Cerebral Palsy: A Story: Finding the Calm After the Storm ~ Book Blog Tour Guest Post & Giveaway!

CEREBRAL PALSY: A STORY

Finding the Calm After the Storm

by Ilana Estelle

Genre: Adult Non-Fiction

Category: memoir

Publisher: RedDoor Press

Pages: 288 pages

Release date: Feb 1, 2020

Content Rating: G

Book Description:

Born the second of premature twins, Ilana knew she was different from a young age, but for all the wrong reasons. Part memoir, part motivational guide, this is Ilana's open and honest journey, from an angry confused child, knowing something was wrong, but not knowing what, to the 'real' her - a courageous woman using her experiences and lessons to create inspiring messages about mental and physical health, positivity, resilience and change. 

Buy the Book:
Amazon ~ Amazon.UK
B&N ~ BAM ~ IndieBound ~ Waterstones
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Guest Post:

"What I hoped for in writing my book" 

by Ilana Estelle

I know what I deal with now and understand my disability. Without the book I could never have had that.  

Initially, I never thought about my book in that way. I wanted and needed to know what was wrong with me and for me to be able to piece my symptoms together for the first time. I knew I struggled with certain elements of a disability. Having completed the book now, I have come face to face with my disability for the first time, and that feels good. I also have closure. Without the book and with my blog, I could never have achieved that either.

So overall, writing the book has been a cathartic experience, it has brought a knowing and understanding where I previously had none. It has empowered me to want to do better and be better. I would like my readers to take away the overriding message of positivity and that we very much have the tools to change our lives where we think it is necessary.

More About Ilana Estelle:

Living with cerebral palsy is enormously difficult. But what if you never knew you had it? This is the incredible story of Ilana Estelle. Born the second of premature twins, an hour apart, from a young age Ilana knew she was different, but for all the wrong reasons. 

A child of the '60s, Ilana experienced first-hand the way that disability was: so often brushed under the carpet, not spoken about. Her constant physical and mental struggles made her feel isolated, alone, frustrated, and misunderstood… and it took 46 years for her to find out why. Part memoir, part motivational guide, Cerebral Palsy: A Story: Finding the Calm After The Storm is Ilana’s open and honest journey from an angry, confused child -- knowing something was wrong, not knowing what was wrong, what her disability was, or that there was a diagnosis -- to the real her: a courageous woman using her experiences and lessons to create inspiring messages about mental and physical health, positivity, resilience and change.

Connect with the author:

website ~ twitter ~ facebook ~ pinterest ~ goodreads

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Enter the Giveaway: 

THREE WINNERS
Mobi for Kindle copies of
Cerebral Palsy: A Story: Finding the Calm After the Storm 

(Ends midnight, 6/10/2021)

Cerebral Palsy: 'A Story' Finding the Calm After the Storm Book Tour Giveaway

 

Tour Schedule:

May 17 – Cover Lover Book Review – book spotlight / giveaway
May 17 - Sefina Hawke's Books – book spotlight
May 17 - Working Mommy Journal - book spotlight
May 18 – Gina Rae Mitchell – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
May 18 - Lisa's Reading – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
May 18 - Rockin' Book Reviews – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
May 19 – Man of la Book - A Bookish Blog – book spotlight / giveaway
May 20 – Westveil Publishing – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
May 21 – Splashes of Joy – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
May 24 – My Journey Back – book spotlight / giveaway
May 24 - Hall Ways Blog - book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
May 25 – Pick a Good Book – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
May 26 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
May 26 - She Just Loves Books – book spotlight / giveaway
May 27 – A Mama's Corner of the World – book spotlight / giveaway
May 28 – Literary Flits – book spotlight / giveaway
May 31 – Leels Loves Books – book spotlight
Jun 1 – Book World Reviews – book spotlight
Jun 1 - Books for Books – book spotlight
Jun 2 – Jazzy Book Reviews – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Jun 3 – Deborah-Zenha Adams – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Jun 4 – Books Lattes & Tiaras – book spotlight / giveaway

 

#BabyLove: My Toddler Life ~ ~ Blog Tour, Bonus Review, & Giveaway!

#BABYLOVE:

MY TODDLER LIFE

by

CORINE DEHGHANPISHEH

  Genre: Children’s Picture Book / Technology / Family

Publisher: My Art to Inspire

Date of Publication: September 20, 2016

Number of Pages: 40

Scroll down for Giveaway!

A curious toddler loves to play...especially with his mommy's smartphone!

When Mommy finds him using her phone without permission, it's the perfect teaching moment.  Mommy reminds her little one that what matters most in life is time together filled with love and attention.

Her simple reminder: Put down our phones.

Praise for #BabyLove: My Toddler Life:

“This poignant and entertaining tale about a playful toddler aimed at young lap readers works on a much deeper level for parents.” – Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review) 

“This light-hearted reflection on social media habits is a great tool for starting discussions with young children.” -- Forward Clarion Reviews (5 Stars)

“Dehghanpisheh’s illustrations and text are simple, colorful and charming, and many families will relate to the question of how, and how much, to integrate technology into their child’s day.  #BabyLove: My Toddler Life is a fun and timely picture book for 21^st century preschoolers. -- BlueInk Review 

 “I can’t wait to read this to my 2 year old grandson.  This book is his life curious, sweet and funny.  His mommy has a collection of his photography on her phone.  Priceless. -- Kindle Verified Purchase

CLICK TO PURCHASE

CLICK FOR HALL WAYS REVIEW!

Corine Dehghanpisheh is an award-winning author, whose own family life serves as inspiration for her fun and engaging children’s books.  She holds a Master’s Degree in Creative Arts Therapy & Creativity Development from Pratt Institute in New York City.  

Ms. Dehghanpisheh currently resides in Dallas, Texas with her family.  There she continues to write the #BabyLove series, focused on the blending of modern technologies with classically familiar child raising situations.

The 2nd book in the series, #BabyLove: My Toddler Life is now available along with #BabyLove: My Social Life, which is a Next Generation Indie Book Awards winner.

Her debut children's book Can We Play Again? is a Mom's Choice Awards® Silver Recipient and a Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist. Corine's inspiration for this book came from her work as a Licensed Creative Arts Therapist in NYC.

WEBSITE   FACEBOOK

TWITTER    INSTAGRAM

PINTEREST   BLOG

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

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GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!

THREE SIGNED COPIES!

(US ONLY)

  May 29-June 7, 2017

Grand Prize: Signed Copies of #BabyLove 1 & 2 + $20 Amazon Gift Card

First Runner-Up: Signed Copies of #BabyLove 1 & 2 + $10 Amazon Gift Card

Next Two Winners: Signed Copy of #BabyLove: My Toddler Life + $5 Amazon Gift Card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

CHECK OUT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:

5/29	Promo	Hall Ways Blog
5/30	Review	Missus Gonzo
5/31	Sneak Peek Excerpt 1	Forgotten Winds
6/1	Character Interview	Books and Broomsticks
6/2	Review	The Page Unbound
6/3	Sneak Peek Excerpt 2	Reading by Moonlight
6/4	Promo	StoreyBook Reviews
6/5	Review	Chapter Break Book Blog
6/6	Scrapbook	CGB Blog Tours
6/7	Review	My Book Fix Blog

   blog tour services provided by

 

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Click for Hall Ways Review

Chompy and the Munchy Bunch, Volume 3

Beaule, N. (2017). Chompy and the Munchy Bunch, Volume 3: Spud's First Day Surprise. Self-published.

Children's / Illustrated / Adventure

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FREE ON KINDLE, 4/18 & 4/19/17!
click to buy

Book Blurb: What began as a way to keep her grandchildren entertained, has evolved into a series of exciting tales about Chompy, a carrot with superpower eyesight, and his pals . . . 

Salty's cousin Spud moves to Munchytown, but his first day in school gets off to a rough start! Spud runs away but soon discovers something special hidden deep inside the lonesome forest.

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HALL WAYS REVIEW: Spud's First Day Surprise, the third book in the Chompy and the Munchy Bunch series, has familiar characters from the first two books and introduces a few new ones -- primarily, the insecure and sometimes awkward Spud.  Readers will immediately feel sympathy or empathy for poor Spud and then anger at the resident bully, Candybar. Author Nancy Beaule, accompanied by the expressive illustrations by Lauren Goldstein (also illustrator of book 2, Search for the Hidden Treasure), does an excellent job of evoking emotions out of readers. 

Also excellent are Beaule's descriptions. From lighthearted to embarrassed and frightening to safe, the moods of the characters and the tones of the settings are easily imagined.  Her use of figurative language and short sentences will keep young readers engaged.  Repeat readers may find a giggle (I did!) that Chompy the carrot eats carrot cake! (He's a cannibal! Ha!)

As with the prior books, the writing level is perfect for the intended audience (ages 4-8), and it will work well as a read-alone or read-aloud book. The parent in me isn't a fan of the word "butt" used several times, but kids will like it (especially if it's forbidden fruit for some). The Grammar Policewoman in me would definitely issue some tickets for some inconsistency and errors with punctuation, but it's likely readers won't notice them, and none will impact the enjoyment of the book. (But, oh happy day when a child notices a grammar rule broken!)

Colorful, fun, and funny, Chompy, Volume is a story I recommend for pure silly enjoyment. I look forward to the fourth book in the series, coming in the fall of 2017. Thank you to the author for providing me a free eBook in exchange for my honest opinion -- the only kind I give. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Nancy's path toward becoming a children's book author was a bit different, having spent the last 30 years as an entrepreneur/inventor.  In 1996 she invented a product called the Pie Saver (foil rings that prevent pies from burning). Nancy loves creating, and that along with an interest in children's nutrition, led her to develop this series. The kids love the antics of Chompy and his pals, and parents appreciate the underlying nutritional message! Nancy has two children and three grandchildren and lives in Maine and Florida with her husband of 41 years.

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Click for Hall Ways Reviews

#BabyLove: My Toddler Life Review & No Strings Attached Giveaway!

Dehghanpisheh, C. (2016). #BabyLove: My Toddler Life. Art to Inspire.

Children's Picture Book / Parenting / Contemporary

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Book Blurb:

#BabyLove: My Toddler Life is the second book in Corine’s #BabyLove Book Series.  The first book in the series, #BabyLove: My Social Life, won the Next Generation Indie Book Award for Picture Books 0-5.

In #BabyLove: My Toddler Life, a curious toddler loves to play… especially with his mommy’s smartphone!  When Mommy finds him using her phone without permission, it’s the perfect teaching moment.  Mommy reminds her little one that what matters most in life is time together filled with love and attention. Her simple reminder:  Put down our phones.

“This light-hearted reflection on social media habits is a great tool for starting discussions with young children.” – 5 Stars, Foreword Reviews

“#BabyLove: My Toddler Life is a fun and timely picture book for 21st century preschoolers.” – BlueInk Review

“The lyrical way in which the story is told keeps the subject light while reminding the audience (adults and children alike) the importance of play time over screen time.” – Eileen Caulfield

“With simple rhyming phrases and the author’s enticing illustrations, the volume should surely appeal to young readers, who have almost certainly been told not to play with a parent’s phone. But the book works on another level as well: the boy teaches his mother a valuable lesson about mindfulness. After perusing the old photos, she tells her son: “These moments with you, / I love and treasure.” This stirring story reminds busy parents that even though those photos they take show how much they love their children, there’s joy and wonder in leaving the technology behind. This poignant and entertaining tale about a playful toddler aimed at young lap readers works on a much deeper level for parents.” - Kirkus

 

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HALL WAYS REVIEW:  #BabyLove: My Toddler Life is the follow-up to #BabyLove: My Social Life and is just as cute.  Again, it provides a reminder to adults and kids to put down the phones and enjoy the moments.

Told in rhymes, the story shows that kids will do what they see modeled. In this case, the wide-eyed toddler picks-up Mommy's phone and takes more than a few selfies. It is always amazing that even the littlest children figure out how to use our grown-up devices (and often more proficiently). Author Corine Dehghanpisheh does a great job of driving the point home. 

Bright, colorful, and expressive illustrations -- all done by the author -- carry the story forward in an engaging way. The pages are full color with very little white space, the illustrations aren't fussy, and the font is fun, resulting in an overall look that will encourage kids to study the words an images. Children are as fascinated by smart phones as adults, so the way many of the pages are framed as if looking through a phone's camera screen will be fun and funny to them.

The story is well written and well edited (though I am curious about the symbol used for "and" on the cover/cover page -- I have only seen the reverse of it before. Anyone?) Like its predecessor, #BabyLove: My Toddler Life is equally suited for kids and adults; there are lessons for all ages. I especially recommend it as a parent/child read-aloud or read-along.  

Thank you to Book Publicity Services for providing me a lovely print copy in exchange for my honest opinion -- the only kind I give.  

About the Author: Corine’s inspirations for writing and illustrating come from everyday life.  When she is not busy being creative, she is most likely having fun taking pictures of her family.

Corine is a Mom’s Choice Awards® Silver Recipient and a Next Generation Indie Author Finalist for her debut children’s book Can We Play Again?. Her inspiration for this book came from her work as a Licensed Creative Arts Therapist in NYC. She is also the author of Buddy’s Dream.

Corine recently moved to Dallas, TX from NYC with her family. Readers can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads. To learn more, go to BooksByCorineD.com

 

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Click for Hall Ways Review