced the same bereavement, all relationships are unique so the grief will be, too.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your book?
I hope readers take away some really practical things that anyone can do in the very early days following a death and, as such, they will feel more comfortable speaking to grievers. Many readers have said they’ll refer back to the book and that’s great to think I’ve created a resource that people might want to return to.
Author Interview: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
She’s 22.
Everyone wants to help. Few know what to say and do.
Sad, funny, honest accounts. All true.
How we were supported, what worked for us, and what experts say.
Read Sixteen Days by Certified Grief Recovery Specialist, Victoria Wilson-Crane, Ph.D. Be confident supporting others in shock and grief.
A Book That Anyone Could Use
The Stress Book teaches people how to mitigate stress levels before they become overwhelming, and when it does how to recover. Why was this an important book for you to write?
At about the start of 2020, the coronavirus pandemic was gradually taking over our lives. At that time, I was doing videos for my YouTube channel about how best to deal with the virus. One of those videos was about stress. It generated a lot of interest and comments and what I called or considered a desire of many people wanting more information about stress. So I decided to write a book that helps people deal with stress in difficult times. As I got further into writing this book, I decided as an author to follow the leads presented to me during the writing process. My focus then became not so much to write a book for the pandemic but rather a book that anyone could use regardless of the time of their life or whatever they are going through.
It was vital for me to write a book that was comprehensive, practical, easy to read and understand where the readers would be able to benefit from whatever information I provided to them. So, although the topic of stress can be very complex and very detailed, I try to present the information in a conversational form that makes it relevant and straightforward for the average person to understand.
Part of my life’s journey is to do whatever I can, however small, to help other people’s lives better. That’s what I want to do, and I hope that this book will help.
What is a common misconception you feel people have about stress?
Most people, when they consider stress see it as something or a condition that you get out of when things start going wrong or when you are unable to cope effectively with life challenges. Now, that may be true in part. In fact, forming the basis of most stress management plans and protocols, where ideas or concepts are often centered around how we manage the stress we are experiencing in our lives.
The greatest challenge for most people is understanding that the vast majority of stress we face has to deal with life issues. Therefore, the prevention and anticipation of what are some of the likely causes or the triggers or factors that lead to stressful situations are often more important than how we manage stress. The critical point here is that the emphasis should be on how do we prevent stress, how do we create a life where we can anticipate, and make life decisions that allow us to live in an environment where there is less stress because we are taking the right and appropriate step to prevent things from getting out of hand or becoming stressful. If you can prevent or reduce stressful situations before they are manifested, we are much farther along having a less stressful life than trying to find solutions to manage those conditions before they develop.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your book?
The main thing is that we have control over the vast majority of things that happen in our lives. Unfortunately, a significant number of people believe that they are powerless and have no control or very limited control over the things that happen to them. We have the power to impact our lives more than anyone else can. If we understand and accept that, we can prevent or reduce many stressful events that may happen to us without that acceptance. If we all understand how much power we have individually and collectively, we can accomplish so much, not only with respect to stress in our lives but often some of the other challenges that we face as an individual, family, or a country.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
The Stress Book 40+ Ways to Manage Stress & Enjoy Your Life is a book filled with practical and useful actions. It is not a book you just read and put away and never get to again. Many books are like that; when you read them, you enjoy them, you say it’s really a good read, but then you never, in most instances, go back to them.
This book is filled with ideas. One of the things that I will do is to create a workbook that people will be able to utilize along with this book and be able to apply some of the practical things that it contains, a guidebook if you will, that is more practically driven.
The second thing I will do is write a book about a new relationship-mental-disorder that I introduced in The Stress Book. This disorder is called Abstract Kidnapping Disorder – AKD. I believe this will be helpful to many in creating better relationships and hopefully reducing toxic ones. As an author, there are always so many amazing and unique thoughts that go through the mind as we try to bring the creative energy that we all experience to reality.
I hope to release the guidebook later this year and the book about ADK in the fall of 2023.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
This best-selling multiple award-winning book takes a comprehensive approach to stress management & prevention and how modifying our lifestyles and taking practical steps can significantly reduce the stress level we are experiencing.
More than forty approaches to stress reduction, management, and prevention are covered in this book, giving you practical guidance applicable to most lives’ issues and circumstances. This book will help people struggling with challenging situations. For example, those who work in stressful jobs are involved in difficult personal or toxic relationships and many others. More importantly, it helps people from getting involved in these and other difficult situations and therefore prevents or reduces stress before it is manifested.
New Concepts: This book also provides you with many opportunities to simplify the management and prevention of stress by using a new acronym: S.T.R.E.S.S, which allows incorporating any of the forty-plus actions. You are also provided with practical ideas, solutions, and options that, when used, are likely to result in the reduction or prevention of stress.
You will also be introduced to a “new relationships (particularly toxic ones) mental disorder called Abstract Kidnapping Disorder – A.K.D.” This is associated with the termination of relationships.
This book is intended to significantly improve people’s lives at any level of society who may be experiencing stress in their personal, business, or professional lives. I trust that it will make a difference in yours. Thank you for taking the journey to improve stress in your life and reading this book
The Last Of My Books
Heroes To The Public Villains To The Law is the final book in your trilogy. Was there anything that developed organically while writing this series that surprised you?
While writing this final book, I wasn’t all too sure how it would go and end. As I wrote it, many new creative ideas came to mind. It took much focusing and thinking just to write it. As I wrote each chapter, it would take me vividly into my imagination as if it were all taking place. I enjoyed writing down each mind scenario that I kept coming up with, then erasing and restarting it again just to get it right. It took much of my time, imagination, and patience just to make a point and get the final messages out to a public that still may not understand the why. I was rather surprised by the way it all played out towards the end.
Were you able to cover everything you wanted to in this series?
Yes, I pretty much covered everything that I wanted to discuss through the written series.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your trilogy?
I hope they first and foremost understand why I wrote the series which was to bring light on the matter of child abuse, pedophiles, rapist, and racism issues. To understand that each one of us can make a difference in these issues by advocacy. To help stop the abuse of children whether that be by a parent, caretaker, or foster. Insist in harsher punishments for both sexual rapists and pedophiles. To help change the weak laws that are currently set in place for racism into better ones.
Are you planning to write more books featuring the characters from this series or are you working on something different?
At the time being, I will not be writing any more books now or in the future. My trilogy series was the last of my books to write to try and get an important message out. In the meantime, I have some of my books available on Amazon and book stores.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
When her father, Shadow Claw, is finally captured, an enraged Darla, unable to help and left with no other choice, makes her way into Africa to seek the help of villain Cora.
Upon Cora’s return to New York, law enforcement is faced with Cora’s ruthless wrath again.
Cora’s return brings her previous rivals, Jerico, Nina, and Danny, back to the scene.
Cora and her new triple team members from Africa set their eyes on human traffickers.
Left with no other options, FBI headquarters sort out prisoner Amadou Khan to help in the capture of the villainess Cora.
Commissioner Danny’s adopted sister, scientist and technologist Julia, joins the fight.
A new mafia king leader takes over for the late mafia king. Commissioner Danny’s dark secret from his past is discovered, bringing dire consequences.
A familiar face from Nina Dansk’s past returns for her.
After receiving an unexpected tip about his parents’ unsolved death, Jericho faces a new betrayal and a rival.
Beast Shadow Claw’s true identity is finally revealed.
An Entirely Different Person
Promise of the Visitor follows a writer that finds out the alien he was waiting for has led a hostile race right to Earth and must now stop them and save the planet. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
At the end of the second book in the series “Cataclysm—End of Worlds” the three central characters are discussing the arrival of an alien from the planet Aneleya. Arcon, an artificial intelligence, also from the planet Aneleya on the other side of the Milky Way, successfully recruits the two human characters to participate in a mission to introduce the alien to the world. The alien is a female scientist. She has promised to bring gifts to the human race and promote world peace with a unique approach. This idea plus a cliffhanger ending in book two formed the nucleus for the launch of book three, “Promise of the Visitor.”
When I started writing, I didn’t have any idea how the story would unfold. I simply wrote down a rough outline for each chapter and fired away. In a way, I feel like the story wrote itself, and I had fun writing it.
Which character in the novel do you feel you relate to more and why?
That’s an easy one. I identified with Jacob Casell, the narrator of the story. He spins the tale from a first-person perspective, and in the present tense. Jacob and I share some things in common, but he’s an entirely different person than I am. I enjoyed living the story through him, and that enjoyment seems to have rubbed off on my readers.
What was your favorite scene in this story?
Honestly, I don’t have a favorite scene. I think the scene where Silenna, the Aneleyan scientist, walks into the kitchen and confronts two FBI agents wearing an outrageous outfit because she is almost seven feet tall and difficult to dress. This scene was one of the most fun scenes I wrote in the book.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I’ve almost completed the first draft of my next book titled “Time Terminus”. It’s about a lawyer who owns a law firm in South Florida, his girlfriend, a serial killer, and time travel. It’s a Science Fiction/Mastery, like the last four books I’ve written, only completely different from anything I’ve written before.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
An unconscious body lies on the kitchen floor. Two Daytona Police deputies are ringing the bell on the front door of the beach house mystery writer Jacob Cassel rents. It’s going to be an interesting morning for Jacob, his super-smart girlfriend, Amy, and Arcon, an AI from the other side of the Milky Way. If they can survive the morning without being thrown in jail, they are expecting a visitor from the planet Aneleya to arrive later in the evening bearing a cornucopia of gifts for the human race. Instead of gifts, the visitor arrives with dire news about a doomsday device threatening the destruction of planet Earth and the entire solar system.
Welcome aboard for this suspenseful interstellar adventure of The Silver Sphere Series.
The three volumes in the Silver Sphere Series can be read independently and in any order.
To Sit Upon The Mountaintop Of My Soul
What was the idea, or spark, that first set off the need to write and put together the collection of poetry and short stories in Amygdala Blue?
This is, quite honestly, an incredibly concrete and foundational question I would take the liberty to invariably rephrase as: What drives you to compose, canvass, sculpt, and personify poetry? Answer: At the core of what drives my poetry – as well as creative nonfiction – what fuels my need to invest myself in poetry, to sit upon the mountaintop of my soul, listen to past voices rustling across sub-Saharan African ranges, excavating the self, lies the need to uncover what June Jordan beautifully stated as “… formulations of what’s important”. Therein rests my poetic bloodline, to swim in the forever tide of truth, of a gripping, forever biopsychosocial River… Moreover, I contend, my style of poetry is certainly NOT mainstream in nature, rather speaks with a bold tone, sometimes distilled and dissected, other times, brash and emotional. Overall, my works are written with a revolutionary ‘structure’, canvassed around the postmodern notion embodying the African American ‘Presence of Absence’ phenomenon. Authentic poetry demands poets become idiosyncratically ‘attuned’ to an uncompromising, creative self.
“Panther Lurking High Above the Hood” is one of my favorite pieces in this collection. Do you have a favorite writing in this collection, if so what is it and why?
Yes, “Durn my Hide” is a personal expression of antebellum, post-reconstructionist musings, channeled from an authentic voice and time. Unquestionably experimental, undeniably raw, but true to cultural place and time. Because this poem evokes so much emotion, and unique qualities – including prominent rhythms, imagery, and compactness – the prose poem form and structure works best in showcasing its characterized intensity. In this poem, there exists an underlying complexity that challenged me for years to countless number of revisions. Through it all, though, I never thought about moving away from the stylized language. In fact, it was Paul Lawrence Dunbar’s seminal craft which inspired me to excavate deeper, dispel the urge to conform to postmodern vernacular; remembering to stay in touch with the odor, sight, and sound of the minute, hour, day poetically ‘captured’… Moreover, of an interesting note, I hail from several generations of African American farmers from Saluda, Virginia. A land enriched with the blood and sweat, and sacrifice of an African American history written far from history books presented to our postmodern culture. However, I wasn’t fortunate enough to meet any of my mother’s siblings or parents, but I was provided enough information from my mother about their incredible hardships and social struggles. Interestingly though, as I grew into manhood, attained higher education degrees, I could never shake my earthen archetypal memories; I continued to be haunted by the Southern African American voice fettered to land tilled from dawn to dusk, every day of every year. In its purest form, “Durn my Hide” is a revolutionary poem! As André Breton (1896-1966), co-founder of the Surrealist movement said, “The advantage of revolution was not that it gives mankind happiness…[but] it should purify and illuminate man’s tragic condition”.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your collection?
In the midst of a crisis moment, I hope readers come away from reading Amygdala Blue with a resounding notion regarding the grounding and healing power of nature. For in nature, can we make sense of the world enveloping everyone, and thus understand who we are. Ralph Waldo Emerson stated: “In the woods, we return to reason and faith”.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
TBD…
Author Links: Twitter | GoodReds
Despite our constant unraveling, despite our continuous urge to become disentangled with one another, we are forever bound to each other, and Nature. Our maternal, romantic, rebellious bonds compel us to belong to each other. This fierce intimacy has the potential to stretch emotional, moral, and faith-based boundaries.
Painted in poetic hues and savage creative nonfiction choices, Amygdala Blue canvases the ‘Presence of Absence’ through the lens of three socio-political themes – Religion, Racism, and Relationships.
In Amygdala Blue by Paul Lomax, the author speaks with an unconventional tone, sometimes distilled and surgically dissected, other times, brash and poetically emotional. Overall, we experience existential dread and surrealistic truth, associated with mental health, personal freedom, and the healing power of nature.
LITERARY TITAN 