Jenny Rough and I met at a writing retreat several years ago. We clicked right away and have stayed in touch ever since. When we met, she had just left a law practice to pursue writing full time. It has been a pleasure to watch her writing career flourish. And boy has it!
Jenny recently hosted a book club on her blog featuring Daughter of the Drunk at the Bar.
Read about it here.
Thanks Jenny!
"Michelle O'Neil is a true writer, dedicated to sharing her story and experience with others. To read her work is to be inspired. She is a truly perseverant spirit." –JENNIFER LAUCK, author of New York Times Bestseller, Blackbird, Still Waters, Show Me the Way and Found.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Sunday, November 27, 2011
White Elephants Review
Great review of Daughter of the Drunk at the Bar at Chynna Laird's White Elephants blog!
I don't know Chynna, and have not read her books, (yet) but I respect her for tackling tough subjects, such as bi-polar within the family and other stigma laden issues in her work. I've sometimes struggled with whether or not to share the very personal things I wrote about in my book, but ultimately I feel things must be talked about and brought out into the open in order for shame to be lifted.
Chynna seems to be on the same path. She also has a child with sensory processing issues, so we have that in common. I look forward to exploring her work.
Chynna T. Laird
LILY WOLF WORDS
www.lilywolfwords.ca
www.the-gift-blog.com
www.seethewhiteelephants.com
Author of "White Elephants" http://eaglewingspress.com/
Author of 'Blackbird Flies" (Now available on all online eBookstores)
I don't know Chynna, and have not read her books, (yet) but I respect her for tackling tough subjects, such as bi-polar within the family and other stigma laden issues in her work. I've sometimes struggled with whether or not to share the very personal things I wrote about in my book, but ultimately I feel things must be talked about and brought out into the open in order for shame to be lifted.
Chynna seems to be on the same path. She also has a child with sensory processing issues, so we have that in common. I look forward to exploring her work.
Chynna T. Laird
LILY WOLF WORDS
www.lilywolfwords.ca
www.the-gift-blog.com
www.seethewhiteelephants.com
Author of "White Elephants" http://eaglewingspress.com/
Author of 'Blackbird Flies" (Now available on all online eBookstores)
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Love your Kindle?
Daughter of the Drunk at the Bar is now available for purchase through Amazon's Kindle Store!
It is also available on Smashwords formatted for most e-reader devices (including Kindle) and of course in paperback on Amazon.
I love a book in hand, but have to admit I've been won over by the ease of e-books. Purchasing takes two seconds, and as someone who reads about five or six books at a time, it is so much easier to have them all in one place where I'm not losing them, or breaking my back lugging them around.
One woman reports she actually read my whole book on her iPhone! (And she liked it)! It's a whole new world out there.
It is also available on Smashwords formatted for most e-reader devices (including Kindle) and of course in paperback on Amazon.
I love a book in hand, but have to admit I've been won over by the ease of e-books. Purchasing takes two seconds, and as someone who reads about five or six books at a time, it is so much easier to have them all in one place where I'm not losing them, or breaking my back lugging them around.
One woman reports she actually read my whole book on her iPhone! (And she liked it)! It's a whole new world out there.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Appreciating Suzanne Somers
When I was in high school, an adult child of an alcoholic came and spoke to our health class. She was polished. She was professional. She wore a business suit. She spoke eloquently, and shared her personal story.
What she said touched on something so painful and raw inside me. I remember holding my breath, lest someone see I was about to cry. I remember putting on my very best poker face. I remember wanting to thank her for helping me not feel so alone but I didn't, because then everyone would know.
My whole life was about not letting anyone know.
I lived in a chronic state of shame.
If only I were more lovable. Smarter. Prettier. Perfect. I might be able to change the sickness wreaking havoc on my family.
Then came Suzanne Somers. She'd been a huge star on the television show Three's Company and followed that success by writing a book called Keeping Secrets. In it, she shared her own story about growing up in the shadow of her father's alcoholism. It was probably the first memoir I ever read. It wasn't a literary masterpiece, and it didn't matter. It was honest. It was helpful.
It put a huge dent in the stigma I felt.
I hope to do the same for others with my memoir, Daughter of the Drunk at the Bar.
Years later, as the mother of a child on the autism spectrum, I continue to be inspired by Suzanne Somers. She questions doctors and takes her health care into her own hands. I have had to do that for my child, and I do believe we kids of alcoholics often become strong this way.
We learned early to question authority, because the parental authority in our homes was questionable. We developed very good intuition, and if something is amiss, we smell it a mile away. We don't wait for our doctors to look out for us. We look out for ourselves, and using professionals for their services, we remain the authority.
Some people have never been able to accept how Chrissy on Three's Company turned out to be the brains of the operation. Say what you will about her Thigh Master, Home Shopping Network, etc. She is a smart, solid business woman with her own empire. As people make fun of her, she's laughing all the way to the bank.
And she's been happily married for over three decades. So there.
Like Keeping Secrets, Daughter of the Drunk at the Bar is not a literary masterpiece. I didn't write it to impress the critics. I wrote it for you. For anyone who has ever felt they had to hide what's going on in their family.
If you've been blessed to have a life where you were treated like the precious child you were, I am truly happy for you (and I still think you might glean plenty from my story).
If you were not treated with the respect every human child deserves, I hope you'll read Daughter of the Drunk at the Bar. Together, may we leave behind our shame.
What she said touched on something so painful and raw inside me. I remember holding my breath, lest someone see I was about to cry. I remember putting on my very best poker face. I remember wanting to thank her for helping me not feel so alone but I didn't, because then everyone would know.
My whole life was about not letting anyone know.
I lived in a chronic state of shame.
If only I were more lovable. Smarter. Prettier. Perfect. I might be able to change the sickness wreaking havoc on my family.
Then came Suzanne Somers. She'd been a huge star on the television show Three's Company and followed that success by writing a book called Keeping Secrets. In it, she shared her own story about growing up in the shadow of her father's alcoholism. It was probably the first memoir I ever read. It wasn't a literary masterpiece, and it didn't matter. It was honest. It was helpful.
It put a huge dent in the stigma I felt.
I hope to do the same for others with my memoir, Daughter of the Drunk at the Bar.
Years later, as the mother of a child on the autism spectrum, I continue to be inspired by Suzanne Somers. She questions doctors and takes her health care into her own hands. I have had to do that for my child, and I do believe we kids of alcoholics often become strong this way.
We learned early to question authority, because the parental authority in our homes was questionable. We developed very good intuition, and if something is amiss, we smell it a mile away. We don't wait for our doctors to look out for us. We look out for ourselves, and using professionals for their services, we remain the authority.
Some people have never been able to accept how Chrissy on Three's Company turned out to be the brains of the operation. Say what you will about her Thigh Master, Home Shopping Network, etc. She is a smart, solid business woman with her own empire. As people make fun of her, she's laughing all the way to the bank.
And she's been happily married for over three decades. So there.
Like Keeping Secrets, Daughter of the Drunk at the Bar is not a literary masterpiece. I didn't write it to impress the critics. I wrote it for you. For anyone who has ever felt they had to hide what's going on in their family.
If you've been blessed to have a life where you were treated like the precious child you were, I am truly happy for you (and I still think you might glean plenty from my story).
If you were not treated with the respect every human child deserves, I hope you'll read Daughter of the Drunk at the Bar. Together, may we leave behind our shame.
* Buy Daughter of the Drunk at the Bar as an e-book here.
It is also available in paperback on Amazon.
If you are a dealing with a loved one's alcoholism and looking for support contact, Al-anon, Alateen or Women for Sobriety.
If you are a dealing with a loved one's alcoholism and looking for support contact, Al-anon, Alateen or Women for Sobriety.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)