This past weekend my family and I sold my novel True Mercy at the Woods Winter Wonderland Market in Langhorne, Pennsylvania. Woods is an educational and residential center for individuals with various disabilities, including autism, brain injury, developmental disabilities, emotional and behavioral challenges and Prader-Willi Syndrome. It was founded in 1913 by Mollie Woods, a Philadelphia teacher who began the school for children with special needs. Woods is now a 350-acre campus and services 700 residents.

While selling my book, I observed a warm community environment with fun activities for all, including pony rides, face painting, and holiday lights. Booths were set up selling holiday crafts by local artisans and a choir sang holiday songs. Vendors served food and warm drinks.

I spoke about one of my novel’s goals as giving readers a peek into the stresses and challenges of taking care of a loved one with autism. Despite the hardships, these individuals have a sweetness and innocence that others find endearing. Adam, the eighteen-year-old character with autism in my novel, always managed to put a smile on people’s faces as he played an instrumental role in saving a woman’s life.

Everyone had a pleasant day at the holiday market and I was pleased to talk to so many people about True Mercy.

Book Review: Grant by Ron Chernow

In the ranking of Presidents, I had always learned that President Ulysses Grant was ranked one of the worst. However, after reading Ron Chernow’s thoroughly detailed biography, I came away with a different perspective. Before becoming the general leading the North in the Civil War, Grant was a failure at every business venture he undertook. But he never gave up. After leading the Union army to victory, he became President of the United States and had a mixed record: Grant displayed great bravery in trying to protect newly-freed black slaves in the South and defeating the Ku Klux Klan, yet he naively surrounded himself with corrupt cabinet members. He had a tendency toward alcoholism but spent most of his life overcoming his addiction. Grant himself was an honest man, but his judgment was often flawed in maintaining loyalty to close friends who betrayed him. Despite his shortcomings, I came away with the utmost respect for Grant as both a brilliant general and an upright man. A life of many failures and successes, he demonstrated that luck can change.

I put together this sheet that I bring with me to presentations of True Mercy. I hope readers will find it informative. 

Note: As everyone can understand, life is very busy. With editing my new novel, marketing True Mercy, and improving my website, I have decided to post articles on my blog every other week instead of once a week. 

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that is marked by two unusual kinds of behaviours: deficits in communication and social skills, and restricted or repetitive behaviours.

Symptoms include the following:

1. Aversion to displays of affection and a preference for solitary play
2. Speaking later than norm
3. Speaking in a robotic tone or an exaggerated singsong, odd tones or speech patterns
4. Limited eye contact or limited use of gestures to communicate a need to describe something
5. Monopolizing conversations while showing little capacity for reciprocity or understanding

Restrictive or Repetitive behaviours:

1. Repeating actions and rituals
2. Fixating on minute details
3. Troubled by changes in daily routine
4. Putting toys in order instead of playing with them
5. Consuming interest in a specific topic or object

Information is taken from “Quick Facts on Autism” from Child Mind Institute

Statistics

• Autism now affects 1 in 68 children
• Boys are four times more likely to have autism than girls
• More than 3.5 million Americans live with an autism spectrum disorder
• About 40% of children with autism do not speak. About 25%-30% of children with autism have some words at 12 to 18 months of age and then lose them. Others might speak, but not until later in childhood.
• Autism greatly varies from person to person (no two people with autism are alike)
• The rate of autism has steadily grown over the last twenty years
• Autism is the fastest-growing developmental disorder, yet most underfunded
• Children with autism do progress – early intervention is key

Two Common Myths about Autism:

• Individuals with autism are not affectionate. Not true. Although they may be oversensitive to touch, they can and do show affection.

• Individuals with autism are not interested in social interaction. Actually, while they often struggle with knowing how to make and keep friends, they do like people around and are capable of interacting socially, but they need to be explicitly taught the hidden social rules.

Information is taken from the National Autism Association, Autism Society, and we-care.com (blog)