Author of “Surviving Sue”

  • The Most Beautiful People

    The talented Rose Vettleson – the blogger behind the beautiful site, “Of All The Things I’ve Ever Dreamed” honored me with a review of “Surviving Sue” this week: The most significant takeaway from this book is – Inspiration! Inspiration is in the title. I found this book inspirational for many reasons, one in particular was

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  • A Story Told in Four Vignettes

    Life with my mom, Sue, was complicated from the get-go. Especially when I began to ask questions as a toddler about my disabled sister, Lisa and her differences. I was a child trying to understand but I was shut down, left and right. I wrote about the first altercation with Sue, related to Lisa in

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  • Sharing Our Stories – “Surviving Sue” – New Review

    I’ve yet to meet a memoirist who didn’t have a moment or two of panic about exposure. Baring ourselves, our stories and hoping for understanding. Hoping that the notes of resilience and empowerment shine through. I had those anxieties when I wrote “Surviving Sue“. They’d come in waves and torrents, but I carried on…ever hopeful

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  • Finding Joy…In Friendship

    Have you heard about Dave Williams’ inspirational project? I should say his latest inspirational project, “Joy Is…”? Dave is a multi-hyphenate writer, author, artist, designer and content creator extraordinaire. The best descriptor I’ve come up with – to describe Dave’s artistry across genres and mediums – is this: Dave’s work enchants. The “Joy Is…” project

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  • “Staying Strong in Turbulent Times”

    I’m honored and humbled by author Lauren Scott and her recent review of “Surviving Sue“, on Amazon and Goodreads…especially these words about my book: Heartwarming and inspirational… Insight for others… What it means to love and forgive… Staying strong in turbulent times… It was as if Lauren encapsulated the essence of my writing intentions with

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  • Authenticity is Everything

    Three simple words of advice. Straightforward and mantra-like across many decades, thanks to my dear friend and mentor, Dr. John Muchmore: “Authenticity is everything…” Today I ‘m resharing a post I wrote about John in November 2023 – in tribute (see below). The lifeforce that was John Muchmore passed away last week. He was beloved

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  • Feeling Fortunate

    No, this post isn’t a substitute for a thank you note to a few fantastic gift-givers in my life. It’s just an extra, extra shoutout of gratitude. I don’t know how I got so very lucky, but I have dear ones around me who seem to crawl in and know exactly what makes me smile.

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  • Unexpected Encouraging Words: “You Might Fail”

    My dad, Sonny, always had plenty of advice to offer but he wasn’t the type to pipe up with unsolicited input. If you wanted to know what he thought about something, you needed to ask. His face gave away little unless he wanted you to see what he was thinking. It was a vocational asset

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  • Lisa’s Patch Jacket

    This is my first post back in the WordPress saddle for 2025 and I want to share how grateful I am for the opportunity to step away, work on some other projects and spend loads of time with family and friends. I know I missed many of your posts and for that, I’m sorry. I

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  • “A Memoir You Will Not Soon Forget”

    Thank you, Beth, for your beautiful review, full of kindness about my book, “Surviving Sue”. I love this sentence in your review because it so succinctly summarizes my hopeful intention behind sharing the complicated story about life with Sue. Building resilience with compassion. Yes! I would highly recommend this book to anyone as an engaging

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“Surviving Sue”, a special story about resiliency and love: Eckhartz Press (paperback) and eBook on Amazon.

Peek Inside “Surviving Sue

Visit Resources on Atkinson Group Solutions for more.

Podcasts

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Workshops

Chicago Writers Association Speakers BureauWriting for Wellness; Navigating Elder Care with Grace & Humor; How to Create a Writing Platform; AI for Caregivers

About Me

Learn about five books that inspired and supported my writing journey by visiting my personalized book review page on Shepherd.

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