-
#Cancer Awareness: To Do: Fight @VickiBatman #RLFblog
Season of Surprises From Kayelle Allen: This week on Romance Lives Forever I’m sharing
stories by authors who have faced cancer either in themselves, or a family member.
The importance of friends and family, and having a support system is vital. One
key to success is being able to ask for help — and then being willing to accept
it. It’s a lesson I’ve had in my own life during various times. I don’t accept help
well. It’s something I fight with all the time. I’d like to think “I’ve got
this” but sometimes I don’t have as good a grip as I thought I did. I have
a friend who’s dealing with cancer right now. A friend’s brother died from cancer
last year. Cancer affects all of us. I hope I’m even half as good a friend as those
you’ll read about in this series.I’m presenting these posts as an opportunity for the authors
to share their real life stories, as well as their fictional ones. There’s a short
list of ways you can show your support at the end of each post.To Do: Fight, by Vicki Batman
Most people know I refer to my husband
as Handsome. What some don’t know is eight years ago, he was diagnosed with throat
cancer.He had a swollen lymph node that all
doctors thought was allergy or infection-related. The drugs and antibiotics prescribed
didn’t knock it out. He had a needle biopsy which came back clean. His ENT doctor
said she wanted to remove the lymph and when doing so, found the cancer in three
spots.My son and I had been waiting for
the doc to tell us all was well with the surgery, but she took forever. When she
did say, she asked if we wanted to tell Handsome. I couldn’t. I couldn’t even speak
or hardly look at him. Waiting in the recovery room for her to discuss all was terribly
hard.Handsome was shocked too, but he was
very determined. He said, “Something to check off my yellow pad: Fight Cancer.”He showed none of the classic symptoms
that lead to throat/esophageal cancer. He smoked the rare cigar. Drank an occasional
vodka or wine. Worked out. Not overweight. Little family history. Yet, he had it.And so the battle strategy was formed
with an oncology doc, an ENT specialist, and the head of radiology. We had our dates,
we had our plans, we were marching forward.At first, I stuffed him with everything
imaginable, but mostly lots of cheese-related products, milkshakes, and pasta. He
eventually did lose 35 pounds because the radiation scarred his throat and swallowing
became difficult. He worked until fatigued, then worked at home. The only one who
cried was me when he shaved his head. Eight weeks later, the treatment was over.
And every subsequent test and examination has shown him to be clear.I believe a combination of many things
helped him through: his faith, our hope, family and friends, the skill of the doctors.And the determination to check off
his yellow pad: Fight Cancer.—Buy This Book
Season of Surprises holiday stories full of wishes and kisses
from eight Amazon best-selling authors including“Holiday Handbag Extravaganza” by Vicki Batman: Christmas
Countdown is on! Hunk-a-licious customer, Jack Treadaway, pesters boutique owner,
Callie Woods, to locate a vintage handbag for his mother. Too bad the wedge between
them is his sister, the meanest girl in town.Find Season of Surprises at: https://www.facebook.com/ASeasonOfMagic?fref=ts/Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Season-Surprises-Holiday-Box-Set-ebook/dp/B014LZJRVM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1441331771&sr=8-1&keywords=season+of+surprisesBarnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/season-of-surprises-holiday-box-set-merry-holly/1122604571?ean=2940152242966iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1034934609About the Author
Like some of her characters, award-winning author, Vicki Batman
has worked a wide variety of jobs including lifeguard, ride attendant at an amusement
park; a hardware store, department store, book store, antique store clerk; administrative
assistant in an international real estate firm; and a general “do anything
gal” at a financial services firm–the list is endless.Writing for several years, she has completed three manuscripts,
written essays, and sold many short stories to True Love, True Romance, True Confessions,
Noble Romance Publishing, Long and Short Reviews, Museitup Publishing, and The Wild
Rose Press. She is a member of RWA and several writing groups and chapters. In 2004,
she joined DARA and has served in many capacities, including 2009 President. DARA
awarded her the Robin Teer Memorial Service Award in 2010.Most days begin with her hands set to the keyboard and thinking
“What if?”Author Social Media
Website: http://vickibatman.blogspot.comFacebook: http://on.fb.me/1ipdLkvTwitter: https://twitter.com/VickiBatmanPinterest: http://pinterest.com/vickibatmanAuthor Central: https://www.amazon.com/author/vickibatmanGoogle+: http://bit.ly/1zUggDFPlotting Princesses: http://plottingprincesses.blogspot.comShelfari: http://www.shelfari.com/o1515093723Ways you can show your support
Cancer Awareness RLF blog Share this post on social mediaFollow the author on Twitter, Facebook, or other sites where
you’re activeEncourage the author by sharing what they sharePurchase the author’s booksReview the author’s booksLeave a comment on the blogThank you for being part of the Romance Lives Forever community. -
#Cancer Awareness: No History, No Warning @ShieldsAlly #RLFblog
Cross Keys From Kayelle Allen: This week on Romance Lives Forever I’m sharing
stories by authors who have faced cancer either in themselves, or a family member.
The importance of friends and family, and having a support system is vital. One
key to success is being able to ask for help — and then being willing to accept
it. It’s a lesson I’ve had in my own life during various times. I don’t accept help
well. It’s something I fight with all the time. I’d like to think “I’ve got
this” but sometimes I don’t have as good a grip as I thought I did. I have
a friend who’s dealing with cancer right now. A friend’s brother died from cancer
last year. Cancer affects all of us. I hope I’m even half as good a friend as those
you’ll read about in this series.I’m presenting these posts as an opportunity for the authors
to share their real life stories, as well as their fictional ones. There’s a short
list of ways you can show your support at the end of each post.No History, No Warning, by Ally Shields
The diagnosis of breast cancer came
out the blue. No family history, no warning. I was too young. But the moment I felt
the lump during a shower, I knew what it was. The news went downhill from there.
Seventy-five percent of the nearest lymph nodes were involved. Prognosis guarded.
Three months of chemo later, they found spots in my lungs. It appeared the cancer
had already spread, and I was reeling when I heard the words…four months.But I was scheduled to begin immediate
training at the Federal Law Enforcement Academy for a course on identifying and
rescuing abused children. My friends, my cop partner, and employer encouraged me
to go, and I did. I was determined to live up to their faith in me that my time
there wouldn’t be wasted, and it helped me stay positive. I met an incredible group
of people. When they learned of my diagnosis, they went out of their way to make
sure I stayed positive throughout training.Upon return to Des Moines, my cancer
doctor recommended a lung biopsy. There was a one in a million chance it was something
else. He thought I might be that one. The biopsy revealed the spots were scars from
an unrelated prior illness. The cancer hadn’t spread after all, and I went into
additional chemotherapy believing I could beat this thing.Twelve difficult months later-with
friends and family beside me all the way- I was cancer free, and have remained so
for 25 years. Of course the medical team was fantastic, but I credit my recovery
to everyone who was around me at that critical time. The effects of friendship on
our minds and bodies can be a powerful thing, a little touch of human magic.About the Author
Ally Shields grew up in the Midwest and currently resides near
Des Moines, Iowa. Writing has always been a part of her life, but in 2009, after
a career in law and juvenile justice, she turned to full-time writing. Her first
urban fantasy novel, Awakening the Fire was published in 2012 and that series continues.
She loves to travel in the US and abroad and incorporates many of those settings
into her books.Buy This Author’s Book
Cross Keys, an Elvenrude novelGenre: urban fantasy/paranormal romanceConspiracy, murder and magic… A dark elf hunts the streets
of New Orleans.Etopia Press Bookstore http://www.etopiapress.com/cross-keys/Barnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cross-keys-ally-shields/1120425394Kobo http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/cross-keysARe http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-crosskeys-1640257-143.htmlAuthor Social Media
Website: http://allyshields.comTwitter: http://twitter.com/ShieldsAllyFacebook: http://facebook.com/AllyShieldsAuthorAmazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Ally-Shields/e/B009AKNDZUNewsletter: http://paper.li/ShieldsAlly/1353941420Ways you can show your support
Cancer Awareness Week Share this post on social mediaFollow the author on Twitter, Facebook, or other sites where
you’re activeEncourage the author by sharing what they sharePurchase the author’s booksReview the author’s booksLeave a comment on the blogThank you for being part of the Romance Lives Forever community. -
#Cancer Awareness: Lifted to the Light @AliceOrrBooks #RLFblog
Lifted to the Light From Kayelle Allen: This week on Romance Lives Forever I’m sharing
stories by authors who have faced cancer either in themselves, or a family member.
The importance of friends and family, and having a support system is vital. One
key to success is being able to ask for help — and then being willing to accept
it. It’s a lesson I’ve had in my own life during various times. I don’t accept help
well. It’s something I fight with all the time. I’d like to think “I’ve got
this” but sometimes I don’t have as good a grip as I thought I did. I have
a friend who’s dealing with cancer right now. A friend’s brother died from cancer
last year. Cancer affects all of us. I hope I’m even half as good a friend as those
you’ll read about in this series.I’m presenting these posts as an opportunity for the authors
to share their real life stories, as well as their fictional ones. There’s a short
list of ways you can show your support at the end of each post.From Lifted to the Light
A Story of Struggle and Kindness. a Memoir by Alice Orr.I’ve always loved the Statue of Liberty
because she stands so powerfully erect even though she’s profoundly alone. She holds
the lamp for others to see and guides them to a life of possibility. She does all
of that from a tiny island surrounded by rip tide currents and she does it on her
own. That was the woman I thought I should be.I also thought I should be like my
grandmother Alice Jane Rowland Boudiette. She was a role model closer to home than
Liberty Island and warmer than copper and stone. My grandmother exemplified two
things for me. The first was service. “If you’re not making the world a better
place why are you here?” she’d say. The second was stoic strength. She did
everything for everybody – including me – and hardly anybody did anything for her.This was my vision of strong womanhood
and what I should be. I should stand strong and steadfast. I should press on always
forward and I had to do all of that by myself. I didn’t resent this. I simply assumed
it was the way of things and kept on going – until I was stopped in my tracks by
a reality too formidable for me to power past in solo drive.That reality was breast cancer and
in its clutches I would learn the most valuable lesson of my life so far – that
I am not on my own after all.When I could no longer do for myself
others did for me. By accepting their deeds and my need of them I became more than
I’d ever been in all my years of prideful independence. I emerged from the experience
with a startling new vision of myself and of life.I’m no longer the lone warrior woman
I once aspired to be. I no longer believe I have to wage solitary battle to make
my way. I know now that I have an army around me – an army I’ve come to think of
as my angels in human form. They’ve been with me always from Grandma on. I know
now that I haven’t been alone after all.Alice OrrLifted to the Light, a Story of Struggle and Kindness
A Memoir by Alice OrrAt the beating heart of this moving story a woman struggles –
most mightily against herself.All her life, Alice has taken care of herself and believes she
must always do so. Now she faces an adversary too formidable to battle alone. She
fights anyway with all of her strength, until that strength is gone. Caring individuals
appear, one by one, determined to help. As they reach out, she learns to reach back
and comes to think of these generous souls as her angels. When she’s too weak to
lift herself, they carry her through on wings of kindness.Lifted to the Light is a real-life story of resilience and growth
in the face of terrifying circumstances. Each thread of powerful storytelling leads
to another in a dramatic, emotional read.Amazon http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O99L7I2About Alice Orr
Alice Orr loves to write. Especially Romantic Suspense novels
of danger and romance. She’s well known as a workshop leader, book editor and former
literary agent. Now she lives her dream of writing full-time, especially romantic
suspense. Alice has published thirteen novels, three novellas and a memoir. About
her novels, Amazon says, “Alice Orr turns up the heat.” Alice also presents
workshops on writing for publication and/or pleasure. She is a former book editor
and literary agent. Alice has two grown children and two perfect grandchildren and
lives with her husband Jonathan in New York City. Most of all, Alice wants to hear
from readers.Author Social Media
Website http://aliceorrbooks.comOther Alice Orr Books
A Wrong Way Home – Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series Book
1 – the eBook – is free at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T9RVGGC
It is also free at Barnes and Noble and iTunes and KOBO and other online platforms.A Year of Summer Shadows – Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series
Book #2 – is $2.99 at those same platforms including http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZBOTH5O
These are my 12th and 13th novels. Writing this series Lifts Me to the Light. Alice
Orr – www.aliceorrbooks.comWays you can show your support
Share this post on social mediaFollow the author on Twitter, Facebook, or other sites where
you’re activeEncourage the author by sharing what they sharePurchase the author’s booksReview the author’s booksLeave a comment on the blogThank you for being part of the Romance Lives Forever community. -
#Cancer Awareness: The Nad Punch @jordankrose Her Vampire’s Promise #RLFblog
Her Vampire’s Promise From Kayelle Allen: This week on Romance Lives Forever I’m sharing
stories by authors who have faced cancer either in themselves, or a family member.
The importance of friends and family, and having a support system is vital. One
key to success is being able to ask for help — and then being willing to accept
it. It’s a lesson I’ve had in my own life during various times. I don’t accept help
well. It’s something I fight with all the time. I’d like to think “I’ve got
this” but sometimes I don’t have as good a grip as I thought I did. I have
a friend who’s dealing with cancer right now. A friend’s brother died from cancer
last year. Cancer affects all of us. I hope I’m even half as good a friend as those
you’ll read about in this series.I’m presenting these posts as an opportunity for the authors
to share their real life stories, as well as their fictional ones. There’s a short
list of ways you can show your support at the end of each post.The Nad Punch by Jordan K Rose
I’d like to start by thanking Kayelle
for inviting me to participate. Having the opportunity to talk about my experience
will hopefully help others who find themselves in the terrifying position of receiving
an ovarian cancer diagnosis.This past July I was diagnosed with
an early stage of a rare form of ovarian cancer, specifically- a granulosa cell
tumor. To say the news was shocking is an understatement. We received it during
a post-op visit where had anticipated hearing great results about a surgery and
anticipated a routine recovery. We did not plan to hear, “We think you should
have the other ovary removed and have chemo.”My husband described that visit as
“it was like being punched in the nads.” I’d heard men say that expression
before, but never had a reference point until that meeting. Apparently, ladies,
the “nad-punch” experience is mind-numbingly painful and can cause you
to forget any other thought.We’d been warned not to Google ovarian
cancer and get worked up over what we read because this type of cancer was so different
and so rare. Of course we Googled, but we Googled granulosa cell tumor. We narrowed
our search and we searched high and low and came up with not a whole heck of a lot
of data.Granulosa Cell Tumors make up about
4% of ovarian cancers. There is not a great deal of research to share because of
this. Unfortunately, most of the data is “after the fact” sort of information
because the cancer is not well known. There is not a central repository for doctors
to link patients and share information on what’s happening, when it happened, types
of treatments, what worked or didn’t. There’s not a standard protocol for measuring
hormone levels in advance of surgery, which would be very helpful for every patient.This is a cancer with high probability
of recurrence, though a great prognosis if detected early with women living many
years past the original diagnosis. It’s a slow growing cancer with definite indicators
of potential recurrence like monitoring the Inhibin and AMH levels quarterly, then
every six months after the first few years.There are great resources for women
through the Granulosa Cell Tumor Research Foundation and the Ovarian Cancer National
Alliance. There is also a Facebook group of GCT Survivor Sisters! (you must have
a diagnosis of GCT to be a member of the FB group).If you find yourself in the unfortunate
position of receiving this diagnosis, please utilize the groups above and feel free
to contact me at contactjordan@jordankrose.com.
I’m more than happy to share what I’ve learned or to lend an ear and be a support
to you.I sought a second opinion at the Dana
Farber Institute in Boston. I encourage anyone receiving a cancer diagnosis to receive
a second opinion before deciding on treatment.After all my research I decided against
chemo or surgery as there was no indication any cancer remained in my body. Thus
doing something drastic “just in case” made no sense. But everyone’s decision
is personal and patients need to make decisions that feel right to them.At the Dana Farber Institute I’ve
signed up to participate in a research study to allow them to better understand
the genetics of this cancer, thus leading to a cure. I’m happy to participate and
hope other patients will consider doing the same to help find a cure.Below please find the information
on one of my free books, Her Vampire’s Promise, Novella One in the Romance In Central
City Series. Losing myself in books has gotten me through some difficult times and
I wanted to share a book that everyone can afford. As well, if you sign up for my
newsletter, you’ll get the second novella in the series, The Vampire’s Partner for
free.Wishing every cancer patient all the
best in diagnosis, treatment and recovery.JordanHer Vampire’s Promise
Reade Hayes knows better than any vampire that nothing good ever
comes out of Central City. So he isn’t surprised the beautiful blonde he meets in
the dive bar is crazy. What does surprise him is how fast she moves, how hard she
hits, and the fact she’s wearing a ring he last saw two decades ago on the hand
of his dead friend.Was this the little girl he swore a blood pact to protect? Why
had her uncle lied about her death? And what had he done to make her so lethal?Buy This Book
Amazon http://amzn.to/1mwINHABarnes and Noble http://bit.ly/1KWZDfLiBooks http://apple.co/1cIaZZSGoogle http://bit.ly/1E1S55vKobo http://bit.ly/1cp6YJcAbout the Author
Jordan loves vampires. She also loves to laugh. And if you know
anything about Jordan, you know her vampires will make you laugh.A few years back Jordan received a copy of Twilight from her
husband as part of her anniversary gift. By the end of that week she’d read the
entire series and moved onto Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles. Eight weeks and eighteen
vampire books later the idea for her first book came to her followed very quickly
by Eva Prim.Having lived in Rhode Island for most of her life Jordan uses
the state as a backdrop for all her books, though many of the cities and towns and
businesses (especially the ones run by vampires) are all fictitious.When she’s not writing about one vampire or another Jordan enjoys
spending time with her husband, Ken and their lovable Labradors, Dino and Enzo on
the beautiful beaches of New England.For more free books join Jordan’s newsletter at http://bit.ly/1Vk2TWnAuthor Social Media
Website www.jordankrose.comTwitter https://twitter.com/jordankrosePinterest http://bit.ly/1J2iYJGGoodreads http://bit.ly/1CmN4ecAmazon Author Page http://www.amazon.com/Jordan-K-Rose/e/B007D06OUU/Ways you can show your support
Share this post on social mediaFollow the author on Twitter, Facebook, or other sites where
you’re activeEncourage the author by sharing what they sharePurchase the author’s booksReview the author’s booksLeave a comment on the blogThank you for being part of the Romance Lives Forever community. -
#Cancer Awareness: It Affects All @AuthorTinaGayle CEO’s Widow #RLFblog
CEO’s Widow From Kayelle Allen: This week on Romance Lives Forever I’m sharing stories by
authors who have faced cancer either in themselves, or a family member. The
importance of friends and family, and having a support system is vital. One key
to success is being able to ask for help — and then being willing to accept
it. It’s a lesson I’ve had in my own life during various times. I don’t accept
help well. It’s something I fight with all the time. I’d like to think “I’ve
got this” but sometimes I don’t have as good a grip as I thought I did.
I have a friend who’s dealing with cancer right now. A friend’s brother died
from cancer last year. Cancer affects all of us. I hope I’m even half as good a
friend as those you’ll read about in this series.I’m presenting these posts as an opportunity for the authors
to share their real life stories, as well as their fictional ones. There’s a
short list of ways you can show your support at the end of each post.Breast Cancer: How It Affects Us All by Tina Gayle
Even if you have never had the disease,
you probably know someone who has had it or who has lost a loved one to it. My aunt
had it and died back in the early seventies. I remember because my father would
not say anything other than she died of cancer. The sad thing was he didn’t even
learn she was sick until he heard of her death.Back then if you had cancer of any
kind, people avoided you as if you had some type of plague for fear of catching
it.Through the years, I’ve had other
family members who’ve faced breast cancer and have survived. My mother was told
that they found a lump and underwent surgery. Lucky for all of us, it was not cancer.By sharing my own history, I hope
you can see that no matter whether we personally have the disease or not, it affects
our lives and the people we care for. Each person goes through a lot of emotion
when fighting cancer. That’s why I decided to use the pain of dealing with the disease
in the last book in my Executive Wives’ Club series, CEO’s Widow.Marianne Clark is the matriarch of
group. She has watched as each woman recovers from the loss of her husband in the
fatal crash that killed all of their husbands. She’s supported them and considers
each of them a member of her family.Buy This Book
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012YALVN8About the Author
Tina Gayle grew up a dreamer and loved to escape into the world
of books.After years of working in the business world doing a variety
of jobs, she decided to try her hand at writing and hope to incorporate the joy
of being a woman into her books.Married twenty-five years, she and her husband love to travel
and play golf.Read the first chapter of any of her books by visiting her website.
www.tinagayle.netHome www.tinagayle.netBlog www.tinagayle.blogspot.comFacebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Tina-Gayle/214633841921560?ref=hlGoodreads
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1641826.Tina_GayleLinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/pub/tina-gayle/11/689/759Amazon Author Page http://www.amazon.com/Tina-Gayle/e/B002BM9GR8Ways you can show your support
Share
this post on social media
Follow
the author on Twitter, Facebook, or other sites where you’re active
Encourage
the author by sharing what they share
Purchase
the author’s books
Review
the author’s books
Leave
a comment on the blogThank you for being part of the Romance Lives Forever
community. -
Lose The Fear by Christine MacKenzie @CCMacKenzie1 @TerryIreneBlain #RLFblog #FightCancer
CC Mackenzie From Kayelle:For three days I’m sharing stories by various authors about
how they or a family member faced cancer. Reading their posts is inspiring and
touching. The importance of friends and family, and having a support system is
vital. From what I’ve read, the key to success includes being able to ask for
help — and then being willing to accept it. It’s a lesson I’ve had in my own
life during various times. I don’t accept help well. It’s something I fight
with all the time. I’d like to think “I’ve got this” — but sometimes
I don’t have as good a grip as I thought I did. I have a friend who’s dealing
with cancer right now. My business partner’s brother just died from cancer. It affects
all of us. Reading these helps me understand better. I hope I’m even half as
good a friend as those you’ll read about in this series.I’m presenting these as an opportunity for the authors to
share their real life stories, as well as their fictional ones. Links to follow
the authors and to purchase their books are provided.Today’s authors are Terry Irene Blain and Christine MacKenzie. Jump to the end for info on how you can help purchase mammogram equipment.—The Only Negative Terry Irene Blain
I had surgery for breast cancer in June of 2013, followed by
chemo and radiation and currently on a hormone therapy. All this is part of the
clinical trial to see if chemo is really necessary for the type of cancer I had.
This is the positive as this maybe help not only my daughters-in-law but my granddaughter.The chemo really wiped me out, but fortunately my husband was
there to take care help me out as all the energy just left me. The doctor always
commented on my positive attitude. How could I not have a positive attitude when
I had the support of my husband, our kids are grown and on their own. I saw so many
others who were worse off than I; how could I complain? Women who still were trying
to work, or had small children. Or on their second go round of chemo. I felt lucky.I wasn’t able to do much writing while on chemo as I had absolutely
no energy. When chemo finished and during radiation I started to do more. Finally
able to go grocery shopping instead of sending my husband with a list. Also started
to get back to the computer and do some writing. Going to my RWA Chapter meeting
and talking to other authors was uplifting. Friends are great at helping you out.It’s taken me about a year to feel like I’m back to normal. To
top it off, my annual mammogram was good. So I’m now an official survivor. The only
negative? I’ve never liked the color pink. But you can’t have everything.Terry Irene BlainAbout the Book
Looking for thrills, practical Sarah signs up to be a schoolteacher
on a western movie set and gets more than she’s looking for with cowboy
stuntman Kit Stewart, adventure with a capital A.Her CowboyHe was tall and whipcord lean, just like a hero out of the
old movies that were her favorites. His grey hat was pushed back on his head,
revealing again that curly dark blond hair. Today he wore no chaps, but that
didn’t stop her from instinctually checking out his backside. Nothing like
Levi’s and boots to make a man look manly.Buy This Author’s Book
Boroughs Publishing http://boroughspublishinggroup.com/books/sarahs-cowboyAbout the Author
Sarah’s Cowboy Terry Irene Blain was lucky enough to grow up in a
large Midwestern family with a rich oral tradition. As a child she heard
stories of ancestors’ adventures with Indians, wildlife, weather and frontier
life in general, so she naturally gravitated to the study of history and
completed a BA and MA then taught the subject at the college level. Married to
a sailor, now retired, she’s had the chance to live in various parts of the
country as well as travel to foreign places such as Hong Kong, Australia,
England and Scotland.Escape to the West with a romantic adventureWebsite: http://www.terryireneblain.comTwitter: http://twitter.com/TerryIreneBlainFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/TerryBlainAuthor—“Thank you so much, Kayelle,
for having me on your blog today to highlight such a worthwhile cause.When a woman hears the words ‘You
have Breast Cancer’. The first thing that hits her is how immensely powerful
the word, Cancer, actually is. Dealing with the shock, and then immediately
telling my mother, my daughters, was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my
life. Then we’re caught up in the whirlwind of surgical appointments, the surgery
itself, the outcome of tests, and it sometimes feels as if we’re trapped on a
roller coaster and can’t jump off.Three years and a mastectomy
later, and I’m truly blessed to be cancer free. People ask me how I remained so
upbeat and positive. My response is that I didn’t have a choice! But the real
answer is that cancer did me the biggest favor of my life. My secret dream was
‘One Day’ to be a writer, a romance writer. However, in spite of winning
competitions, receiving positive feedback, the fear of not being good enough
always held me back.The day I was diagnosed with
breast cancer was the day I lost the fear of failure. And I also realized that
‘One Day’ may never come unless I grabbed every opportunity that came along.
Eight books later, with eleven more in the pipeline, I’ve never been happier.And this is where I come to the
two young women who inspired me to write, The Fall of Jacob Del Garda. Two
years ago, I was sitting in my breast surgeon’s waiting room. Sitting next to
me were twins, girls aged twenty-three, blonde and gorgeous. They were laughing
and joking with each other, and I assumed they were there offering support to a
mother or even a grandmother. It didn’t occur to me that breast cancer would be
an issue for them. So we got chatting, and it became clear that one of the
girls had undergone a double mastectomy six months before, and she’d just been
diagnosed with secondary breast cancer. The positive way she was dealing with
such a blow, truly inspired me. Then her sister told me how she, too, was about
to undergo a bilateral double mastectomy after genetic testing revealed that
the twins carried the BRCA1/2 gene mutation. But surely they were too young?
After a long chat with my surgeon, I realized that diagnosing breast cancer in
women under thirty-five using traditional mammogram technologies was extremely
difficult due to the tissue density of young breasts. What was needed were the
new digital mammograms manufactured by Siemens. Our local hospital was in the
process of raising money for a new mammogram suite. I remember promising my
doctor I would write a story about twins who were dealing with BRCA1/2 genetic
mutation. And that the proceeds of the book would go towards the cause.And so The Fall of Jacob Del
Garda is out now. All author royalties from Amazon, iBooks, Kobo, Nook,
GooglePlus, Smashwords, received during the month of October will be donated to
the appeal.And on an update on the twins –
they’re both well and married to two wonderful men. How’s that for A Happy Ever
After! I couldn’t write a better ending myself.–Christine.Author Social Media
Website http://ccmackenzie.com/Twitter https://twitter.com/CCMacKenzie1Facebook http://www.facebook.com/CCMzieCLICK
HERE To Receive News of CC’s Latest ReleasesAbout the Book
The Fall of Jacob Del GardaTwin sisters – twice the troubleTwelve months after disappearing from Jacob’s life, the woman
who broke his heart, supermodel Gabriella Dolman, is back. But things have changed.
Now Gabriella is a photographer – still fabulously beautiful – but no longer glamorous,
and no longer looking for love. Though Gabriella claims she just wants to move on
without him, Jacob’s pretty certain that her reaction to their red-hot kisses implies
otherwise.Tobin Gillespie believes in taking a stand, and he never turns
his back on a challenge. So when his work as a PR guru brings research scientist
Sophie Dolman back into his life, her obnoxious behavior and lethal put downs aren’t
enough to put him off – quite the reverse. And the more they clash, the more determined
he is to break down the wall around her heart and claim it for his own.Buy This Author’s Book – Help Purchase Mammograms
World-wide October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. All author
royalties earned by The Fall of Jacob Del Garda for the month of October will be
donated to an appeal for a digital mammogram that detects changes in breast tissue
for women aged 20-40. Please share.Buy This Author’s Book – Help Purchase Mammograms
World-wide October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. All author
royalties earned by The Fall of Jacob Del Garda for the month of October will be
donated to an appeal for a digital mammogram that detects changes in breast tissue
for women aged 20-40. Please share.Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/CC_MacKenzie_The_Fall_of_Jacob_Del_Garda?id=H09EBAAAQBAJ