Monday, May 20, 2013

Welcome Sharon Simmons and a Guest Post on "Why I Wrote Mom at Last"





















Welcome Sharon Simmons, author of Mom at Last, and a guest post on what inspired her to share her story of hope.  And, exciting news, Sharon is giving away a free copy of Mom at Last to one lucky person who leaves a comment!  For a chance to win, comment here or on my Facebook Page: Audry Fryer, Author.
 
To find out more about Sharon Simmons, visit her online:

Sharon's website: http://www.momatlast.com


Twitter: @momatlast   


As I said in last week's post, the road to motherhood takes many paths.  Thank you Sharon for sharing "Why I Wrote Mom at Last".



About the Author:

Sharon had a dream to become a mother which she was determined to follow. Her path was difficult but ultimately successful. Born in New Jersey and living in Delaware, she is married to her soul mate Rick and the very proud Mom to her two sons Dylan and Hunter.

Sharon struggled to become a Mom, dealing with the uncertain world of infertility including three In Vitro Fertilizations, Tubal Pregnancy, and the Loss of a Pregnancy with twin boys at 19 weeks. That loss only made her more determined to become a Mom. Thankfully that dream became a reality due to International Adoption.

Sharon is inspired to share her experiences, to offer insight, and inspire other women find their strength to achieve their goal of becoming mothers. Her passion involves using her journey to motherhood to educate and help women become a "Mom at Last." Her main message is to let women everywhere know that when you finally hold your child in your arms, no matter how that child became your child, you will understand and appreciate your journey to motherhood.

Find out more about the author by visiting her online:

Sharon's website: http://www.momatlast.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/momatlast

Twitter: @momatlast   


Mom at Last: How I Never Gave Up on Becoming a Mother
     

By Sharon Simons 


With her biological clock was ticking louder each day, Sharon Simons felt her heart sink as yet another "Mr. Wonderful" turned out to be a frog--not the prince she was waiting for. But when the right man did come along, their journey toward parenthood seemed more like a machete trail through a jungle than the smooth path of her dreams. Enduring multiple failed IVFs and the loss of their unborn twins, Sharon and her husband decided to adopt--taking a whirlwind trip to Russia and navigating the rough waters of international adoption red tape. Their journey ended, or rather began, when two baby boys were placed in their arms for a long trip home.

Part love story, part adoption memoir, and all heart, Mom at Last is the story of one woman's fierce determination to become a mother. Full of setbacks and emotionally devastating pitfalls, ultimately the journey leads her to true love and pure joy. Mom at Last will inspire women who find themselves on that sometimes difficult journey to motherhood, giving hope that motherhood is possible and encouraging women to never give up on their dreams. While every journey to motherhood is different, Mom at Lastlets women know they are not alone in the struggle toward motherhood.

Paperback: 250 pages  
Publisher: Morgan James Publishing (March 1, 2013 Kindle version;paperback) 
ISBN-10: 1614484422
ISBN-13: 978-1614484424
Twitter hashtag: #momatlast


Mom at Last: How I Never Gave Up on Becoming a Mother is available for e-book purchase and print pre-order at Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.


Download a free excerpt here: http://www.momatlast.com/Memoir/ 


Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Welcome Jennifer Richardson and Guest Post on "The Question of Motherhood"


Welcome Jennifer Richardson, author of Americashire: A Field Guide to a Marriage, and a guest post on "The Question of Motherhood".  This post has the potential to spark quite a discussion on the expectations woman face in regard to motherhood.  From my own handful of close friends, motherhood can be defined in multiple ways from twins to starting late in life to adoption to pregnancy complications and, yes, to deciding against motherhood.  I'm thankful to Jennifer for offering an honest perspective as she shares her personal thoughts and experiences.

The Question of Motherhood

In retrospect, the fact that motherhood was even a question should have been a dead giveaway.  It's not that I'm dismissive of questioning in general, which these days seems to be an underused skill when it comes to life's more consequential decisions.  It's just that, apart from finding the right father, motherhood was never a question for any of my friends who are now happy moms.

In fact, it wasn't always a question for me.  When I was a teenager I had the certainty of youth and used to stand in front of the microwave while it was on, proclaiming I was radiating my uterus to prevent impregnation.  While I'm pretty sure I did this because I enjoyed shocking my mother, it turns out there may have been some truth lurking amidst my adolescent sense of humor.  I blame the rest of the eighties for clouding my judgement.  This was a time when well-meaning feminists were still pushing the belief that women could and should do it all: husband, kids, and a glass-ceiling-breaking career where you got to wear jewel-colored power suits with linebacker-worthy shoulder pads. Convinced I, too, could and should want it all, I assumed that one day my biological clock would kick into action.

When said clock failed to commence ticking by thirty-five, the questioning began.  I describe it in my book, Americashire: A Field Guide to a Marriage, this way:

...Only when my birth control prescription ran out was I forced to confront my own  ambivalence on the matter.  And unencumbered by any biological urges, I realized ambivalence was not a foundation that would sustain me, much less my husband, through sleepless nights and chafed nipples.  Still I was ill at ease with my choice.  I envied those women who have motherhood emblazoned on their brainwaves like Manifest Destiny.  I had no tangible reasons to avoid it - good jobs, a home, a willing husband - yet I had no real urge either.  More infuriating was that I didn't fell any particular passion about remaining childless.  I was on no high horse about what a crappy world it is to bring a child into or that I was saving the planet by not contributing another carbon energy-consuming being to the cosmos.  When I held friends' babies in my arms I cooed, enjoyed the baby scent, admired their perfect skin, and marveled at their tiny fingernails.  And then, after ten minutes or so, I was happy to hand them back.

It took me a few more years and one epiphany-producing experience - you'll have to read the book for more on that - to get comfortable with the fact that my answer to the question of motherhood was "no".  Having reconnected with the certainty of my inner-teenager, I am happy to report this is one question I still think I've answered right.


 Americashire: A Field Guide to a Marriage begins with the simultaneous purchase of a Cotswold cottage and Richardson's ill-advised decision to tell her grandchild-hungry parents that she is going to try to have a baby. As she transitions from urban to rural life, she is forced to confront both her ambivalence about the idea of motherhood and the reality of living with the spouse who suffers from depression. Then, just when she is finally settling into English country life, she is struck by an attack of non-alcohol-related slurring that turns out to be a symptom of multiple sclerosis.

Set against the backdrop of English food, drink festivals and fairs, Americashire includes field guides illustrating walks through the Cotswolds and skillfully depicts a compelling tale of marriage, illness and difficult life decisions. 



Jennifer Richardson is an American Anglophile who spent three years living in a Cotswold village populated straight out of English central casting by fumbling aristocrats, gentlemen farmers, and a village idiot. She is married to an Englishman who, although not the village idiot, provides her with ample writing material. She currently lives in Santa Monica, California along with her husband and her royal wedding tea towel collection.

Find out more about the author by visiting her online:

Jennifer's website: http://americashire.com/


Twitter: @BaronessBarren



Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Shhh ... It's a Secret!

Hi Friends!  I haven't been coming up with clever blog posts lately and there's a good reason.  I have been hard at work baking up a second novel that's spicy with drama and sweet with humor.

Shh ... It's a Secret.  You can find a sneak peek of my next novel, Secrets, Lies and Apple Pies, right here (click on the page tab above entitled "Shh ... It's a Secret" for an excerpt of the beginning scene).  If you like what you see and want to read more, then you're in luck.  I'm going to do something crazy - my first draft will be available for FREE for a limited time at the end of May.  If you want to be in on the fun of helping me make this novel a bestseller (fingers crossed and wishful thinking in place), leave me a message here or on my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Audry-Fryer-Author/207222035989970?fref=ts  When the first draft of Secrets, Lies and Apple Pies goes up for sale for free on Kindle and Nook, I'll let you know!  Plus, every person who provides me feedback will be offered the chance to be listed in the book's acknowledgements.


I hope you enjoy the sneak peek and while you're at it, check out the page tab for the excerpt for my first novel, Going
Barefoot in Greener Grass.  With the warm weather here to stay, now is the perfect time to for a read that's kick-off-your-shoes fun!
Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Going-Barefoot-Greener-Grass-ebook/dp/B004O6MR2A
Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/going-barefoot-in-greener-grass-audry-fryer/1107351346?ean=2940013595170





One Last Thing: 
Happy Mother's Day!

Here's to my mom who shared her love of reading with me and to moms everywhere! 

(Oh, and keeping with the Mother's Day theme, I have two guest posts coming up this month discussing motherhood.  Plus, as an added bonus, you'll find a quirky mother/daughter exchange in each of my excerpts - Enjoy!)