G'morning everyone! Had a great day & lots of fun yesterday in Savannah, GA visiting with my friend & Editor Marsha Tolleson Langston Rhodes and her husband Allen. We are working on my next novel, Spirits of Sacred Mountain. Spirits of Sacred Mountain is a tale as ancient as time, about a young Native American Indian boy’s life spinning out of control and a magical mountain with deep hidden secrets. The sun was out, which was wonderful in itself, the food was delicious. We had grouper & crab with peppers & puff pastry, at the Savannah's River House Seafood Chelsea, our waiter was very sweet and we met Gladys who prepared our lunch. Thank you to the manager who was kind enough to give us a table in a private room by the window to look out to the Savannah River. Can't wait to see Marsha again soon. Check out my books, A Faded Cottage, Whispering Fog, & Miranda. Aiken author’s new book rooted in Native American folklore Diann Shaddox, an Aiken author and founder offor Essential For her first book, Aiken author Diann Shaddox raised awareness of a condition that she lives with – essential tremor. For her latest book, she pulled from another aspect of her life – her Native American heritage. Staff Photo by Stephanie Turner “Spirits of Sacred Mountain” is the latest book by Diann Shaddox. “Spirits of Sacred Mountain” was released in May. “Cody Tanner looks like a normal 11-year-old, except he can blur/disappear, use his mind to move objects, and stop time. Normal if you’re a spirit of the mountain,” says the book’s summary. Tanner, like Shaddox, is a Native American. The author is a member of the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma. “That’s probably what triggered a lot of this because I was reading up on the tribe, Wyandotte,” Shaddox said. The story of “Spirits” is rooted in Native American folklore and is written so that readers as young as elementary school-aged students can enjoy it, according to Shaddox. “I’ve already gotten people wanting a second one,” Shaddox said. “Spirits ” is dedicated to Shaddox’s husband, to the Wyandotte Nation and to the late Chief Leaford Bearskin. Before he passed, Bearskin asked Shaddox to write a story about the Native American culture. He was also a childhood friend of her mother. Shaddox’s first book, “A Faded Cottage,” was released in 2013. Her two other books are “Whispering Fog” and “Miranda.” All proceeds benefit the Diann Shaddox Foundation for Essential Tremor, an Aiken-based organization that Shaddox started. Her upcoming book signings are as follows: • July 7 from 4 to 6 p.m.: Aiken County Historical Museum, 433 Newberry St. S.W.; part of the museum’s Sweet Tea Series; will have refreshments of wine and cheese • July 12 from 3 to 6 p.m.: Ridgecrest Coffee Bar in the Village of Woodside, 108 Coach Light Way “Spirits of Sacred Mountain” is $5.99 as an ebook, $17.99 as a paperback and $27.99 as a hardback and can be purchased through major online retailers such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. “We think this is going to be the most popular book she’s written,” said Randy Miles, executive director of the Diann Shaddox Foundation. Shaddox has plans to make “Spirits” the first of a series. http://www.aikenstandard.com/20160627/160629548/aiken-authorx2019s-new-book-rooted-in-native-american-folklore For more information, visit www.diannshaddox.com or www.diann shaddoxfoundation.org. Book Reviews 5 ★★★★★ review for ‘A Faded Cottage’
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars, July 13, 2014
Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: A Faded Cottage (Kindle Edition) very good When a love letter written by a teenage boy becomes lost after a summer filled with passion, it brings about an incredible love story of two people being reunited, after thirty years.
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Faded-Cottage-Diann-Shaddox-ebook/dp/B00GNGCM5Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1384887001&sr=8-1&keywords=a+faded+cottage Get your copy of WHISPERING FOG a Time Travel adventure, don't miss out. One fall night a mystifying fog captures a young girl from the 20th century and a captain of an old sailing ship from the 18th century bringing them together. Diann Shaddox Author WHISPERING FOG is a Time Travel, One fall night a mystifying fog captures a young girl from the 20th century and a captain of an old sailing ship from the 18th century bringing them together. On an unusual foggy night in 1959, Belinda sees an image out in the sea, a ship of years ago, begins her descent into the misty vapor climbing down the steep, rocky cliff to help the ship’s crew, and falls literally into the whispering fog. Did the story end that night for Belinda when she fell down the cliff, or was it a dream of a young girl? On foggy nights, fishermen have heard an old ship’s bell tolling and voices from the fog whispering Belinda’s name. http://www.diannshaddox.com/whispering-fog Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Whispering-Fog-Diann-Shaddox/dp/0991280539/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1419937695&sr=1-1&keywords=whispering+fog On December 18, 2010 I sat in my office and wrote “A Faded Cottage” a SC Christmas love story about an artist who develops Essential Tremor. My life has change dramatically because of this one small book. So today, I have to say "Happy Birthday Quaid Witherspoon." “A Faded Cottage” is a journal of only two weeks of Quaid Witherspoon’s life and takes place from December 18 to the first of the New Year. I’ve sat back pondered what my life would be like if I’d not published “A Faded Cottage” and continued with my plan of publishing my other books. I have to believe my journey was for a reason. Life can be a mystery and I wouldn't have taken on the challenge to start a new foundation, Diann Shaddox Foundation for Essential Tremor if I’d stayed the path that I’d planned. I became adamant to make a change when I talked to people around the country and no one had heard of Essential Tremor, even though I had been diagnosed with Essential Tremor for over thirty years and over 42 million people in the world have ET. I kept asking myself; how could that be? Something needed to be done. I soon learned that one cold December night changed my life. For the better only time will tell that answer. It was the night of December 18, 2010, my birthday, a very calm and uneventful night. I couldn't sleep, which isn't unusual for me, so I made my way downstairs to my cubby office. I decided that I’d work on one of my novels. I sat in front of the computer and began to type, but it seemed my fingers and hands had another idea as they shook uncontrollably hovering over the keyboard. If you've tried to text as you are riding in a car or train when it’s bumpy, then you might understand how difficult it is to type when you have trouble with tremoring fingers hitting the correct keys. I’d learn to deal with my tremors for many years, but this night it became overpowering. I leaned back in my chair. I sat there and stared at the computer screen. My anger grew watching my hands quiver over the keyboard, and for once in my life I felt sorry for myself. The question of why me, a question without an answer, played repeatedly in my mind. I took in a deep breath and closed my eyes. I let my tremoring hands type and the words, “Happy birthday dumb-ass” were written across the screen. I laughed and let the words flow and Quaid Witherspoon, a famous artist, was born. A man who had everything or so he thought, but now his hands had abandoned him and his life of painting had ceased, becoming a bitter man. I didn't plan the story of Quaid that night, but his character emerged from my mind and the story grew, while I told Quaid’s story. The story of Quaid Witherspoon, the novel 'A Faded Cottage', became an incredible love story, one about strength of mind to fight fate and never accept what life throws at you. ‘A Faded Cottage’ is journal of a famous artist not of his life, but of only two weeks, a love story about aging and two people being reunited after thirty years finding love can conquer all. Through this process of bringing ‘A Faded Cottage’ to life, I have learned so much and talking, listening to everyone’s stories that are so similar to mine has increased my desire to make a difference. Essential tremor (ET) Essential Tremor, ET is a progressive neurological condition that causes a rhythmic trembling of the hands, head, voice, legs, or body. Over 42 million people worldwide (including children) have ET, the largest movement disorder in the world. ET can begin at any age, from birth to 100. ET doesn't discriminate with age, race, sex, or national origin. Most people believe only older people have ET and that it is just a social problem. However, ET is DEMORALIZING, DEVASTATING, & DEBILITATING for all ages. ET is Demoralizing. It is embarrassing when you are not able to hold a pencil or crayon in your hand to write or color and people stare and laugh. ET is Devastating. Living with uncontrollable tremor makes it difficult to dress and feed yourself. Many people will never live their dream of being an artist, musician, singer, actor, doctor, or nurse. ET is Debilitating. It isn’t just a social problem when you cut and burn yourself as you try to cook, can’t drive a car, and you are fired from a job because your hands tremor. Many people lose the ability to talk from voice tremors and aren’t able to write or sign to communicate. Suicide & bullying (all ages) is another problem. The list continues. The answers to help everyone living with ET are to bring awareness around the world and find a cure for ET. I have become an activist to bring awareness to Essential Tremor. I am now the Founder of the Diann Shaddox Foundation for Essential Tremor a national Non-Profit public organization 501 c(3). DSF, Diann Shaddox Foundation for Essential Tremor mission is to educate and increase awareness about people afflicted with Essential Tremor. DSF works with people worldwide to show that ET is an international progressive disorder. We are unwavering to assist families with our Anti-Bullying Program, Suicide Prevention Program, Family Assistance Program, and to donate medical research grants to doctors to find a cause and cure. DSF will make a difference in millions of people’s lives and directly change the future for everyone who will inherit or develop Essential Tremor. www.diannshaddoxfoundation.org Please go to www.diannshaddoxfoundation.org and donate, every penny counts and will bring us closer to finding a cause and cure. Now, 'A Faded Cottage' has become a vehicle to explain about Essential Tremor and how so many live each day with tremoring hands, head, voice, and entire body. Diann Shaddox Foundation for ET and I will make a difference please join me. Diann Shaddox is an author, speaker, and Founder of the Diann Shaddox Foundation for Essential Tremor. Diann Shaddox is best known for her released books: A Faded Cottage, a SC love story about an artist with Essential Tremors; Whispering Fog, a time travel romance; Miranda, The Pink Rose, a historical fiction, a journal of a young girl living in the late 1800's; Spirits of Sacred Mountain, about a young Native American Indian boy's life spinning out of control and a magical mountain with deep hidden secrets; and The Gatekeeper of Crystal Pond, Not What Lies Above, but Below" www.diannshaddox.com She was diagnosed with Essential Tremor and has since become an advocate for awareness and research toward finding a cure for ET. She created the Diann Shaddox Foundation for Essential Tremor March 2014. Diann is a Native American and a member of the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma. My story of why began many years ago. You see, when I was in my early twenties life changed for me, my left hand began to shake when I would do tedious work. No one, not even doctors, could figure out what was happening and they, the doctors, believed I was nervous, and just needed to calm down and that, I have to say, made me furious. Yes, I was a young mother and things were busy in my life, but I wasn't nervous, my left hand just shook and I couldn’t make it stop. One day, standing at a Post Office window in Louisville, Kentucky changed my world. Up until that point, I had handled the shakes and the stares, but... A simple form containing my name and address, that I was supposed to fill out, changed my life. I stood there, and not only my left hand was shaking but my right hand was waving in the air, with a line of people and the post office clerk staring at me in a confused and not so polite stare making my tremors go wild. Tears grew in my eyes and I tried to wipe them before they rolled down my face with my fluttering hand. I grabbed my package turned and ran out of the Post Office. I had tried to ignore my tremors and hadn't noticed or maybe just hadn't paid attention that my right hand had begun to tremor. I know it's difficult for many people to understand why it is so terrifying not to be able to write. Not only the humiliation, embarrassment, but feeling so inept, clumsy, a bumbling idiot. I had to find answers. I worked diligently going to doctors and still had the same result, I was nervous. I knew I had to do something so I called and made an appointment with a neurologist. I told the nurse that my family doctor had sent me, which wasn't true because he didn't think anything was wrong with me. My neurologist Dr. Holmes told me that I had Essential Tremors. This may sound weird, but I do have to say it was a huge relief just to know that I wasn't crazy and there was something wrong with me. He prescribed Inderal, a Beta blocker. I stayed on Inderal for years until my blood pressure kept dropping way too low and I had to stop the medicine. So, now, I'm off of all medicine and I just let my hands shake. In the last year, not only my hands tremor, but my head, voice, and I've noticed my legs and body will tremor when I get overly tired or stressed. I’m lucky that my ET didn't progress as fast as so many people around the world has done. For years I thought I was all alone, the only person with ET. I hadn't heard of anyone else with my disorder, so I tried to hide my hands and not tell anyone. You see anyone with ET learns quickly to grip their hands together to keep them from tremoring. Of course, that doesn't make it easy to eat, drink, or do things out in public. In 2010, my hands for some reason began to tremor worse and I'd had some confrontations with people about my hands shaking. If you know me, then you understand that I don’t sit back when someone says smart remarks to me; I have to say something back. Well, the kicker was, my worst confrontation was at my doctor’s office that I’d been going to for years. I assumed all the office staff understood what ET was. I was wrong. That will be another story for another time. Months went by and for the first time in my life, the frustration grew just as my hands tremoring. I was so tired of trying to do tedious things that took twice as long. Simple things became difficult, like when I was recently at someone’s home and was offered a cappuccino, which I love, I had to decline the offer. I couldn't have held the small cup and would have splashed it everywhere. I began to pay attention to what I ordered in restaurants, since food on my fork or spoon could fly off before making it to my mouth and I never go to a buffet. Little things get to me, things we all take for granted, doing makeup, putting on jewelry, and even writing grocery notes that no one can read have become problematic. The stares make my hands tremor worse. On December 18, 2010, which was my birthday, I went to my cubby office. I sat down at the computer to work on one of my books I was finishing, but my hands were tremoring uncontrollably. That night, I’d had enough; my frustration of my hands fluttering like bird’s wings over the keyboard was too much. I sat in my dark office and began to type. The first word appeared on the screen, Happy birthday dumb ass, and Quad Witherspoon, an artist that develops ET believing his life is over since he can’t paint his masterpieces anymore, became alive right in front of me. “A Faded Cottage”a novel I hadn't planned to write, was born that December night. “A Faded Cottage” was published in 2013 and it has become a vehicle to share to the world about living with ET. Time moved on and I found out, by searching the internet, I wasn't alone and over 10 million Americans and millions worldwide have been diagnosed with Essential Tremor. I began to ask people; do you know what Essential Tremor is? My answer 99% of the time has been no. How can this be? I wanted more answers. Over the last year, I've become an activist and adamant to bring awareness to the world about living with ET. I decided to show my tremoring hands and not try to hide them anymore, even though it is very difficult at times. I had to get the word out there about ET and to make this happen I started my own foundation, the Diann Shaddox Foundation for Essential Tremor, a Non-Profit public organization 501 c(3) to bring awareness . We have to get the word out there to make this happen. I can’t do this alone and I do have others joining DSF, but I need your help. Please give and support all you can, any size donation no matter how small whatever you can to make this happen. www.diannshaddoxfoundation.org Do you know? I asked a simple question, one that you'll see further down in the post, but a difficult question to answer. This is an update on my latest fundraiser/book signing that was held Saturday, October 4th at Joe’s Place in Greenville, SC. The day couldn’t have been more beautiful, fluffy white clouds floating by in the bluest sky and the temperature in the 70’s. Joe’s Place is located on Main Street, a picturesque street, lined with boutiques shops and unique dining. Joe’s Place was named for the owner's brother, who passed away a few years ago and had a love for books and wine. It is a charming bookstore with old-fashion bookshelves full of used books of all genres, along with a few new books from local authors.
••• Keep reading more "Do You Know" click read more below |