Book Review: Mary's Song

Mary’s Song, Book One of the Dream Horse Adventures, by Susan Count is a charming story sure to delight young readers and animal (especially horse) lovers. Young Mary is disabled and life offers very little outlet for her creativity and intelligence. She is a very talented artist and loves horses. Her doting and overprotective widower father spends a lot of time and money on various therapies to try to get Mary back on her feet, walking, running, and leading a normal life. Mary has resigned herself somewhat to life in a wheelchair until the day she meets her neighbour Laura (also twelve), and finds out about the lame foal she had seen hobbling around on the next-door property. Laura couldn’t be more different, but the girls strike up a firm friendship. Then Mary learns that Illusion, the lame little foal, is set to be euthanized because of her club foot, and because it’s not considered worth the time and money to save the little horse. Laura and Mary persuade Laura’s parents to give a six-week stay of execution to enable them to raise the money for Illusion’s very expensive operation. Can they raise enough money in time to save Illusion, and will Mary ever walk again?

There is so much more to this book than just the heartrending story of saving Illusion.  The healing of both horse and young girl finds a wonderful theme in their parallel stories. The backdrop is the 1950s, which casts a completely different light on what kids would be doing, how they would behave, think, and entertain themselves. I found it a refreshing trip back in time, back to when things were perhaps simpler in many ways, but harder in that medicine and science still had some developments to achieve.

There are excellent themes for young readers, and the main one being a love of horses gives readers an idea of various aspects of riding, training, breeding and competing with horses, but without shoving facts down the reader’s throat. The wonderful and strong theme of love and friendship continues throughout, with love of family, not forgetting those once loved who have passed on, discovering new love when Mary’s dad meets someone special, and forging bonds of friendship with like-minded people.

Although there is a Christian theme, I found the author wove it into the story very well, again without overdoing it. That and the concept of faith, not only spiritual faith, but faith in oneself and others comes to the fore. Finally, the idea that a disabled person is not a broken person is very well handled. Interspersed is the idea that less able-bodied people can also achieve as much in their own way as an able-bodied person. Last but not least, I liked how much emphasis the author put on the theme of books, the joy found within the pages of old favourites and treasured books, the pleasure in reading, and indeed the importance of books.

This is an enchanting and moving story in so many ways, and young (and older) readers who are sure to enjoy it will also be delighted to know that the story continues. As the author says, “Saddle up and ride along!”

Saving a Spider (and Other Animals!)

This morning I saved a spider.  Not an incey-wincey cutesy spider as in the song, but a great big galumphing thing with what seem like countless legs (actually only eight!) in a leg span of around 10-12 inches. They are also known as the ‘huntsman’ spider because of their speed and how they hunt their prey. So, you might ask, why save one? My Jack Russell, Chloe, having failed the “can-you-hunt-rats?” test (the clever, faster rats always escape) is determined to prove her worth. 

Image courtesy Wikipedia

She cornered it, but with the help of a paper towel, I rescued it. Huntsman spiders are actually considered very useful because they feed on insect pests, including cockroaches. I bothered saving it, not only for the cockroach angle, but because lately I have become more and more concerned about saving creatures full stop.



Image courtesy SAFE Rescue

My recent foray into animal rescue resulted in my little e-book (pending) called Champ: The Story of My Survival. Champ is eagerly awaiting the on-sale date of his book and will be sure to alert fans and followers. I blogged recently about Champ’s book. I have become a passionate follower and avid tweeter of other sites that do a fantastic job such as PETA, Soi Dog Foundation, and countless others. I wondered if my ardent Tweeting about animals and their plights would put off my Twitter followers. In fact, I have doubled my following since I began this crusade (for want of a better word). I used to only Tweet about writing and book-related stuff, but since my Tweets now encompass myriad animal stories, petitions, and pleas for help, my new following has showed me just how much people care about animals and wild creatures. In fact, my foray into the world of animal rescue writing has led me to new projects. I started a book site dedicated to my animal rescue books, called Caladrius Books, as a way of creating animal rescue stories to make people more aware of the plight of animals in need, and to help raise funds for various organisations. I hope you’ll visit, learn more, and support the books when they are available.


Cover design by Meagan Miller

My next mission is writing about Poppy, the most famous dog in Fiji. I watched a documentary on Animal Planet called Bondi Vet. It featured Poppy’s story. Basically, Poppy’s nose got cut off in a hunting accident. She must have been in great discomfort but this never dampened her amazing friendly nature. She was brought to Animals Fiji Nadi clinic by a team effort between a teacher at an inland Fiji School who saw her foraging for food—she was skin and bone—and Julie Hoskison from Myola in Sigatoka. The call went out and a young schoolgirl called India Davies in Melbourne, Australia began the fundraising. The word spread and Poppy attracted the attention of Chris Brown, the Bondi Vet. Poppy went to Sydney for facial reconstruction (by surgeon/vet Andrew Marchevsky) at the Small Animal Hospital Sydney (SASH) there. She made a wonderful recovery, and the Davies family became her new ‘forever’ family. Although Poppy now has a new home in Australia and is basically cared for by a loving family, she has not forgotten her friends back in Fiji. Animals Fiji is in desperate need of funding to help look after the many needy animals on the island. Poppy has become the spokesdog of the fundraising program. Poppy has a Sponsor a Vet Appeal, and all funds are gratefully accepted. Proceeds from the book will go to Animals Fiji for continued animal care on the island.


Next up is the story of Melani the Sumatran tiger that survived eating tainted meat at her home zoo in Surabaya, Indonesia. There were originally four tigers, but three died. Melani, through some miracle, lived. Her plight—she was emaciated and fading fast—caught the attention of the wonderful director of an organisation called Cee4life (Conservation and Environmental Education 4 Life), Sybelle Foxcroft. Sybelle literally moved heaven and earth to get Melani moved from the zoo to an amazing animal rescue/safari park (Taman Safari Bogor) that does a fantastic job in saving and housing exotic animal species. In June 2013, after wide media reports on the frail Melani, the Minister of Forests

Cover design by Meagan Miller

ordered that Melani be removed from Surabaya Zoo and taken for treatment to Taman Safari Bogor, Indonesia. Melani now receives top care and the proper diet for her species. But this beautiful, elegant creature has a long way to go to achieve an acceptable quality of life. Melani is the most beautiful tiger, with a gentle loving nature. Her photo was used to create a compelling and haunting cover. Melani is on a long road to recovery but still needs a special diet. Please read more about her on Cee4life website and if you can, contribute to her continued recovery.
 

I am honoured to be able to create books about these amazing animals and their equally amazing rescuers. There are countless rescue sites and petition sites that desperately need your help. The people that tackle often dire situations, fight with red tape, battle unhelpful government officials, and struggle to raise funds, go largely unmentioned and unrewarded. Their joy is in seeing an animal saved from the brink of death; seeing that animal trust and love again; seeing that animal decide that life might just be worth living. Please do what you can to save animals and the planet. As human development encroaches into wild habitat, exotic animals suffer. As the domestic animal population increases because of lack of sterilisation or the dreaded puppy mills, more animals pay the price. I was horrified to read about the number of kill-shelters and the number of animals simply dumped for a variety of reasons by their owners. I was devastated to read about the recent mass killings of stray dogs in Romania, something that has turned into a vicious vendetta against innocent creatures.

Animal cruelty and brutal animal practices, such as the horrendous live meat export situation in Australia, world-wide industrialised animal farming in which particularly chickens, pigs, and cattle endure appalling conditions, the annual (unnecessary) dolphin killings in Japan, the illegal dog and cat meat trade in the East, the atrocious bear bile practice in China, the mass poaching of elephants and rhinos in Africa reduce me to a terrible sense of desperation. What can one person do to stem a tide of horror and brutality that makes the human side of ‘humanity’ a sick joke? One person can do what only one person can achieve. Multiply that by millions and you have a rising tide of people who say NO. Please pass the message on, please sign petitions, please make a donation, however small, to a worthy animal rescue site. We are in danger of losing the planet that was entrusted to our care. Only we can stop that happening.

My small share is what I can give freely: my writing about various issues, and spreading the word. Thank you for reading this post. Please share this with all your friends and followers. Together we can inspire change, even if it starts with saving a spider.

Saving one animal may not change the world, but the world will certainly change for that animal.

by Fiona Ingram

Piggy on Wheels Teaches Kids Compassion

When I read the headlines on Galleycat that a piggy in a wheelchair had inked a 3-book deal with self-help publisher Hay House, I was instantly intrigued. Wouldn’t you be too?

His press release says: Chris P. Bacon, the pig in a wheelchair who quickly became a YouTube sensation in early 2013 with over 1.2 million views, is setting out to teach children about compassion, acceptance, and loving your imperfections. Chris P. Bacon was rescued by his veterinarian Dr. Len Lucero after a young woman reluctantly dropped him off to be euthanized because of a congenital defect that affects his rear legs. Dr. Lucero gave Chris a second chance at life and with two wheels strapped to the rear of his body, he is now a perfectly healthy and happy piggy-on-the-go.



Chris P. with training wheels

This little piggy was born with deformed hind legs, which means he lifts himself up on his front legs. While he is little, this modus operandi will work, but not later when he grows to full weight. His new owner modified his son’s toys to give Chris P. his first set of wheels. As the piggy grows heavier, he’ll graduate to bigger and better wheels. For many animals, life would be over, but for Chris P., life and a new role has just begun. His YouTube videos and his television appearances show him to be a curious, affectionate, independent and very intelligent piglet, with loads of personality and a secret obsession with grapes.

Chris P. says on his Facebook page: My name is Chris P. Bacon. I am a pig in a wheelchair. My veterinarian Dr. Len Lucero decided that I needed to be given a second chance. I went home with Dr. Lucero that day, so that I would have a chance at life as a handicapped pig. I live in Florida and love my new life! Watch me grow and take on new obstacles that life has to offer me. Thanks for sharing it with me!



Chris P. with owner Len Lucero

Owner Len Lucero finds that the pig is garnering fans by the barrow loads, and with his own website, Facebook page, Pinterest and Twitter account, it’s not hard for Chris P. to spread the message: it’s okay to be disabled. Chris P. and Len have a new task in life: putting smiles back onto disabled/handicapped kids’ faces. Chris P. and Len Lucero will be travelling to various centres to help kids. Chris P. will spread the message of love just by being himself!
Teaching kids compassion is a wonderful start in life. From this beginning, kids learn the best qualities that make them better human beings. Kids will learn about perseverance, overcoming obstacles, and tolerance towards others.



"Vroooooom!"

Hay House, the world’s largest self-help and motivational publisher has signed a three-book deal with Chris P. Bacon, his dad Dr. Lucero and co-author Kristina Tracy, who has worked on children’s books with Wayne W. Dyer, Dr. Christiane Northrup, Deepak Chopra and more. The first book, geared towards children ages 4-10, will launch in Fall 2013.

Help Chris P. spread the word by visiting his social media sites and following his trail of good deeds. Please share his antics and share the message.

by Fiona Ingram

Can Books Help Kids Cope with Life?

Can books help kids cope with life? Recently I thought about this because of a slew of articles that have appeared in the press and online, some denouncing the levels of violence and sexuality in YA novels, and others arguing that by reading about YA problems today's teens are able to deal with them.

This article appeared in the Guardian (UK) Writing in the Wall Street Journal, columnist Meghan Cox Gurdon argued that contemporary fiction for teens is now "so dark that kidnapping and pederasty and incest and brutal beatings are now just part of the run of things in novels directed, broadly speaking, at children from the ages of 12 to 18".

This is a thought-provoking argument and it unleashed a firestorm of opinion. My own view is that the average teenager is not likely to encounter the dark and sordid side of life described in some of these novels. However, a sheltered teen from a wealthy family whose worst experience is being grounded or having their pocket money stopped is not the same as a young person struggling to survive in a situation of abuse, rape, incest and violence. I think the point is this: are novelists sensationalizing these real aspects of life in order to sell books? Have we, as a society become so hardened that only the most shocking of descriptions and experiences will move us? Will reading about these terrible experiences help the very young people who are undergoing the same sort of tribulation? One thinks immediately that possibly a poverty-stricken teen would not have access to either books or/and education, but I don't wish to split hairs. How can books help kids cope with life?

Life issues are sometimes a challenge for kids to comprehend. Although most parents wish to shield their children from the tragic side of life, many times reality intervenes and the parent may be powerless to adequately comfort their child when dealing with a sad or traumatic situation. Death, disease, divorce, moving house, loss of a pet, bullying, experiences with alcoholic or abusive parents, and drugs form part of a long list of potentially negative life experiences. The death of a beloved grandparent, parent, sibling, friend, or an important adult can have a potentially devastating effect on a young person. Books can offer the kind of therapy that a child will appreciate and in a format that they can understand.

Stories, either fiction or non-fiction, enable children to identify with characters and sad or devastating events and relate these experiences to their own lives. Children are then able to recognize and understand how other people respond to frustration and disappointment. This helps children develop empathy and understanding of human behavior. It can also enable children to respond to discussing issues with a parent or responsible adult such as a teacher or therapist.

Today’s books also have opened up discussions on a variety of previously taboo topics or at least topics that were avoided. These issues can include:

• bullying at school;

• negative comments regarding a child’s weight, appearance, or lack of athleticism;

• tolerance of differences among peers, such as income levels, religious beliefs, nuclear families vs. broken homes, etc.;

• a parent’s history with substance, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse;

• long term changes in living situations, such as the arrival of stepchildren or grandparents;

• issues such as homosexuality and lesbianism, especially where a parent decides to ‘come out’;

• unique abilities and challenges faced by peers or family members with special needs, i.e., autism or Down Syndrome, debilitating illness, or illness or trauma resulting in disability, etc.

Regardless of the issue tackled or the story composed, a book’s therapeutic effectiveness will be enhanced by:

• age-appropriate language;

• honest and realistic characterizations;

• an avoidance of explicit preaching while allowing the reader to make the moral connection through critical thinking;

• a good, well-written story with relevant illustrations

Books are essential guidelines between covers and the younger kids start reading, the better they will be equipped to deal with the many curved balls that will be flung at them.


Of course, even the best written book embracing a particular problem is not a cure-all, and parents should take note that books cannot replace the expert advice of a health care professional where necessary. However, using books for the purpose of healing will often be a solid step in helping a child understand and accept the realities of life, even when harsh and unpleasant. 

Beyond Adversity: Author Arlene Crenshaw

For many authors, writing is a means of expelling the demons, getting rid of burdens and baggage, healing the pain of past hurts, and sharing a story with many others who may have experienced similar events in their lives. Author Arlene Crenshaw has used her experiences to heal and change her life. I'll let her tell you in her own words...

Hello everyone, my name is Arlene R. Crenshaw, the author of Twelve Roses for Uretta. I wrote my book because I felt it was a story that needed to be told for my sake of healing within. I also hope that by putting this story out there it will raise awareness to many, many people that suffer with domestic violence as well as child abuse. My story is a true story of my life growing up—watching the abuse of my mother and also the abuse I suffered from my best friend’s brother, being molested over and over at age 14, which led to me being a mother at age 15.

Most of my life I have struggled with anxiety, depression and I struggled even more after the untimely death of my mother. After 47 years of struggling to finally get my life under control, I decided to write everything down. The first thing I did was stop crying behind closed doors. Everyone who ever knew me always thought I was a happy person, full of joy. The truth was I wasn’t. I was miserable with my life and the only thing after the death on my mother that kept me going was my son; he was all I had.


So after 47 years of crying, I decided to stop and take charge of my life. I had been through a lot of challenges that I didn’t at first realize I had overcame. When I began writing, I started emptying out all the old baggage I was carrying within and I started noticing I felt better and stronger. I cried and cried while writing and sometimes I found myself writing so much that hours went by, but it felt good right to the soul. The more I wrote, the more I sensed a feeling of healing coming over me.


I realized I had been carrying a lot of stuff and for an awful long time. I prayed and prayed to God to help me…and he did. I got it all out and I ended up writing a book and it’s all true. My own story healed me within. I no long suffer from anxiety or depression. I have not taken any medication going on 2 years now. I live my life beyond adversity. I have also written a second novel due out this month called Hidden Closet’s Book of Short Stories. It is not a true story but it’s all about secrets that people have that they want to keep hidden for fear of being exposed to their real truths about themselves.


Life is wonderful for me now I love life and I even write every day on Facebook and Blogger. I call it “My quote of the day,” which I write a quote to try to inspire people and uplift their spirits, I do this daily. Also below is a poem called Living Beyond Adversity. To all stay blessed and soar high as eagles!!!


Living Beyond Adversity


Adversity means different things to different people and it depends on what their experience was and the attitude they have about it.


In the beginning when life was out of control, it meant something like this:


It shows up uninvited.


It took control.


It changed your life in ways you didn't want.


It took what you wanted away from you.


It forced you into situations you didn’t want to be in.


It stopped you from doing what you wanted to do.


It's was ruthless and cruel.


It's was unfair.


After working through its challenges, life became something like this.


It helped you to become a better person.


It made you achieve more than you ever thought you could.


It made your relationships deeper and more meaningful.


It showed you what was most important in life.


It helped you become more compassionate and understanding.


It made you appreciate life much more.


It leads to the discovery of true joy, in life.


It gave you wisdom and now you soar beyond the clouds (awesome feeling within).


And know you live your life beyond adversity; because now you’re in the best place you can be for yourself emotionally… now you’re living beyond adversity.


By Arlene R. Crenshaw

Thanks for sharing these thoughts and feelings with us. For more information, visit Arlene's website.

Author Cissy Hunt & A Rose Blooms Among the Thorns

Say hello to my seventh guest on the Virtual Book Tour: author and poet Cissy Hunt. Cissy’s book A Rose Blooms Among the Thorns is a special testament to Cissy’s own life experiences, and how she has turned these into a means of enlightening and helping others. Before we find out more about Cissy, let’s take a look at her book.

Cissy says: “It is about a woman's journey from domestic abuse through healing to forgiveness. Though it is a fiction book, it is taken from my own life. It was a very hard book for me to write, because of having to relive it all, but true and complete healing came from writing it. It took me a long time to start writing the book but it came quickly once I started. I am a minister called to helping women who have come out of domestic abuse.


I started my book, A Rose Blooms Among the Thorns, in Feb of 2009 and turned it in to the publisher in June of 2009. The toughest obstacle that I had to overcome before completing my book was taking the journey into my past, but when the journey was complete I received complete healing. As for my title, "A Rose Blooms Among the Thorns", what is behind it is symbolism. Rose = new life; Blooms = over coming thorns = abuse."

You mention that this book was inspired by personal abuse. You live such a happy settled life now—was it difficult to dredge up your own pain to express it on paper, and why did you feel the need to share this with others?

Yes it was very difficult to take the journey back into my past but it had to be done, because there is so much domestic abuse in this country and women are left feeling that "IT" is all their fault. A woman that escapes a violent relationship leaves feeling worse than "DIRT."

Do you feel that being an ordained minister enables you to empathize with others' pain and thereby express your own emotions better in your writing?

Yes, a woman can relate to another woman who has been where she is now. It gives her hope, hope for a better live that doesn't hold pain and sorrow. I can show them that hope for a better life in my writing.

You love to write—was there someone who inspired you from an early age, or did you get your spark from books or poetry while growing up?

I loved reading every since I learned how to read. I'm a type of reader that gets totally "into" a book. I could go anywhere in time and be anyone I wanted to be. Books were an escape for me. One person inspired me to write and she was my 12th grade English teacher, Miss Fife. She not only complemented me on my writing but would push me to pull more out of myself. "Dig deeper," she would say.

Tell us more about your poetry—what moves you, inspires you? Do you have a special place or set of circumstances to be comfortable in writing?

My poetry just comes to me. I don't just sit down and say, "I'm going to write a poem today." Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and the words just flow out of me. I'm a night person and I like sitting on my deck at night (we live out in the country) and words come to me. I wrote my poem Like the Moon for one while on my deck at night.

What kind of response have you had from readers? Do people relate well to your book? Have your helped people through your own journey?

The people who have read my book said they loved it. They said that it made them cry, laugh, and made them angry, but most of all it made them think, think about what is going on around them in their own neighborhood and community. That is the response I wanted. I wanted people to open their eyes to what was going on in their own community.

How did you get published?

I sent in the first three chapters of my book and the publisher, PublishAmerica, liked it and sent me a contract.

What books/ideas do you have lined up in future?

I have been thinking of a sequel to my first book, A Rose Blooms Among the Thorns. It has been very strong in my thoughts. I just want to get this book out to the public first before I start on a second one.

Thanks for sharing this with us, Cissy. Interested readers can purchase A Rose Blooms Among the Thorns on Amazon, or visit Cissy's website.