Cat Welcomes Multi-Award-Winning Christian Author and Writer Amy L. Bovaird To The Reading Den and Our Author Family.

February 3, 2020 Catherine Lyon Author/Writer A Writer's Thoughts, Author News, Featured Guest, News Around The Web, Posts Audio Books, Award WInners, Award Winning Writer, Meet Author Amy Bovaird, Mobility Matters, New Family, Seeking Solace, Several Published Titles, Vision Mobility Advocate

……..
WELCOME READERS and FRIENDS! ✨📚😺

….
I am so happy and honored to be working with and welcoming a new amazing author and prolific writer to our reading den family! Please meet Ms. Amy L. Bovaird. Amy is an exceptional author, writer, advocate, speaker, and coach who resides in PA. And since this Cat is a bit speechless, I will let Amy share a little of her story in her words with all of you!

…..

“When I was 28, doctors diagnosed me with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP)–a degenerative eye-disease resulting in blindness. Later, I learned that diagnosis was part of an even rarer disorder called Usher Syndrome, the leading cause of deafblindness. I was losing both.

Always drawn to foreign cultures, I taught English as a Second Language (ESL). I also wrote avidly about my experiences in Latin America, the Far East, and the Middle East. I never dreamed God was honing my skills and preparing me to educate others about vision loss when I could no longer teach in the classroom.

Today I am an author, blogger, speaker, and continue to educate others through my books and talks in spite of my vision and hearing loss. I’m a Low Vision Motivator with High Expectations. While I feature other cultures in my writing, I also focus on how God has taken my life on adventures of faith through my losses right here at home. I speak about a bright future no matter how dark it physically becomes.”

…..

……
MORE ABOUT AMY BOVAIRD ~ STEADFAST IN HER FAITH

I am a born-again Christian delighting in and claiming God’s promises!

I grew up worshiping in a non-denominational church in Erie, Pennsylvania. At age 12, I was baptized. Every summer, my sister and I attended Camp Agape, a wonderful church camp in New York. Even with all this exposure to Jesus, my relationship with Him wasn’t an integral part of my identity. In other words, my faith was still only part of who I was.

But it was a big enough part that I chose to study in a Christian environment–Ohio Valley University. In my junior year, I transferred to a sister college, Oklahoma Christian University. There I found my calling, to teach English as a Foreign Language (TEFL). My plan was to support myself as a teacher so I could enter the mission field.

After three years of living abroad, I came back to the United States and went to the eye doctor. My intention was to get a stronger prescription for my glasses. Instead, I learned I had an incurable hereditary vision disorder called Retinitis Pigmentosa and was told I would go blind. After intense communication with God, my faith began to deepen and I chose to continue to teach abroad.

God blessed me for several years. My teaching career took me to Colombia, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Japan, Egypt, Taiwan, and the United Arab Emirates. I was thrilled to live and travel in such diverse cultures, to learn new languages and also share God’s word.

I taught in private schools, language institutes, colleges, and military language programs and worked with churches in the area. I cherished the variety of people I worshiped with around the world and the churches that helped me grow.

After the loss of twins and an unsuccessful marriage, I clung even more to God’s word. In 2006, I noticed difficulty in my hearing. In 2009, in addition to learning how to use a white cane, I discovered I could have Usher Syndrome, the leading cause of deaf-blindness in the world. Coping with hearing loss is challenging but God remains faithful. As I lose more physical vision, God heightens my spiritual vision. He ministers to me all the time.

I’m proud to be the woman I am today–adventuresome, optimistic and passionate about God’s love.

God has such a sense of humor! It always makes me laugh when I think about how He let me–a map-challenged young woman losing her vision–loose on the world. In Sept 2012, I gave up my 25-year teaching career. I took up full-time writing and speaking ministry to educate others about vision and hearing loss, and to encourage those coping with blindness and deafness.

To be able to be a successful author of three memoirs and to speak regularly at churches, civic groups, senior centers, and schools, it reminds me how God’s always looking out for me and how blessed I am.

……

……..
Amy and I actually met through another mutual friend who also is known around the world as “The Blind Blogger” and also is an amazing blind author, speaker, and coach, Mr. Maxwell Ivey. I then had read a lot about Amy and the advocacy work and speaking she does as Max is always sharing! And one day I got a Facebook message from her asking if I could help market her books and help with her social media. As I began doing my research and learning more and more about her I thought?

Even with her disabilities, this girl is on fire! She doesn’t let anything get in her way. She is an empowering, caring, and very humorous woman. She is a true professional, is inspiring me and many others. I am very honored to be working with and for her. I am also just starting to listen to her newest book, a Christian Devotional titled, “Seeking Solace: Finding Joy After Loss” and is the audiobook to listen to when you struggle with any loss.

I look forward to reading all her books and know all my readers will too! Amy resides in PA., and the rest of her time, she fights to stay on track with her writing, finding time to go to the gym or run outdoors, and bemoaning she is at the beck and call of her bossy cat! (I knew we had a lot in common as we both are CAT LOVERS!)

Here is more about “Seeking Solace” as all her books are now in Audible format and readers can listen with a free trial from Amazon Audible Today!

>>>>>>

……

ABOUT Seeking Solace on Amazon

Life in the United Arab Emirates brings many ups and downs. Amy, an American, married to an Arab, is pregnant with twins. But during her twenty-week check-up, Amy learns she has lost one of her precious babies. Suddenly she is hospitalized with pre-eclampsia and fighting for her and her second twin’s life. She learns the fate of that baby while she is alone—more loss.

Just as life settles down, her beloved father is diagnosed with two stage-four cancers. Will she make it home in time to see her father one last time? How does Amy cope with these fears and devastating losses in the United Arab Emirates? This memoir, written in a devotional format, testifies to a loving Father who never once abandons His daughter to cope alone in a foreign country.

Seeking Solace centers on relationships and the complex and often messy emotions that accompany the many facets of loss. Discover truth, gratitude, and a growing awareness of God’s presence. Then wrap yourself in the solace of God’s reassuring comfort.

Where can you find more about Amy and learn more about all her books? Visit her Official Amazon Author Page!

Amy invites you to connect with her throughout social media and her official website listed below! I hear she working on another new book, so CAT will have updates of events and new books when they release. So come back soon, readers!

Connect With Amy on FACEBOOK ~ Author Website & Blog ~ TWITTER
LINKEDIN ~ Official Amazon Page & Books!

……
###############

…..
BOOK POST PRESENTED By LYON MEDIA SERVICES and BLOG HOME of CAT LYON’S READING and WRITING DEN

…….

According To Dr. Cat: Episode 13 — Katzenworld…The Best Cat Blog Around and This Cat Loves to Visit!

Quote February 2, 2020February 2, 2020 Catherine Lyon Author/Writer A Writer's Thoughts, Featured Guest, Posts CATS On Katzenworld

The post According To Dr. Cat: Episode 13 appeared first on Katzenworld – Welcome to the world of cats!. I leaned back in my chair. “I don’t feel satisfied with my life. I’ve wasted a lot of years. I’ve missed out on many opportunities, because I’m afraid of failure…” I noticed that Dr. Cat was…

via According To Dr. Cat: Episode 13 — Katzenworld

New Interview With Writer and Award-Winning Author, Cynthia Ulmer. Our Carolina Southern Belle …

January 31, 2020 Catherine Lyon Author/Writer A Writer's Thoughts, Author News, Featured Guest, Posts, Updates and More 5 Stars, All About Jansan Family, Book Series, Christian and Southern Family, Cynthia Ulmer, Fictional Family Drama, Fictional Memoirs, Loads Amazon Reviews, North Carolina Author, The Cedar Cove Chronicles

……..
An In-depth New Interview With Award-Winning Author, Cynthia Ulmer

..

About Cynthia Ulmer:

Cynthia lives in Navassa, NC, and has the gift of storytelling and writing.

Her father, Roy Faulk was originally from Nakina, NC When he graduated from high school, there was no work nearby, so he went to live with his older sister and brother-in-law in Newport News Va. He got work as a pipe-fitter in the Shipyard and met Katie Smith. They married and had Cynthia and her little sister, Laura. The tidewater area was home, but North Carolina was a part of their lives.

In fact, it was a big part of many people’s lives in that area. Some joked that there should be a sign at the state line that read, “Welcome to Virginia, settled by North Carolina.” One day, a little friend of Cynthia’s was crying uncontrollably. When she finally calmed down enough to talk she sobbed loudly to her mother, “Everyone has a grandma or granddaddy from North Carolina but me!” Her family was from New Mexico, and the other children on the block had North Carolina roots.

According to Cynthia, “At night, my daddy would sit with my sister and me on each side of him and show us a map of North Carolina. He would point out Nakina, and the little place where he really grew up, Burghill. Then he would show us Whiteville and Wilmington. It was like storytime. We often poured over the map, dreaming of the day we would move to North Carolina because he never lost his love of home.”

When she was eight, they moved to Leland. She grew up in Leland, went to Brunswick county schools, and graduated from North Brunswick in 1980. She then attended Miller-Motte Business College in Wilmington, graduating in 1983. She married Jerry Ulmer in 1984 and made the move from Leland to Navassa.

She comes from a family of storytellers. As she says, “My Grandma Ellen, used to tell stories to entertain my father and his brothers and sisters. I grew up listening to my family talk, to hear the stories they made up, and to the tales, they told of everyday life. I always wanted to be a writer. I used to make up stories in my head to help myself go to sleep.”

She has written and published a series of six novels based on her imagination and the stories she heard growing up. The Cedar Cove Chronicles is a wonderful series in great need of recognition. It’s a wholesome set of books, full of inspiration, drama, laughter, true to life characters and interesting plot lines. Her books will keep you guessing, wanting to read more.

……

……

What inspires you to write?
Life inspires me to write. I’ve always wanted to write, and life events, my family, and my imagination inspire me.

What authors do you read when you aren’t writing?
Betty Smith, Harper Lee, Steven King, and Mark Edwards are among them.
I read lots of authors. My kindle stays on my nightstand and I don’t go to sleep without reading.

Tell us about your writing process.
I don’t have a set process. I write when I can, taking advantage of free moments when I get them. Life is busy but I manage to find the time. I’ve written early in the morning and late at night. I have outlined, but mostly my stories are character-driven. I’ve planned characters, but they’ve also introduced themselves to me out of the blue and changed the whole direction of the story. Luda and Karen did that in Mark, The Cedar Cove Chronicles, Book Five.

I hadn’t planned on either one of them being in the story, but they made it better. Sometimes my characters take me on adventures that weren’t in my original plan. Mark did in Trudy, The Cedar Cove Chronicles Book Four. I had his character outlined, but he let me know his true nature. I keep most stuff in my head until I get a chance to write it.
As for the actual process, I do the original draft, and then many rewrites.

For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
My characters talk to me. They come to me at the strangest times. Luda introduced herself as I was taking a bath one night and Karen came while I was on the treadmill. It’s not unusual for one of my characters to wake me in the middle of the night. My inspiration for the first book in my Cedar Cove Chronicles was a vision I had one night.

I woke up and could see a young boy walking down the dirt road of a farm. Way off in the background, small and deceptively innocent-looking was the old fashioned water well that is on the cover of Todd, The Cedar Cove Chronicles, Book One. I knew right away who the young boy was, his family’s situation and that their story had to be told.

What advice would you give other writers?
Don’t give up and be yourself. Don’t worry if you don’t write like others, or if you don’t write every day. I don’t write every day. I’ve tried and what comes is pure junk. I have to be inspired to write. But don’t stop. If you have the desire to write, find a way to do it somehow.

How did you decide how to publish your books?
I had a bad start to my publishing journey. I was a victim of the Deering Literary Agency/Sovereign Publishing scam. Afterward, two other companies who had agreed to work with me went bankrupt and out of business. This was very discouraging and I didn’t write for years.

Then I found a self-publishing company called I-Proclaim. I published Todd with them but had no control over the price of my work and lots of people complained about that fact. I then did a google search and found Createspace. I moved to Createspace and even today publish through Amazon.

What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I hope the future is good. There are so many more options now than there used to be. The quality of self-published books is much better than in the past. I do think there is a great need for affordable editing. I use a combination of ginger and Grammarly to edit. A professional editor can cost thousands and out of the financial range for so many writers.

What genres do you write?: Christian, historical, southern literature

What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print

Where Can Readers Visit and Connect With You?

My Website(s)
Cynthia Ulmer Home Page Link
Link To Cynthia Ulmer Page On Amazon

My Social Media Links
Books & Amazon Author Page
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest

…….

Reflections of Recovery as I Celebrate My 13th Year and After Rising From The Ashes of Addiction and Sharing a New Friends Story . . .

January 29, 2020 Catherine Lyon Author/Writer Posts

For those of my “Literary Side” of things …You may or may not know I am celebrating today my 13th year maintaining recovery from a cunning and silent addiction that requires no substances. It is called “Compulsive Gambling Addiction.” I am sharing my new recovery post here as I am a proud Recovery Advocate and shared all the good, the bad, and the hopelessness I once lived within. I wrote all about it in my published book/memoir titled; “Addicted to Dimes: Confessions of a Liar and a Cheat.” I was one to never be Annonymous . . . Catherine

A Special Guest Recovery Writer and Soon To Be New Author. Meet My Amazing Friend Deb Morgan …

January 18, 2020 Catherine Lyon Author/Writer Posts

The cat always supports her writer and blogger friends while supporting their recovery journey. Meet my dear friend Deb Morgan as she soon will be a first-time AUTHOR … Just a sample of her journey and story of recovery … Cat 🥰✨📚🖊✏ Besides, Cat also promotes recovery authors too!

New Year Literary Interview With Storyteller Author, Joe Siccardi.

January 14, 2020 Catherine Lyon Author/Writer Author News, Featured Guest, News Around The Web, Posts, Updates and More best selling author, Featured Author of Lyon Media Services, Intimate Literary Interview, Meet Joe Siccardi, My Book Place Interview, new year, Prolific Writer, Readers and Authors Come Together, Storyteller

Intimate Author Interview Courtesy of Liz at MY BOOK PLACE Where Writers and Readers Meet …

…..

Tell us about yourself and your books.:
I am a prolific storyteller of inspirational wisdom-filled books about life. His latest offering is “My Name Is Sam … and Heaven Is Still Shining Through.” It is a novelization of my March 2018 debut release of the novella “Heaven Shining Through” which has been claiming rave reviews by book reviewers and book bloggers alike.
I released my second book in November 2018 titled “Wisdom From A Father: One dad’s thoughts about life,” a collection of essays about love, life, marriage and raising my children with a dash of wit and fatherly life lessons. I just released my first fictional memoir and follow-up to “Heaven Shining Through” titled; “My Name Is Sam …and Heaven Is Still Shining Through.” All the books are available on Amazon Books, Amazon Kindle, and many fine online bookstores.

I am a graduate of Dominican College of Blauvelt (NY) and hold a BA degree in Liberal Arts. I began my career with the Paterson (NJ) News and continued for the next 52 years in a variety of positions as an editorial writer, editor, and publisher. I now write and publish as a new Indie author. I also author a blog at wisdomfromafather.wordpress.com where I share posts about life and fatherhood.

The storyteller says it well. Joe states, “I’m the ordinary Joe walking along this journey called life and sharing it with you.” And he has the life experience to back this statement as a proud father of five children, 18 grandchildren, three great-granddaughters, and a fourth great-granddaughter expected in the fall.

He has gathered all his life and work experiences from living in many places on East Coast and Midwest like Paterson, Totowa, Newton and Ogdensburg, NJ; Belvidere, IL; Toledo, OH; Washington, DC; Laurel, MD; and Seneca Falls and Willard (Romulus), NY.

When not writing Joe enjoys travel, cooking, and spending time with all his grown children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. He also enjoys pleasure reading some of his favorite authors and writers like James Patterson, Tom Clancy, and his literary wish is a meeting with icon author Mr. Stephen King … Joe Siccardi is currently traveling and visiting all his children in many states.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I tend to procrastinate, then write at longer periods of time. I also need to have background noise to be effective (music, outside noise, water flowing over the dam).

What authors have influenced you?
Charles Dickens, although I also like James Patterson and Tom Clancy.

Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep writing. Don’t get discouraged. Don’t expect to get rich, but recognize everyone has a story to tell – why not you?

……

Image may contain: 8 people *** “Some of my memoir inspiration for my book “Wisdom From a Father”***

……..
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Be true to yourself. Write about what you know. If you don’t understand your subject, your readers never will.

What are you reading now?
The Secret in the Cliffs by Kristin Tucker

What’s your biggest weakness?
I don’t read enough.

What is your favorite book of all time?
Nicholas Nickleby

What has inspired you and your writing style?
I’ve always enjoyed writing. I preferred essays to multiple-choice or one-word answers because they gave me an opportunity to expand my thoughts. Since I spent so many years in the newspaper industry, I learned how to be concise. After retiring I’ve had the pleasure of writing for fun, which has been freeing. My style tends to be down to earth and often blends genres.

What are you working on now?
I just published “My Name Is Sam … and Heaven Is Still Shining Through” so I’ve been heavily promoting that. I am thinking about a volume 2 for my nonfiction “Wisdom From a Father … one dad’s thoughts on life.”

What is your method for promoting your work?
I work closely with a marketing expert. Generally, promotion is through social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.), although I have participated in book launches, book signings, and presentations. I welcome them. Especially now that I’ve been traveling. I have had a couple of book events along the way.

What’s next for you as a writer?
I would like to pay it forward by highlighting new authors through a podcast interview process. I would like to schedule more speaking appearances and would love to do a book tour/podcast along Route 1/Atlantic Coast. And of course, I will continue to scribble down thoughts for my blog and who knows … another book or two.

How well do you work under pressure?
I think I work well under pressure. I had to deal with deadlines all my professional life.

How do you decide what tone to use with a particular piece of writing?
It depends on the piece and content. I went with a first-person account for “My Name Is Sam,” as it is my newest book release and may be purchased from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, my website and many online book sites.