Monday, December 23, 2013

'Tis the Season and all that jazz

So we've come almost full circle and what a whirlwind it's been. 2013 was a good year for me. Creatively, I pushed past boundaries and found myself debuting in erotic literature - something I thought I'd never do, but I did it and it was well received. I also found myself writing my first crime thriller, a novel which will see me break another personal boundary and fulfill a lifetimes passion.


My children have been blessed with good health, although their mouths seem to get bigger with each passing year, haha, and my husband has been wonderfully supportive. We changed our second living room into a working space for me. It is now my 'office' and I must admit, it's great to be able to close the door at the end of the day, instead of the old '5 minutes more' routine.

2014 proves to be another wonderful year, and I already have two impending releases: The Taken, publishes March 8th and the third installment in my Rose Saga, Under the Burning Sun publishes May 12th.





I will also be travelling to the United States in August, where I will attend the Believe HOPE LIVE Author Convention, in Agusta, Maine. I will be bringing my 13 year old daughter with me and we intend on staying in New York for a night to get into the spirit of things, and have a pre - 14th birthday treat, yes, it's a bit extravagant, but she's my kind and I adore her. It is going to a special trip and I am so excited at the prospect of meeting my fellow author's and friends.

I am both excited and humbled. When I started this journey all those years ago, I never truly anticipated the huge support network that would grow. It has become something bigger than I ever imagined and I am so thankful for all the readers and fans who continue to support me, read my work and help spread the word.

So from me to you, wherever you are in this beautiful, wonderful planet. MERRY CHRISTMAS and may the force be with you.

Here's a little picture to make you smile. My very own Elf. My four year old son, Rory. Isn't he cute?







Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Cover Reveal: Stolen by Keren Hughes

Hi everyone, today I am super excited to be a part of the cover reveal for debut novelist, Keren Hughes. 

Stolen is the first book in the Freedom of Souls series, and Keren is also the owner of Gothic Angels Book Reviews book blog. 



Keren lives in the UK and is an avid bookworm; she has been since she read things like Black Beauty, What Katy Did and The Hobbit as a child. Her first real memories of reading are the summers she used to lie on her bed and re-read What Katy Did and What Katy Did Next.

Over the years she has come to realise that she is a bit OCD about books. They have to be in perfect condition without the slightest bit of damage.

She is a book reviewer and has been for the past 18 months or so.

The idea for Stolen came to her one day but she never thought she’d actually write it let alone publish it. If it wasn’t for her author friend Kira Saito, the idea would still be stuck in her head not on paper. But constant love and support from Kira is why you are now able to read Stolen.

Stolen is her first novel but now that she’s written one, she knows she needs to write more. There will be one sequel, called Freed which will be from Bodhi’s POV. This will be set a couple of years on.

Then, the plan is for her to write either NA or Adult Contemporary Romances. She has a big crush on Lady Antebellum’s music at the moment and their songs have inspired a few book ideas.



Stolen is brought to you by Limitless Publishing

Roshanna O'Dare wakes up in her own home in shock when she discovers part of her memory is missing and her parents are dead…

With no clues of any kind as to what happened to her parents, and no other close family, Roshanna must move to Texas, Austin, to live with her last living relative, Uncle Joe after the funeral. But this means leaving her best friend, Marissa Mason behind.

That’s when she meets Bodhi Vincent, her uncle’s chauffeur, who seems to understand Roshanna in a way no one else has…

Bodhi is her rock after the death of her parents and the longer she stays with her uncle, the closer they become.

But before moving away, Roshanna was confronted with a shocking secret that Marissa had kept from her, a secret that changes how she sees life and the people in it—Marissa is a pure soul and her foster parents are soul drainers who need her pure energy to survive.

More shockingly, her parents’ souls were stolen by their murderer.

When Roshanna and Bodhi try and track down Marissa’s father, Leith Mason, in order to retrieve her parents’ souls back, they find themselves held hostage at gunpoint.

Will Roshanna and Bodhi survive? Will she ever find her parents souls? Or will their souls be the next ones to be taken?


To find out more about Keren and Stolen click on the links below:


GIVEAWAY


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Be sure to enter the giveaway and support another new author hitting the scenes.

Monday, October 14, 2013

A little reflection...it's good for the soul - part 1

So there I was, sitting, looking out into the world, thinking about what I could do to make a difference to my life, and low and behold the epiphany hit me like a freight train at rush hour: I would write a book. That is almost nine years ago. Yes, nine whole years have passed and in that time I have been pulled from pillar to post, from one project to the next and finally completing a small batch of published works that I am proud off.

But here's the thing. I didn't just sit there that day and write a stellar novel. No, in fact, it took me another four years to complete a project that I stopped and started over and over again - very draining may I add. Often questioning my ability as a, dare I say it 'novelist'. Yes, I had an education, a drive that had oodles of passion, and the backing of my husband and family, but I was green, and when I say green, I mean I was beyond naive. Yes, even writers start out completely out of the loop, often dreaming, fantasizing about having that number one bestseller, but those are hard to come by.

So there I was, full to the brim with idea's the size of mammoths running through my little head, and I couldn't get them down fast enough. I read, I harnessed, I tweaked and I began gathering up a little black book full of potential contacts. The list grew and the rejections came faster than I could say 'shoot me now'. Yes, when I say rejection, I literally mean being rejected on the basis that I 'couldn't write', or I needed to 'take a creative writing course', right through to the bizarre 'if you pay us x amount of monies'. Yes, those also came with the rejections.

I felt numb and broken the first time I read a rejection. It actually made me cry, and I am not one to sit and cry over trivial things. But to have a complete stranger state that they thought I had idea's and vision, but lacked the capability, well, that hurt me right down to my core. I was shattered and pressed the dreaded delete button on my laptop. I felt jaded and useless and gave up.

Of course, it didn't take long for me to get back on the horse, as some would say I was a glutton for punishment.I continued subbing around the WORLD, yes, there is a whole world out there with potential publishers and agents just waiting for the right novel to land on their lap, but it wasn't mine.

Nope, it took me a further 6 months before I got my break, and when I say break, I mean I got my foot into the door, only a smidgen, but enough to begin what I call now my 'journey'. It was then in the Winter of 2011 that I finally began realizing that I was good enough(If I say that loud enough I might giggle) and found myself the beginning of a nice little following. I couldn't believe it, there were people out there, in the great BIG wide WORLD who wanted to hear my stories, they wanted to take my 'journey' with me and I never felt more blessed.

Now, in hindsight, all I can say is, if I knew then....you get the drift, I wouldn't have signed that first deal. No sirree. Instead, I would have sat back, waited and signed the right deal when the time was right. But I didn't have the power of foresight and therefore signed my life away....yes, I signed a deal that meant all the rights to my work were the property for the 'unnamed' publisher for FIVE years! Gaaaah, what was I thinking?

The 5 months that followed the signing were without a doubt the most bizarre, unbelievable and God awful moments of my writing career.

But you know what, that is a tale for another time.

So there I was in a predicament. More foes than allies and more regret than joy and then the sun came out in the form of another author, a person who I call a true friend. The rainbow that followed put the smile back on my face and the fires of determination went into full throttle.

Wanna what happened next?

Come back next week. ;)

***



Within the Shadows

Escaping Shadows



Monday, September 23, 2013

Cover Reveal: The Shadow World series

Wow, I am just an awful blogger. Maybe I should ought to enroll in Bad Blogger's Anonymous, maybe I will kick the habit of procrastination one and for all, but I seriously doubt that would cure my ails, haha, anyway.

So, it came to my attention a few weeks back that even though I love dark, Gothic and somewhat dark art, that my beautiful Shadow World series had fallen victim to my vision. SO, the hunt began. I searched, I looked, I observed and finally I connected!

Kellie Dennis, aka, artist extraordinaire from Book Cover By Design listened to me, worked with me and created three new covers that have literally pulled my books into the light. Yes, I still have the Gothic, damsel in distress vibe, but to me, the new covers are so beautiful, commercial and viable that I feel like I have just come home.

So without further ado, I introduce to you the newly re-vamped, re-twinked and FANGTASTC covers for The Shadow World series.

The Official Shadow World logo






I don't know about you, but I am super excited to share these with you and really hope you all continue to support me.

Love 'n' huggles to you all.

Ciao :)



Monday, September 2, 2013

Guest Author: Victoria Kinnaird

To kick off the first Monday of September, we are joined by debut author, Victoria Kinnaird, one of the latest additions to the Crushing Hearts & Black Butterfly Publishing family. 

This is a fun post, and an insightful one. I asked Victoria to tell me a few of her darkest secrets, and guess what?

SHE DID!!!

✽ ✾ ✿ ❀ ❁ ❃ ❊ ❋ ✣ ✤ 



✽ ✾ ✿  My darkest secrets and “The Red Sun Rises”✽ ✾ ✿ 


1. I spent most of my teenage years feeling like I didn’t fit in.
Like Eren, the protagonist of “The Red Sun Rises”, I spent a lot of time feeling like I didn’t fit in, even when I was among friends. This is something that Eren experiences to a rather severe degree - all of his friends have the power to cast spells and he doesn’t. At the start of “The Red Sun Rises”, Eren’s friends have spent the summer learning how to cast so he feels more left out than ever.

2. I was bullied at school, and took great pleasure in writing a scene where Eren stands up to his bully.
I never physically confronted my bullies but Eren does and it was awesome to write! Eren is a tough character but he’s pretty used to being bullied and usually it doesn’t bother him - he always has a sarcastic and cutting comeback, until one morning he’s just so sick of it that he lets his fist do the talking.

3. Eren is a natural redhead, but I’m not!
 Although there are lots of redheads in my family, it’s not a gene I inherited so I dye my hair red! Eren’s red hair is actually quite important in the book, so it gets talked about a lot. I have ginger envy for sure.




4. I’m a fan of the Twilight books/movies.

While I don’t agree with how vampires are portrayed in the series, I do enjoy it! Eren is a secret fan as well and indirectly references the first film when talking to his vampire boyfriend Corbijn.

5. I never intended for “The Red Sun Rises” to be anything more than a standalone novel.
It took five years of false starts before I actually wrote a complete version of “The Red Sun Rises”, so I always told myself it would just be one book. Now I’m nearly halfway through writing Book 
2 and I’m planning Book 3! 








Author Links:


✽ ✾ ✿ ❀ ❁ ❃ ❊ ❋ ✣ ✤ 



Thank you so much for stopping by, Victoria. We wish you much success with your debut.


Friday, July 26, 2013

Torn Cover Reveal

Today we are doing something VERY special.

From CHBB author Christine Hughes the anticipated cover reveal of her soon to released novel, Torn!

I don't know about you, BUT this cover is gorgeous. The girl: her eyes, her lips, her beautiful hair - the whole thing just draws me in.

The clouds in the background, the hues of black and grey - yes, this cover works on so many levels. 





With the sudden, mysterious death of her father, Samantha discovers her life isn't what it seems. Not only isn't she the normal teenage girl she thought she was, Sam must now take her father’s place in the fight between two groups of fallen angels, the Faithful and the Exiled, in a race to save humanity. In addition to dealing with a devastating betrayal—and having feelings for someone she’s forbidden to love—Sam must also fight the growing darkness within her as she struggles to make a choice between fighting alongside the Faithful or succumbing to the temptation of the Exiled. Both sides require sacrifices Sam isn't sure she can make.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Lumen Blog Tour

Well, today I am super excited to have the gorgeous, the talented, the totally Twitter savvy, the one and only Mr. Joseph Eastwood. 

Who is Mr. Eastwood? 

Let me introduce you to him....



Thank you for joining myself and the host of this wonderful blog to celebrate the re-release of Lumen! So, if it’s not already on your Goodreads to-read list, you should go put it on: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13219801-lumen

Oh, and this blog post is not the only one. If you want more information, don’t forget to log on to Facebook and hit JOIN on the event… what, what event? This one: https://www.facebook.com/events/1374352692785255/ 

I hope to see you there! And don’t forget about the other blogs on this tour for more exclusive content!





JOSEPH EASTWOOD, born 9th June 1993, Lancaster, England, has always been adamant in his dreams of being a published author. Although he has been through the stages of wanting to be in every other profession under the sun, and what better way to live out all of those professions than to be an author and create people with them.


I have a secret… come closer!


What’s the secret? This post is late… oh no (my fault)! No, on a serious note, my secret is that I have the best publishing family in the entire world. No, no, no… that’s still not my secret as everyone knows CHBB is awesome. My secret is that I have an addiction… yes, I’m addicted to TV!

My writing is heavily influenced by television and I watch a lot of it. So, I decided to tell you guys what TV influenced me when I was writing Lumen.

In no particular order, I’ll list off the shows and tell you why they were helpful and how they helped me.

Rizzoli and Isles – I only really got into this TV series last summer, and I watched all the episodes the internet had to offer. Focused on the friendship of a detective and a medical examiner, I was inspired to mould the sarcastic tone they took with each other, and incorporate that into the way Daniel and Jac are with each other.

Charmed – the WHOLE magic aspect, need I go on? I absolutely love Charmed, and I think that with Lumen, what I’m essentially doing is introducing magic to the world because it’s been confined to this one island, and you’ll see as the series progresses the effect that magic has on the world if word of its existence did get out.

Supernatural – this TV programme is basically research. There’s so much in this programme about all the different types of supernatural creatures etc. and while I was creating my own type, this was helpful in terms of thinking about supernatural strengths and weaknesses.

What about you? Has TV influenced you at all? Do you read books that have been made into TV series?

✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿

Links to Stalk Me!

Twitter: @Joe_Eastwood - https://twitter.com/Joe_Eastwood

That’s a whole bunch of stalking you can do… please, only in moderation.


✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿


Well, wasn't that fun, interesting and totally absorbing? 
I don't know about you, but I am eager to see the cover of Lumen. I am excited as I have come to know Joe over the past couple of years on Facebook and have witnessed him flourish as a novelist.

So from all of us here Joseph, we wish you only success, joy and a never ending supply of coffee.



Thanks again, Joseph for stopping by!

Remember folks to stop by on Friday July 26th for the cover reveal of Christine Hughes new novel TORN.

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Summer Swag Giveaway

It's that time of year again - time to treat those who've been supportive and welcoming new fans into my life.
For your chance to win some of the goodies, make sure you enter when the event goes live on 22nd July 2013. The contest runs for a month so there is plenty of time to make sure your entry is counted.

THANK you all for making 2013 a wonderful year  so far, and

GOOD LUCK!!!!




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Friday, July 19, 2013

Blog Tour Stop: Tom Ufert

Today we are joined by author Tom Ufert who is on tour. His novel, Adversity Builds Character: An Inspirational True Life Story of Disability, Addiction, and Acceptance, is both inspiring and courageous. 

Welcome, Tom.


Tom Ufert, a 46-year-old quadriplegic afflicted with three different disabilities is an inspirational voice in our troubled times. He received his bachelor of arts in political science and history as a scholarship recipient from Centenary College of Louisiana. Tom is a former Rotary International graduate Fellow who attended Australian National University in Canberra, ACT, specializing in East Asian political affairs and was a White House Fellow nominee. He is a former Lyndon Baines Johnson Congressional Intern and constituency aid for two former United States members of Congress. His past services for 11 political campaigns on both sides of the aisle were highly valued by former Louisiana Governor Charles "Buddy" Roemer, Henson Moore the former assistant chief of staff to U.S. Vice President George H.W. Bush, and the present U.S. Trade Ambassador, Ron Kirk.

At age 23 he was the youngest artistic Board Chairman in the United States as head of the Shreveport Summer Music Festival. Mr. Ufert has served as a member of two other 501(c) three charity boards including his beloved fraternity Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia as well as the community advisory board for his former rehabilitation hospital. Over the years he has acquired extensive customer service experience in the food and beverage, hotel, insurance, home security, and pharmaceutical industries. Mr. Ufert has served as a member of two other 501(c) three charity boards including his beloved fraternity Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia as well as the community advisory board for his former rehabilitation hospital. His professional memberships include Phi Alpha Theta, Sigma Tau Delta, and the Worldwide Who's Who. In recent years he has worked tirelessly as a volunteer fundraiser for numerous AIDS charities in his community and served briefly as the community affairs liaison for Legacy Founders Cottage. Tom Ufert, a native of Louisiana, now resides in Texas.


ADVERSITY BUILDS CHARACTER - Chapter 4 – Thief In The Night

It must’ve been a weekend, for I was home doing something in my room. The washer and dryer were going, and Mom was sitting on the sofa watching TV. Her walker was close at hand. Over the last several months her condition had grown worse. The household chores had fallen pretty much in my lap. She did try to help but it was just so frustrating for both of us. Like so many people, I guess, it was just easier for me to do what I could and not ask or expect her to help. Grandpa would mow the yard and make any repairs we required. He and Nanny would help by taking me to and from the grocery store. The vacuuming, dishwashing, dusting, laundry, and cooking had become almost routine chores for me. I tried hard, but at age nine a child doesn’t have the experience or knowledge to do these things first rate.

In addition, Mom needed my assistance. There were times when she was unable to reach the bathroom or even make it out of bed in time to perform normal bodily functions. For the person who is ill, urinating and defecating on oneself is bad enough; having to ask someone else to clean you, especially your nine year old son, is perhaps the most humiliating experience for our so fragile egos. There was never a time that I helped Mom with this that she didn’t cry. For the loved one helping, the experience is both humbling and demoralizing. You want to help because you love them; you know they want to do it on their own. Your heart silently screams, for you see the degradation flooding their eyes; and you know that they hate to ask but they have no choice. Years would pass before I myself had to endure this, but I can honestly empathize, not just sympathize.

There is no measuring stick for the amount of humiliation required to make one snap. Even through all of my trials and tribulations, I consider myself blessed for they have never broken me. I have Mom to thank. In a single desperate act (one that I’ve never written or spoken of in any detail before now), I witnessed the source of my life, all that I loved and lived for, want nothing more than to die. She taught me in a single moment the true value of life: Love.

Walking into the den, I found my mom slumped over the arm of the sofa. A pill bottle had fallen from her shaking hands onto the linoleum floor, scattering the few remaining capsules everywhere. “Mama! Mama! Wake up! What’s wrong? What have you done?” I grabbed her and tried in vain to shake her awake. She was groggy and incoherent. I screamed and yelled for help. No one heard me. Of course, there was no one to hear me. Even in her groggy state she pleaded for me just to go away. Knowing my grandparents’ house was but a few blocks away, I told Mom not to worry and that help would soon be there. She weakly reached for my arm to stop me, but I broke away and ran as fast as I could. For some reason, probably the horror of the moment, using the telephone never occurred to me. The night was dark like the nightmare I was living. Frantically running the five blocks to my grandparents, I burst into their home some ten minutes later. Breathless and deranged, I tried to explain what I had seen. Nanny held and comforted her sobbing grandchild, while Grandpa hurriedly dressed and drove to my house.

Shortly thereafter, Grandpa called. I just knew Mom was dead. Thank God I was wrong. After pumping her stomach, the hospital kept my mother a few days for observation. I stayed with my grandparents and went to school on Monday. Everyone assured me that my mom was going to be okay. Over the last several months I had been in contact with Mrs. Campbell, my godmother and my mom’s best friend. She had made every effort to keep in touch with Gloria and check up on me. Joy Campbell had assured me that her door was always open, and I could call her at any time. Little did I know how true to her word she would be!
Grandpa picked me up from school as always. That Monday had been morose and left me feeling fearful of the future that lay ahead. My thoughts drifted all day and even the slightest gibe from anyone sent me into a flood of tears. Though I’m sure the faculty were all aware of the previous weekend’s events, my classmates must have surely just brushed off my behavior as more sissy drama. That evening at home, alone with Mom, would make my day at school feel like a circus parade.

Grandpa and I walked into the somber Canal Street house. I wasn’t sure what to expect. My thoughts were jumbled between exaltation that my mom was okay and the fear of the unknown. Fear that somehow everything had now changed. Would she try again? What would happen to me if she succeeded? In the end, my love for her and the joy that she was still alive helped me run eagerly to see her. She sat in her usual spot on the sofa in the den. Her color was ghostly white and you could almost feel her physical agony. I reached to hug Mom but was warned that the stomach pump had left her severely sore and weak. Grandpa left after a few minutes to fetch Mom’s new prescriptions, announcing that he would return shortly.
Her once beautiful azure blue eyes now glared at me steely for several minutes as she remained stoically quiet. I stressed how happy I was to see her and that she was okay. She began to cry. I will never forget the next few minutes for the rest of my life. In her sobbing state she said to me, “I hate you! Why couldn’t you just let me die?” Back then I was just too young to understand how she felt or why. Those words seared through me like none before or since. As you will see, this event would serve as the foundation for my thoughts many years later when Mom died.

A gold plastic crucifix hung over my bed. That night began a ritual that continued for a very long time. In the darkness of my small room, I would stand and kiss the head of Christ and beg for his mercy. I knew nowhere else to turn and had little hope of any reprieve from my prison. In my heart there was hope and faith that all of this would turn out okay. My mind couldn’t see how. My story is living proof that God does work in mysterious ways, miracles do happen, and Angels are among us. These are true realities for us all if we would take the time to see them and keep our hearts open to them.

Watching a loved one lose all hope and doubt the value of their own life is an unbearable experience for anyone, especially a young child. Even more traumatic was the unforgettable searing image of my own mother glaring at me and expressing her seemingly genuine hatred for the act of saving her life. Mom’s irredeemably forsaken demeanor ripped through my heart like a piece of jagged glass! From this experience, I learned that the human spirit cannot be saved by even the deepest expression of love when it has reached a point of no return in total despair. Only the sheer will to live knowing that you have a purpose and your life has meaning can pull you from the darkest recesses of adversity.


The Tom Ufert blog tour continues on Monday when we pay a visit to Nick Wale´s blog for another insightful interview which will see Tom talk further about the writing of Adversity Builds Character, and about his plans for the future.

You can connect with Tom on Facebook or grab your copy of ‘Adversity Builds Character’ here.










Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Escaping Shadow Launch Night, 15th July 2013, Clones Library, Co. Monaghan, Ireland.

Here is a video of me posted by a member of the audience at my most recent launch event. It was a surreal night, but one that I will always remember, why? Because I didn't believe that I could do it, and I proved myself wrong, and for that alone I am over the moon.

It's amazing what a great bunch of people can do for the soul. Young, old, from all different walks of life came and showered me with their support, their intelligent questions and their complete interest and faith in me as a writer will stay with me for a very long time.

Enjoy the video :)

Monday, July 8, 2013

The Curse of the Rose

So, it has been a while since my last post. Damn I am getting far too lazy for my own good, BUT, I do have valid excuses. I have been writing none stop, getting myself a nice catalog of published works together and it seems to be working!

My latest offering is the beautiful, but naughty The Curse of the Rose, part one of my four part mini-series, The Rose Saga, and I tell you something, it isn't for the faint of heart. 

Why?

Because this is my erotic debut. Yes, you heard me right, I have written a lovely erotic story that shocked even myself. 


Young, beautiful and naive, a young Bianka doesn't truly understand the price that comes with being the chosen one.
Taken from her family, her future is unknown to her, but one thing is for sure: an eternity of need, want and greed.
Can Bianka break the curse that leaves her insatiable, or will she just be another night-walker bound to the Rose?

Here are what some of the reviewers have been saying:


"WOW! Definitely for an 18+ audience. Julieanne Lynch never fails to bring to the table a delectable source of imagery that tugs at your emotions and teases your mind. She always has engaging stories and I love reading her work. When I was asked if I could read this erotic piece, of course I had to! Be prepared for blazing hot images and a great story! I absolutely loved this piece, you will not be disappointed." A. McEwan

"All Bianka wants is to be free from the castle that has been her home for many, many years. She finds pleasure with Batar and release but he can only give her so much. Attempting to make her escape, she finds she has faultered and is on trial with a punishment that is the worst any soul could ever expect." 





Of course if you want your own copy to add to your HOT Kindle collection, then all you have to do is follow these links:




So, that is it from me, until I have a few lovely blog tour stop happening over the coming weeks! Keep coming back and remember, SHARE, SHARE, SHARE. It's funny what the word of mouth can do.

Love to you all :)

Ciao.

Monday, April 15, 2013

Author Spotlight: Karen Tyrrell

Today, we have the honor of welcoming non-fiction author Karen Tyrrell to our little corner of the world. 

I recently had the privlege of reading Karen's first novel - Me & Her: A Memoir of Madness, and I was simply captivated by the sheer honesty and heart wrenching story.

I connected with Karen and her plight in more ways than one, and felt a sense of relief after I closed the book over.

This novel is a MUST read for anyone out there who suffer's daily at the hands of mental illness. I can assure you that you will not be disappointed.

Now, it's over to Karen, who will share with us her story....

        

My name’s Karen Tyrrell, survivor of parent-teacher abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder and bipolar disorder. Parents of one of my school students inflicted psychological, written and verbal abuse until I could take no more. Each night I screamed out with night terrors, traumatizing my family.

 I escaped to a lonely motel where police discovered me, incarcerating me into the frightening world of the psychiatric system. I wrote Me and Her: A Memoir of Madness to make sense of what was happening to me.
In my tell-all memoir, I take the reader back to the classroom, showing how the harassment triggered my gradual decline and disintegration.
Later I perform an ‘experiment’, purposefully stressing over a disturbed student, keeping myself awake at night–in order to kick-start the creative ideas I craved.
I reveal my relationship with my psychologist, my pitch-black manic dreams and my two personas. ME ─ wife, mother, writer and teacher. HER ─ manic, psychic, healer to the living, telepathic to the dead, and SHE’s very psychotic.
Why did I become so crazy?
How did I reclaim my life?
In the sequel, Me and Him: A Guide to Recovery I reveal shock discoveries casting my first memoir Me and Her: A Memoir of Madness in a new light. I highlight the crucial role my husband, Steve played as carer in my recovery.

Part 1: of my self-help memoir, I share practical mental-wellness advice, demystifying meditation, solving sleep problems and how to beat depression and anxiety. I offer clues, HIM alerts of what mysteries I divulged next.
Part 2: I disclose the dreaded secrets Steve finally revealed to me.
What did Steve finally divulge six years on?
What impact did those revelations have on my marriage and recovery?





"Brisbane teacher who cared too much, ended up in psychiatric facility. Serves as a warning to all of us. Make a great movie!" Spencer Howson: ABC Radio 
"Karen’s story of courage and inspiration-- a very special and personal gift. Understand the impact of mental illness and what the joy of recovery really means." Richard Nelson, CEO of Queensland Alliance of Mental Health
ME AND HER: A Memoir Of Madness reveals how Karen Tyrrell, a dedicated Australian teacher is repeatedly harassed by parents at her school to breaking point and beyond. In a fit of desperation, she escapes and runs. Police and medical professionals discover her hiding in a lonely motel, forcing her into the frightening world of the psychiatric system. 
The reader is taken back to the classroom, discovering how the harassment affected Karen as we journey through her gradual decline and disintegration leading to her incarceration. Later Karen performs an ‘experiment’, purposefully stressing over a disturbed student, keeping herself awake at night – all in order to kick-start the creative ideas she craves. 
Karen reveals her psychic relationship with her psychologist, her pitch-black manic dreams and her two personas. ME ─ wife, mother, writer and teacher. HER ─ manic, psychic, healer to the living, telepathic to the dead, and she’s very psychotic.
Why did she become so crazy?
How did she claw her way back from Insanity?






                                                                                               
A Guide to Recovery reveals the shock discoveries that cast Karen Tyrrell's first memoir Me and Her: A Memoir of Madness in a new light. An Australian author and teacher, Karen highlights the crucial role her husband Steve played, as carer, in her recovery from parent harassment and subsequent mental illness. In this self-help memoir, Karen shares practical mental-wellness advice, demystifies meditation, addresses sleep problems, and explains how to beat depression and anxiety. Karen also discloses the dreaded secrets Steve finally revealed to her. On that fateful blue-sky day, my life as I knew it fell apart. 'You better rewrite that memoir of yours. What I'm going to tell you now will change everything.' What secrets did Steve finally divulge six years on? What impact did those revelations have on their marriage and Karen's recovery?








About Karen





Karen Tyrrell is a multi-genre Brisbane author, passionate mental health advocate, teacher, accredited speaker and blogger. Karen creates writing and mental health articles for magazines. She talks on national and international radio, sharing HOPE and empowerment.
Karen presents the Life Writing program and Resilience Training workshop to hospitals, wellness centres and the workplace. She presents creative writing workshops to schools and memoir writing workshops to libraries.
In 2012, Karen Tyrrell won finalist in the Queensland mental health achievement awards for her tell-all memoir ME & HER: A Memoir Of Madness about her recovery from parent-teacher harassment and mental illness.
ME & HIM: A Guide to Recovery is a self-help mental health manual for everyone, sharing empowering resilience skills.
Learn more about Karen at www.karentyrrell.com




Links of interest


                                  




Thank you Karen for sharing your traumatic story with us today. 

Now why don't you all go and grab a copy or two of Karen's books.