Marianne Sciucco's Blog

The Adventures in Publishing Blog has moved! My new address is https://mariannesciucco.com/ Please continue to follow me for news about my writing, books, author interviews, free and discount books, and more. See you there!

The Adventures in Publishing Blog has moved! My new address is https://mariannesciucco.com/ Please continue to follow me for news about my writing, books, author interviews, free and discount books, and more. See you there!

By Liza Nelson
Before my husband was diagnosed, I had never heard of MCI. Before my husband was diagnosed, we teased each other about our failing memories. Yes, he was weirdly forgetful, but I was worse at names--speaking of which, on my blog Alice in Memoryland I have changed our names to Alice and Ralph at the request of my husband, a private man. He is a man with a sense of humor, a fondness for “The Honeymooners,” and a not infrequent desire to send me to the moon.
In the two years before my husband was diagnosed, as his memory and mood deteriorated, our joking with each other dried up. I was increasingly scared and embarrassed for my husband, more often angry with him. Our long marriage had been passionate, but often out of kilter as our two strong personalities engaged and clashed and re-engaged. Then, in our late fifties/early sixties, we seemed to have found a happy equilibrium and began enjoying our marriage in earnest. Now here was Ralph ruining everything with what I saw as his inattention and disinterest in me and our lives.
Then came the diagnosis: MCI verging on Early Alzheimer’s. It has frankly been a relief to have a name for the still subtle but profound transformation in Ralph’s mental process affecting his behavior and our relationship. For the last five years, since a spinal tap showed the plaque build-up that predicts Alzheimer’s, the changes have been incremental but profound as we wait for his condition to slide into full blown Alzheimer’s, a disease that will strike more and more couples in the next decades.
Every case of memory loss or dementia, or any irreversible illness for that matter, is different. I cannot speak for anyone else going through the early stages of memory loss with a spouse. But having read other blogs and several books, I wanted to do something slightly different in sharing our experience. Starting from the beginning of Ralph and my journey down the memory rabbit hole, I have tried to use both key moments and the smallest details of our life to explore my own reactions, as a caregiver and also as a woman and a wife. After all, marriage is a relationship based on choice and commitment, not to mention the emotions and intimacy of love that poets and philosophers still struggle to understand.

Although I have published in the past as a novelist, poet and journalist, writing the truth about my past and present life with Ralph has been an enormous challenge. While I write about the moments of joy—and those moments do still happen—I also write frankly about my darker moments and feeling. I am frequently afraid that I am going to disgust readers in exposing my selfishness, my lack of patience, my resentments, and sometimes my fury. Instead, whenever I think I may have gone too far, readers respond with enormous support. They seem to appreciate putting a truth they recognize into words, however unpretty it may be.
It’s an incredibly lonely business caring for someone on the Alzheimer’s spectrum. I am so glad I have found a community in which I can speak my truth and be heard, that in helping others I have found help in return.
About the Author
Liza Nelson, who writes her blog Alice in Memoryland  under the name Alice Cramdon, is the author of the novel Playing Botticelli and co-author of the James Beard nominated The Book of Feasts. She has worked as a journalist, dramaturge, real estate manager, wife and mother. She lives on a farm outside Newnan, Georgia.




Connect with Liza
FacebookAuthor web pageTwitter: @LizaNelson1@AliceMemoryLand
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For more vetted blogs and books about Alzheimer's and dementia please visit the AlzAuthors Bookstore. 

By Jacqueline Marcell

I never dreamed I’d have to give up my television career when I was thrust into caring for my challenging father and sweet mother. The experience was incredibly heart-wrenching, but once I finally figured everything out medically, behaviorally, socially, legally, financially, and emotionally, I became obsessed with writing my first book “Elder Rage” (with humor to make it palatable), and a passion to help others avoid the pitfalls I so unnecessarily experienced.
For eleven years, I pleaded with my obstinate elderly father to allow a caregiver to help him with my ailing mother, but he always insisted on taking care of her himself. Every caregiver I hired soon sighed in exasperation, “Jacqueline, I just can't work with your father. His temper is impossible to handle and he’s not going to accept help until he's on his knees himself.”
When my father’s inability to continue to care for my mother nearly resulted in her death, I immediately flew from Los Angeles to San Francisco to step in, despite his loud protests. It was so awful to have my once adoring father be so loving one minute and then call me horrible names and throw me out of the house when some trivial little thing set him off. I took him to several doctors and even a psychiatrist, only to be flabbergasted he could act so charming when he needed to.
Finally I stumbled upon a thorough neurologist who specialized in dementia, and put my parents through a battery of blood, neurological, memory tests, and PET scans. After ruling out numerous reversible forms of dementia and evaluating their many medications, he shocked me with a diagnosis of Alzheimer's in both of my parents – something all their other doctors missed entirely!
I realized I’d been coping with a disease that appears to come and go, and that my father was trapped in his own bad behavior of a lifetime of yelling to get his way, which was coming out in intermittent over-the-top irrationality. I learned that demented does not mean dumb (a concept not widely appreciated), and he was still socially adjusted never to show his Mr. Hyde side to anyone outside the family. Conversely, my mother was as sweet and lovely as she’d always been.
It is quite a roller coaster ride how everything finally got worked out, but it also led me to the motto I have shared ever since: When life takes you to your knees and nearly destroys you, search for the Silver Lining because those hardships may also lead you to your highest purpose, passion and reward.
Purchase " Elder Rage"
About the Author
Since I had never written anything but a postcard and self-published, I am honored “Elder Rage” became a Book-of-the-Month Club selection, a caregiving book first. It received 50+ endorsements and 550+ 5-Star Amazon reviews, became required reading at numerous universities, and was considered for a film. It’s in print, audio, eBook, and autographed via PayPal.
Soon I was invited to speak at conferences and I adored being able to personally help so many caregivers. Eventually I became an international speaker on Alzheimer’s, and then a few years later unfortunately a speaker about my own invasive Breast Cancer. I also discuss Caregiver Stress and Illness, Elder Abuse, and Alzheimer’s Termed Type 3 Diabetes. To book a speaking engagement visit my website.
Connect with Jacqueline Marcell
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***For more vetted books about Alzheimer's and dementia please visit the AlzAuthors Bookstore. 

AlzAuthors, the international organization of authors writing about Alzheimer's and other dementias, is pleased to announce the publication of Alzheimer's and Dementia Caregiving Stories: 58 Authors Share their Inspiring Personal Experiences, Vol. 1. This poignant collection of stories grew out of the first year’s blog posts on AlzAuthors.com, from June 1, 2016 through May 31, 2017. Within its pages, you will be immersed in a world of writing about Alzheimer's and dementia.
The contributing authors have all been touched by Alzheimer’s and dementia, whether they live with the disease, are caregivers, or simply care. They reveal the story behind their books, what made them sit down and painstakingly share their story, and what they have gained from doing so.
This year-long project was made possible through the collaboration of seven women, all daughters of dementia. We have worked tirelessly to find and vet resources – memoir, novels, nonfiction, poetry, children's books, and blogs – to provide those living with dementia a friendly place to find the support and knowledge they need. We believe that by sharing our stories we open a dialogue that not only reduces the stigma surrounding a dementia diagnosis, but enlightens others to the reality that “I made it through. You can too.”
Heartfelt thanks go to our Special Projects Editor Jay Artale, author of A Turbulent Mind: A Poetry Collection of a Mother's Journey with Alzheimer's, who donated countless hours to the design and formatting of this beautiful book.
In early 2019, we will begin the process of creating Volume 2, which will consist of posts from June 1, 2017 through May 31, 2018. 

This book would make a wonderful gift for a caregiver you may know who is in need of knowledge, support, and comfort. Please keep it in mind as you do your holiday shopping. It is currently available on Amazon in Kindle format. Purchase here. A paperback is in the works and should be published within the next week or two.
All proceeds from anthology sales will be used by AlzAuthors.com to maintain our site and promote our authors’ books.***For more vetted books and blogs about Alzheimer's and dementia please visit the AlzAuthors Bookstore.

AlzAuthors is built by caregivers for caregivers, with a mission to provide carefully vetted books and blogs to help you find the answers and guidance you need. The majority of our authors have "walked the walk" with a parent, spouse, or other loved one, and have chosen to write their stories as balm for the soul and to share with others the information they wished they'd had on their dementia journeys.
November is National Caregiver Appreciation Month. What a wonderful time to recognize the long hours, sacrifice, and love all caregivers bring to the task of caring for a loved one with dementia or any long-term illness. In honor of their efforts, AlzAuthors is hosting a book sale and giveaway. This is a terrific way for caregivers who are looking for knowledge, guidance, and support to build a library of carefully vetted books to help guide and inspire them every day.
Starting today through November 13th, you can take advantage of this excellent opportunity to check out some of our books at reduced prices. We offer books in a variety of genres, including fiction, memoir, non-fiction, and children’s literature. All are available in Kindle, and many are available in other digital formats, paperback, and audio.
Our books are written from a deep place of understanding, experience, knowledge, and love. May you find one – or two, or more! – to help guide you on your own dementia journey.
Click on the book covers to visit each book’s Amazon.com page. Please check all prices before purchasing. AlzAuthors is not responsible for ensuring price reductions. Please contact the individual authors with questions (contact information is provided in each author's AlzAuthors blog post). All prices are in U.S. dollars.
Find the books.

By Tracie Bevers
In the early days of the disease, when I heard stories of others in later stages, I actually thought… "Well, I know that will never happen." Little did I know what the future held; I was very naïve. Many times along the way, I would remember something a friend had shared with me two or three years prior, and reality would settle in. We were there; those things were happening. It was hard, no doubt, but at least I knew others had been down this road.
As we journeyed through Alzheimer's with Mom and Dad, I regularly took notes, sent emails to our kids, took pictures…that sort of thing. Somewhere along the way, I decided that one day I could write a book with all the notes I was taking. I had become passionate about sharing the story and encouraging others, and I wanted to share our journey with people who needed to hear about it.
My reasons for telling the story are:
1.) To help others beginning the journey – to share information that may be helpful to them, even if it is hard to tell…and hard to hear.
2.) To make it clear to those who don’t understand what Alz is…it is a cruel disease of the brain affecting 5.7 million Americans. According to the Alzheimer's Association, that number could rise to 14 million by 2050.
3.) To share a sweet story of two people who loved each other to the end. Their journey made it possible for others to witness a true, one-of-a kind love story and raised the bar for many.

It's not an easy story to tell, but the truth is – Alzheimer's is not easy. If I didn't tell the real story, even the parts that make us uncomfortable, then I'm not sure any of my three goals would be accomplished. I have struggled…hoping others don't think I shared too many intimate details, but mostly praying that Mom and Dad would approve. Now, I know that if they could hear the stories about how their journey is helping others, they would be pleased. 
Following are excerpts from some comments received:
"Sharing the most intimate of details, the book gently wraps its hands around your heart and guides you down a path of love and loss that will provide you perspective and lessons you can apply while navigating the dark and turbulent waters of Alzheimer's. Bevers allows us into her compassionate and emotional world so we may emerge strengthened with greater understanding."
"Wonderfully written, I found it both inspiring and frightening since I now realize that our own experience is only at the halfway point in the book. A lot lies ahead but this helped me prepare for it. Thank you for sharing such a personal journey."
"I could feel each beautiful moment and the emotion of every heart-wrenching decision. What a truly remarkable treasure this will be for many facing uncertain times."
"I am beginning the journey you just left and reading this book has changed how I approach it. I have a better understanding of what my mom is going through and I will hopefully be a better son to her because of it."
The unexpected gift that came from writing the book was that it was a healing experience for me…it was the right thing to do for Mom and Dad, for others, and for me.
Purchase Dancing Around the Chaos
About the Author
Tracie Bevers lives in the Houston area and is known as "Honey" to her six grandchildren. She loves writing, reading, cooking (AND eating out!), traveling (AND spending time at home!)...but mostly she loves spending time with family and friends. She has known her husband since she was 14 years old, and they have been happily married for almost 39 years.
Tracie spent well over a decade journeying through the world of Alzheimer's after her parents were diagnosed. She learned a lot...mostly about real, true love...a precious gift that she now realizes she may have missed had she not been on the Alz journey with them. Along the way, she became passionate about sharing information with others just beginning their own long journey to goodbye.
Connect with Tracie Bevers
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***For more vetted books about Alzheimer's and dementia please visit the AlzAuthors Bookstore.

I'm pleased to announce my latest story "Christmas at Blue Hydrangeas" is now available in the Amazon store for Kindle.
C@BH, as I like to call it, is the prequel to "Blue Hydrangeas, an Alzheimer's love story." So many readers said they were enchanted with Jack and Sara and their bed and breakfast that I was inspired to write more stories about the Harmon's and their welcoming home.
It’s Christmas Eve, and while Sara waits for Jack and their son David to arrive home to Blue Hydrangeas, their Cape Cod bed and breakfast, a blizzard threatens to close the bridges, stranding all travelers to and from the Cape. As she prepares for the holiday, a few unexpected visitors arrive at the inn, all sharing the common bond of grief. Sara is determined the storm and sadness will not spoil Christmas, and that Santa will find his way to two fatherless children far from home. A sweet slice-of-life story about loved ones and strangers coming together to share the spirit of Christmas.
I must admit it took me a very long time to write this story, which consumes all of 49 pages. Many obstacles got in my way: My chronic repetitive strain issues which prohibit writing on a regular schedule, and caregiving for my mother and stepfather, which came to its own natural end. Perfectionism also held me up because I wanted this story to be as special as "Blue Hydrangeas," to be "beautiful," as so many readers said it was. I hope I have succeeded.
I love the short story form. It's a challenge to include all the details of the plotline and qualities of the characters and tie it up tight in a few pages, which may also be a reason that it took almost two years to complete this one. My last book, "Swim Season," weighs in at two 2 pounds, 593 pages and took five years to write. Hopefully I'll get a little faster in 2019.
Purchase C@BH here.

By Malia Kline
When our mama was diagnosed with infiltrating pancreatic cancer and given three-to-six months to live, she was the sole caregiver for our 87-year-old father “Papa,” who was in the early stages of dementia. Over the next 13 years, my sister Diane, a pathologist, and I shared care of them from opposite coasts and opposing viewpoints, often engaging in hand-to-heart combat over what constitutes quality of life. Sisterly love turned to Sisterly Shove in the new book we co-authored.
After hearing the news that Mama had pancreatic cancer, Diane proclaimed her “a goner.” But after she became dissatisfied with both the home care I arranged and the health care system in our hometown in North Carolina, Diane took Mama against doctor’s orders to live in her home in a California beach town. She quickly discovered that the wild card of having someone like Papa with dementia in the mix made cancer care and practicing medicine impossible for her.
Papa ping-ponged back to me in North Carolina and lived in a memory care facility I loved for five years. But after he broke both hips, Diane eldernapped him from the facility, quit practicing medicine, and doctored him by herself 24/7 for more than seven years at her home in California.
The story my sister and I tell in Sisterly Shove reflects a new kind of sibling rivalry among baby boomers: Which sister, or sometimes brother, is best willing and financially able to care for and make life-or-death decisions for elderly parents, especially in light of their own obligations to young children? Is it possible to share care among siblings, especially in a strong-willed and highly opinionated family like ours with a both a sister and brother who are doctors calling the shots long distance?
The Alzheimer’s Association says that 1 in 3 seniors now dies with Alzheimer’s or another dementia. In the case of Papa and his siblings, dementia snatched the memories and daily lives of 4 out of 5 of them. Since we are part of an extended family predisposed to living long lives, most of our cousins have also experienced Sisterly Shove. Since the book came out, we’ve learned that three once-close female cousins who all work in health care and battled over care of their mom have now been estranged for years.
We’ve also found that many of our readers have experienced similarly heart-wrenching family caregiving battles and can totally relate. Family relationships have clearly become an unintended casualty of the Alzheimer’s and dementia epidemic. We are working to share our story, not only in our book, but also in person at conferences and within caregiver support groups in order to help siblings work together in a spirit of compromise.
My co-author Diane went to medical school in the days when health care was a fee-for-service world. She believes that if we don’t support research and change our approaches to eldercare under the new value-based medicine model, we will pit one generation against the next and compromise our ability to be competitive in a global economy. That’s one perspective and hope for our society that the two of us certainly will not fight about.
About the Author


Malia Kline, the younger sister in Sisterly Shove is a copywriter who studied journalism at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was formerly a writer/producer at a CBS-affiliate TV station. She was also the scriptwriter on videos in the Duke Family Series. One of them, It’s Potty Time, was named “KidVid of the Year” by Roger Ebert and became available in nearly 700 libraries worldwide. Malia now owns her own copywriting business and shares her word-obsessed perspectives in  MaliaMania , a comedic grammar blog. She lives in Charlotte, N.C. with her husband Steve and has one daughter who has followed in her sister’s footsteps as an M.D., recently starting her pediatric residency.

Connect with  Malia Kline
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Purchase Sisterly Shove

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For more vetted books about Alzheimer's and Dementia please visit the AlzAuthors Bookstore.

As Halloween approaches I'm participating in Loving the Book's Monster Mash Countdown, a collection of intriguing, mysterious, and scary reads. And a raffle! Watch this space!


Stutter Creek (book one) is a romance, brilliantly hidden within a suspense-filled tale of a psychotic serial killer with a chip on his shoulder. It is also a classic tale of young love lost, and a life of regrettable what-ifs.
Purchase Sutter Creek
About the Author
Ann Swann was born in the small West Texas town of
Lamesa. She grew up much like Stevie-girl in The Phantoms series, though she never got up the nerve to enter the haunted house.
Ann has done everything from answering 911 Emergency calls to teaching elementary school. She lives in Texas with her husband, Dude, a rescue cat named Oscar, and a part-time box turtle named Piggy.
When she’s not writing, Ann is reading. Her to-be-read list has grown so large it has taken on a life of its own. She calls it Herman.
Connect with Ann Swann
Facebook
BlogAmazon
Goodreads
Twitter
Q&A with the Author
When did you start writing, and was there a specific event or person who influenced you to become an author?
I began writing short stories in my teens. I kept them in a spiral notebook under my bed. I couldn't keep my sister out of my diary so I felt I had to hide everything!
Are you currently working on a project, and if so, can you tell us anything about it?
I am currently finishing up a romantic suspense and a YA novel. Both are contemporary and both have elements of suspense and romance.
What is your favorite writing snack?
My favorite writing snack is anything chocolate with diet vanilla Coke. They balance each other out, right? Calorie-wise, I mean...
If you could have dinner with any of your characters, which ones would you choose? Why? What food would you serve?
If I could have dinner with any of my characters I think it would be with Big John in Stutter Creek or Reece in The Remains in the Pond because they are both hunks ... wait, so is Quinn in All For Love. Shoot. Any of those. And we'd have jalapeño poppers and margaritas. Yum!
Do you ever get Writers Block and how do you work through it?
Writer's block? Nah. If I get stuck on a story, I just close it and go to another story. I always have several going at once. Always. And pretty soon the sticky story will work itself out. If it doesn't, it wasn't a good story.
Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
I do learn something with each book. I usually learn something about myself and what I would or would not do in a given situation. Sometimes it's hard to make my characters do things that go against my normal beliefs!
How do you relax, or what do you enjoy doing when you are not writing?
To relax I love to walk our local walking trails around town as well as going to our local drive-in movie and catching up on live music at the auditorium. Going to see Bob Dylan soon. Just saw Melissa Etheridge last week. So good!
What is your largest unfulfilled dream, and what are you doing to reach it?
My largest unfulfilled dream is to see every historical tourist spot in the United States. I'm working on it ... slowly.
What do you fear most?
My greatest fear is becoming incapacitated and becoming a burden to my family.
What was your favorite Halloween Costume?
My favorite Halloween costume? The first year we my hubs and I were married, my mom (a very talented seamstress) helped me create a witch's costume for myself and a sexy vampire costume for my new husband. They were so good, we won a contest at the local dance hall. And may I just add, this was about twenty years before Bella and Edward. LOL

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