WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY: Chrissie Parker, Author

Chrissie Parker, Author
TEMPERANCE
INTEGRATE
AMONG THE OLIVE GROVES

Chrissie Parker’s recently-released TEMPERANCE is a thriller/suspense novel that is a sequel to her previous novel INTEGRATE, both of The Moon Series. One reviewer said,  “there is so much thrill and intrigue in this story.” She makes us care about her characters by giving them flaws and their own personal issues. Parker also tells us that she wrote the book primarily to entertain but suggests that readers will appreciate the theme that life never goes as planned.

Parker is currently planning to release two books in 2016 including the third novel in The Moon Series, Retribution. She lives in Devon, UK with her husband and is a freelance Production Coordinator in the TV, documentary and film industry. In addition to her thrillers in the Moon Series, she has also published her historical fiction novel AMONG THE OLIVE GROVES as well as various short stories and articles.

Don't miss the excerpt from TEMPERANCE following her interview.

Q: You’ve placed your new novella, TEMPERANCE, in the thriller/suspense genre. What makes it a thriller?

Chrissie Parker: The book is a cat and mouse game that twists and turns with multiple story lines, including a brutal unsolved murder and the death of a loved one, that all criss-cross each other.  It connects a group of characters that are all suffering with some kind of major issue that throws all their lives off course. Hopefully it will leave the reader second-guessing until the end!

Q: TEMPERANCE is a sequel to INTEGRATE. Can you remind us where INTEGRATE left us?  WARNING: This is a spoiler response. If you haven’t read INTEGRATE and intend to, go directly to the next question!

Chrissie Parker: Integrate ended with Jack being run down by a car and left in the road to die, by Corinne. Corinne had previously lost her twin sister Helena in a hit and run accident and she had sought comfort with Jack – a stranger in town. By the end of the book Corinne had learned that Jack was the one who had killed Helena, and she took her own revenge by doing the same thing to him as he had done to Helena.

Q: How do you make us care about your characters? Are they perfect? Do they have flaws?

Chrissie Parker: Each character in TEMPERANCE has their own issue, something unexpected that has happened in their lives that they are struggling to cope with.  None of them are perfect, they all have their demons and flaws, which go some way towards shaping the characters they are, and the characters they will become.  Some become better people because of their flaws, for others their flaws rule their lives forcing them to make questionable decisions.

It’s a rollercoaster ride of emotion, betrayal and deceit.

Q: Does humor help to develop your characters or tell your story?

Chrissie Parker: To be honest there isn’t much humour in this book, the themes are quite dark and very emotional at times.  I do use humour in other work, but TEMPERANCE is definitely dark and slightly edgy!

Q: Do you intend to deliver a message or educate readers in TEMPERANCE or did you write it primarily to entertain?

Chrissie Parker: I have written these books primarily to entertain.  I didn’t intend there to be any messages in the book, but there are a few that do run through the story. The main one is that life never goes according to plan. Life is full of the unexpected, things that will happen to us whether we like it or not.  As much as we plan and prepare, sometimes we just have to accept what is happening around us and do the best we can to get through it, with, or without, the help of others. It’s about learning to live with the life we have been dealt, and get on and actually live it and not blame others for our bad fortune.

Q: Does the concept of heroes vs villains play a role in TEMPERANCE? What attributes do you like to see in an effective villain?

Chrissie Parker: Yes, very much so. In fact many readers will probably spend much of the time trying to work out who is a villain and who is a hero. Not everything is as it seems in TEMPERANCE and there are some big surprises.

I think that an effective villain is someone who is selfish, they are someone who only thinks of their own needs, wants and desires above everything and everyone else. They are someone who has a fair amount of control, coupled with a big dose of manipulation.  They have an ability to make people believe anything they want, in order to get their own way, a person who has no boundaries and is extremely reckless, with no concern for others or the law. A person who ultimately thinks they are invincible and can do, and get away, with anything.

Q: Why write a series, i.e., INTEGRATE and TEMPERANCE are part of the Moon Series. What do you like about a series vs standalone books? What connects them to the Moon?

Chrissie Parker: I never intended to actually write a series. INTEGRATE was always supposed to be a standalone book.  One night I had a dream about the plot of book three (Retribution).  The character Corinne from INTEGRATE was effectively telling me that there was more to come and that INTEGRATE was just the beginning. I wrote the main points of the dream down, and thought it through, and then came up with two continuing plots for the rest of the series. I’ve never been a big fan of series but I definitely felt that this story wasn’t over and needed to be told.

Ah, the Moon. That’s a huge plot point in Retribution, so as much as I’d love to answer that part of the question, I can’t!

Q: How do you use back story and/or setting to tell your story?

Chrissie Parker: In TEMPERANCE the setting is pretty generic. As with INTEGRATE, it’s nowhere specific in the world, but the Lake area does have its own name – Lake Tranquil.  Reading the book, the reader could be in the U.S. or they could be in England. The back stories of the characters are important and this book is a sequel to INTEGRATE and it’s the link that will lead to the final book Retribution to bring us full circle back to INTEGRATE! (I can’t say too much more than that without giving away the plot for the next book!)

Q: What’s next?

Chrissie Parker: My aim is to release two books in 2016. One will be Retribution the final book in The Moon Series and the other will hopefully be Wind Across the Nile, a historical fiction/suspense set in Egypt.

I am also working on another historical fiction/suspense set in Petra and Jordan and am planning another book set in Greece which has been a request from my readers – they want to know what happened to some of the characters in AMONG THE OLIVE GROVES so I am going to write the story for them. I like to keep my readers happy!

Q: Tell us about Chrissie Parker. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Chrissie Parker: I live in a small village in Devon in the West of England, a recent move from London. I’m currently enjoying exploring the area, which is full of history, beautiful nature and interesting places to visit.  I’m also studying an Egyptology course and love learning and reading about history in general.

I like spending time with my family and friends, as well as doing a bit of gardening, and doing patchwork sewing (something I’ve recently begun doing again).

About Chrissie Parker

Chrissie lives in Devon, UK, with her husband and is a freelance Production Coordinator working in the TV, documentary and film industry.

Chrissie is also an Author.  Her thriller INTEGRATE was released in October 2013 and her historical fiction Among the Olive Groves was released in July 2014.

Other written work includes factual articles for the Bristolian newspaper and guest articles for the charities Epilepsy Awareness Squad and Epilepsy Literary Heritage Foundation.  Chrissie has also written a book of short stories and poems, one of which was performed at the 100 poems by 100 women event at the Bath International Literary Festival in 2013.

Chrissie is passionate about Ancient History, Archaeology and Travel, and has completed two six-month Archaeology and Egyptology courses with Exeter University.   She is learning to play the Ukulele and likes to read, collect books, listen to music. To find out more about Chrissie visit her website www.chrissieparker.com

About TEMPERANCE

Gabriel is weary, hunting for a murderer. 

Patience is adrift, her life a complete lie.

Nate is scared, hiding from his worst fears.

Juliet is frantic, her time is running out.

As four fragile lives collide, the truth is finally revealed. 

And betrayal and death become inevitable.

Excerpt

Lake Tranquil was vast.  So much so that Patience couldn’t see where it ended or began.  Despite its size, it was deserted.  She was the only human in sight and she loved the thought of being so alone, immersed in the beauty of nature.  An occasional bird flitted in and out of the trees, or swooped down to land at the water’s edge.  In the distance, a rabbit ran through the trees, its tail bobbed, flashing white as it ran for cover.

Trees lined craggy mountains that surrounded the lake.  They were thick, green and tall, and reached to the shoreline; only a small wavering line of pebble-covered beach sat between the shimmering waters and the forest.  

It was heavenly. 

It wasn’t the first time Patience had been to Lake Tranquil.  Once, as a child, she had visited it with her mother and enjoyed a week of blissful freedom away from the chaos of life.  Now here, fleeting memories flooded back.  Swimming in the lake as her mother sat on the deck and read.  Running through the trees playing hide and seek, and sitting on the shore as the sun set.  Watching the stars appear overhead as her mother cooked fish over a smoky fire.  It was a time in her life that stuck in her mind, when her mother had been truly happy and content. 

It was why Patience was here. 

For her mother.  To try to be closer to her, to try to understand her.   To try to find some peace.

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WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY: J. Russell Smith, Author

J. Russell (Rusty) Smith, Author
LONGWORTH 

J. Russell Smith brings us LONGWORTH, written as a thought-provoking coming-of-age novel set in the 1960s during the Vietnam War time period. When asked if Smith based his novel on personal knowledge, he responded “an unequivocal yes.” It has been described by reviewers as “a well written story about life and survival in a misunderstood era,” and includes war experiences as well as a personal love story as part of Longworth’s coming of age.

I remember the 1960s (and 1970s) well. When Smith says that the Vietnam War “shaped the 1960s” I couldn’t agree more. It turned the 1960s into a decade of domestic conflicts over those who approved the need for it and those who did not and certainly created personal tension of allegiance—a war that many of us opposed but who cared deeply for the lives of our friends and family who fought it. The 1960s also saw the acceleration of the civil rights movement and growth of technology—it was indeed a decade of change and disruption.

Smith, who owns his own business as well as writes novels, is currently developing a Science Fiction novel set in the Pacific Northwest. When he isn’t working or writing, he enjoys traveling, golfing, and reading. 

Don’t miss the giveaway opportunity following his interview.

Q: Why did you set your novel LONGWORTH during the Vietnam War time period—certainly a difficult time for those of us who lived through it? What inspired you to write it? 

J. Russell Smith: This novel was a cathartic experience for me personally, having lived through that period and having served in Vietnam.  As important, however, I felt the need to explain what was going on in the 60s, particularly for those who did not come of age during that period.  Many of those alive today do not realize how influential and powerful that period was, given that our country has now been in a long period of malaise, indifference, and self-absorption.  The days of “ask not what your country can do for you, etc…….” are long gone it would appear, given the avarice and disdain for one’s fellow man.

Q: Is LONGWORTH a story about the coming of age of a young man or is it about the issues that anyone faces going to war?

J. Russell Smith: I think the answer is “yes” to both.  As I mention in the book, I think, in this instance, the Vietnam War defined the 60s, thus anyone who served in the military during that time period and particularly anyone who actually served in combat will confess that the two are inextricably linked.  While the same can be said about WWII, for example, the political situation was very different, thus the experiences and the attitudes toward the Vietnam War were polarizing.  One coming of age during that period faced choices that were not at all clear.  In fact, they were disturbing and contradictory.  Contrast that with the relatively clear choice one had during WWII.

Q: Why will readers care about your protagonist Longworth? How do you engage readers to want to follow him? Do you consider him a  “hero?” Why?

J. Russell Smith: As I tried to point out in the book, the 60s (as defined by the Vietnam War) were unlike any era that preceded it in American history.  Carson Longworth’s generation was the first in history to come of age in an era of constant change.  Technology, originally spurred on by the launch of Sputnik, was changing before our eyes.  That technology was being utilized to a greater extent in Vietnam, which allowed the United States to mask its egregious errors.  Carson and his generation were caught up in all of this.  I would hope that readers would want to better understand how the 60s defined an entire generation and, to a large extent, shaped attitudes that remain with us today. 

Do I consider Carson a hero?  I would answer that two different ways:  one, he was more of a survivor, like so many that fought in that war; just trying to understand what was happening; and, two, yes he was heroic to the extent that he had the courage to rail against what was happening in Vietnam both during and after the war.

Q: Did you draw on real-life experiences and people to write LONGWORTH? 

J. Russell Smith: The answer is an unequivocal yes. 

Q: Does the concept of heroes vs villains apply to LONGWORTH? If so, how do you define a “villain?” 

J. Russell Smith: Yes, the concept does indeed apply, though not as black and white as it may appear.  As I mentioned above, politically the situation in the 60s was tenuous at best.  We were all trying to figure out what was happening, as it was not easy to determine the good guys from the bad.  There were villains, though, even early on in the conflict.  While he did not start the war, Richard Nixon certainly escalated the conflict, thus he became a symbol of everything that was going wrong.  Couple that with Watergate and everything else that was happening during that period, it made for a powder keg of a situation.  When most of us began to realize just what was happening, it became apparent that our participation in Vietnam was pure folly…..at the expense of the young men who had fought and, in some cases, lost their lives.

Ironically, the individuals who learned nothing from that conflict are the same ones who prosecuted the war in Iraq.  It is just further proof that power corrupts and that we learn little from history.

Q: Your book is set in the late 1960s. How much research did you conduct to assure historical accuracy? How important is accuracy to credibility? 

J. Russell Smith: While I lived through that era, I was obviously aware of most of what was going on.  However, I did a good deal of research to ensure that what I was saying was historically accurate.  There is virtually nothing that I have not read or seen (movies, documentaries, etc.) about the Vietnam War and its causes and results.  Accuracy is, in my estimation, crucial to anyone trying to understand what was transpiring.  In that sense, I suppose this can be considered somewhat of a historical novel…..or at least an enlightening one.

Q: How helpful was the use of humor to tell the story or develop your characters? 

J. Russell Smith: I believe humor is crucial in most instances throughout the conduct of our lives.  However, because this was, to me, such a serious subject, as was that era, humor took a backseat to the drama that was unfolding.

Q: Did you write LONGWORTH to entertain readers or were you hoping to educate or deliver a message? 

J. Russell Smith: With this novel, my hope was to enlighten the reader.  If he/she lived during that era, then perhaps this would conjure up some memories.  Many who have read the book have told me it brought back memories both good and bad.  For those who did not live through the 60s, and the Vietnam War that defined it, I would hope they would receive both an education and realize the import of the message.

Q: What’s next? 

J. Russell Smith: I am in the midst of writing a science fiction novel set in the Pacific Northwest.  The notion came to me in a dream/nightmare.

Q: Tell us about J. Russell Smith. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?  

J. Russell Smith: I own my company, thus my time is limited.  When I am not working or writing, I remain a voracious reader, world traveler, and golfer.  I also tend, I think because of my experiences early on, to be relatively reclusive as I get older.  Not J.D. Salinger reclusive, but I am getting there. J

About J. Russell Smith

J. Russell Smith has spent a lifetime fighting for a sense of moral justice, on both a personal level and on a broader stage. His experiences in the Vietnam War and his graduate studies in intellectual history and political theory allow him to bring both an intimate perspective and a scholar’s analysis to the writing of Longworth. Smith is currently at work on his next two novels.

About LONGWORTH

Carson Longworth seems to have been born under a lucky star. Handsome and athletic, with a certain mystique that both intrigues the people around him and keeps them at a distance, he drifts through his high school years, focusing on music, dancing, dating, and having a good time. But while he is pursuing these easy pleasures, the world around him is changing. Carson leaves the warm cocoon of his family to go to college where he gets his initial dose of reality along with his first realizations that his peripatetic childhood has left him unprepared to relate deeply to the people around him. As the Vietnam War begins to escalate, Carson is drafted into the Army, but instead decides to join the Marines. His experiences in the Marine Corps will begin to provide both the discipline he so desperately needs and the framework of domestic and international politics against which he will begin to rebel, defining and shaping his character in ways he could not have imagined.

While traveling from one duty station to another before leaving for Vietnam, Carson meets Kathy Wilkerson, a brilliant and beautiful young woman whose devotion provides the support and grounding that Carson needs in order to find his version of the truth. As a helicopter pilot in Vietnam, Carson will witness atrocities and absurdities that will reveal who he truly is: a formidably intelligent and ethical man with a need to understand the world and to stand up for what is right. Longworth is a unique coming-of-age story with a strong educational component, as well as a tender and inspiring love story. Broad in scope and beautifully detailed, Longworth is a deeply satisfying novel with thought-provoking themes that continue to resonate long after the last page is turned.

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CHECK IT OUT: Character Announces New Mystery

Joyce T. Strand, Author
LANDSCAPE FOR MURDER
HILLTOP SUNSET

My protagonist, Brynn Bancroft, has returned to tell us more about her new mystery, LANDSCAPE FOR MURDER, just released.

As her fans know, Brynn was a character in my Jillian Hillcrest mysteries where as Chief Financial Officer she served as Brynn’s boss. She was a bit risqué in those books but began to evolve into a more meaningful character in her first mystery, HILLTOP SUNSET.

In LANDSCAPE FOR MURDER, where she now is managing a winery with her co-owner ex-husband, we see her become a more caring individual—with still a few rough edges—as she learns to support her teenage ward and begins to appreciate her ex.  She also exhibits a new kind of exuberance when she experiences the thrill of launching a new killer cabernet.

In the following interview, she explains how the murder of an artist friend intrudes on her new outlook. 

Don't miss the giveaway opportunity following Brynn's interview.

Q: What can you tell us about your artist friend and how you learned about his murder?

Brynn Bancroft: I met my friend, Kenneth Sterling, while painting a landscape near the village of Point Reyes Station, California. It’s so, well, scenic in the area—dramatic seascapes versus calming pastoral meadows surrounding the quaint California village. I love it there.

Anyway, I was painting a landscape of one of the meadows when this elderly gentleman walks up next to me with his easel, palette, and paints and asks quietly if he could join me.

He says, “I don’t want to intrude, but I would love to share your landscape.”

It was just the right thing to say so that I didn’t mind the intrusion on my solitude.

At first we just painted and said nothing. But by the end of that first meeting I had invited him to Thanksgiving dinner. I learned that he was a retired CEO, and that other than painting, his primary goal in life was to find his daughter who had run away as a teenager more than 30 years ago.

Q: Would someone have killed him for his money? A retired CEO was probably wealthy.

Brynn Bancroft: Oh, no. He retired early because he got sick and tired of the issues of running a company. He also deeply regretted how he’d treated his daughter. He wasn’t wealthy. There appeared to be no reason for his murder that I could tell. He was just a friendly, amusing man who wanted to paint and find his daughter.

He was quite a good landscape artist, by the way, and I really loved his portraits as well. 

It’s quite a mystery why anyone would want to kill him, but he was definitely murdered.

Q: So, besides painting landscapes, what else are you doing?

Brynn Bancroft: Most of my time is spent at the winery preparing to launch our new cabernet, which is the best that many have ever tasted. I am really excited to be part of its marketing and am involved in many activities, despite some disturbing happenings in the area and at our Hilltop Sunset Winery.

About the author, Joyce T. Strand

Joyce T. Strand writes who-done-it mysteries that typically involve a murder or two, often a touch of romance, and always a few red herrings.

Jillian Hillcrest, a public relations executive at a Silicon Valley biotechnology company, or Brynn Bancroft, chief financial executive turned winemaker in the Sonoma valley—solve her contemporary mysteries, including her most recent whodunit, LANDSCAPE FOR MURDER.

Her novel, THE JUDGE’S STORY, is her first historical mystery. Set in a small California town (Ventura) in 1939, the novel features a California Superior Court Judge.

Although fiction, the Jillian Hillcrest and Brynn Bancroft mysteries are inspired by real California cases. She based THE JUDGE’S STORY, also fiction, on the memoir of a California Superior Court Judge (1941).

Like her character Jillian Hillcrest, Strand headed up public relations at several Silicon Valley biotech and high-tech companies for more than 25 years. Today she lives in the San Diego area where she enjoys exploring the growing Ramona Valley wine industry.

About LANDSCAPE FOR MURDER: A Brynn Bancroft Mystery (2)

A friend’s murder. An unconnected cast of suspects, including the victim’s missing adult daughter. As if that wasn’t enough, Brynn Bancroft’s winery has been broken into. Can she deal with her co-owner ex and help the police find her friend’s murder so she can finally overcome her own troubled past and enjoy family life with her teenage ward?

About HILLTOP SUNSET: A Brynn Bancroft Mystery (1)

A mystery set in wine country pitting financial exec Brynn Bancroft against a determined stalker, a troubled love interest, and a haunting past.

Brynn Bancroft learns that a former employee who beat her nearly to death has returned to stalk her and her friend, Jillian

Hillcrest, also a former victim.  Recently divorced, Brynn turns to a new love interest only to encounter additional unwelcome issues. Meanwhile, short-timer Brynn, who has resigned from her Silicon Valley company, becomes bored fulfilling her remaining responsibilities there. She begins to prefer supporting the launch of her ex-husband’s new hilltop winery while waiting to move to her next position. Between her stalker and her new love interest, Brynn faces a series of life-changing events.

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Web site http://joycestrand.com

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Twitter: @joycetstrand

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WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY: Cindy Kennedy, Author, Nutritional Medicine Practitioner, and Mother

Cindy Kennedy, Mother, Author
HELP! MY CHILD HAS HASHIMOTO'S

Cindy Kennedy has produced a book for parents of children with Hashimoto’s disease, a hypothyroid disease. Because Hashimoto's typically is a disease of middle-aged women and almost never found in children, when her daughters were diagnosed with it she found little information available to help guide her. HELP! MY CHILD HAS HASHIMOTO’S contains her experiences and research in helping her daughters, highlighted by the need for repeated blood tests.  Reviewers tout the book as an  “Invaluable resource full of practical advice” and a “Brilliant Parent Survival Guide Transcends Hashimoto's.”

Kennedy was able to gain access to advanced information given she is a qualified Nutritional Medicine Practitioner in Australia, where she lives with her family. She plans to write two followup books, including about how what you eat affects Hashimoto’s and a second one with interviews of those with Hashimoto’s. When she's not writing she runs her business as the owner of Nutrition Navigator, a Nutritional Medicine Practice in Grafton, NSW, Australia and spends her spare time with her family enjoying her home in the Australian bush watching the river flow by. 

Q: What led you to write a book about Hashimoto’s disease? 

Cindy Kennedy: When my youngest daughter was diagnosed just after her eighth birthday, I felt completely overwhelmed, so I started researching all I could about the condition.  While there is quite a bit of information available about Hashimoto’s and thyroid health, none of it deals with the disease in children.  Part of the problem we have faced is that it is considered a disease of middle-aged women.  I’ve even had doctors tell me that children can’t get it!  This also means there is very little support for children and families going through this, so I have become passionate about raising awareness that Hashimoto’s does affect children and also that there are many things that we as parents can do to help support them.

Q:  How did you prioritize what was most important to include in your book?

Cindy Kennedy: This was a tough one!  I have so many things I want to share, picking what to include and what to leave out was really difficult.  In the end, I decided to focus on all the little things that I wish someone had told me at the beginning.  With the doctors, it’s all medications, blood tests and scans, and in many of the support groups it’s all about diet, but I think you really need to start with the little things.  Helping them deal with what’s going on, supporting their siblings through the upheaval, and even looking after your own stress levels.  Plus things the doctors tell you to do, but don’t explain how, like getting your child to drink more water, or surviving the never-ending blood tests.

Q: Who do you believe will benefit the most from reading your book? Patients? Parents? Friends? Family of patients?

Cindy Kennedy: I wrote the book for parents, but I think it will help anyone who has Hashimoto’s.  It’s all the little life-hacks that no one talks about, but make day-to-day life so much easier.  Menu planning so you don’t have to shop everyday, getting a good night sleep - these are all things that can help all of us.  I also think it would be good for extended family and friends to give them an insight into what you are going through and ways they can help.

Q: How does your book go beyond what we can discover on the Internet? What do you provide that we can’t get doing research?

Cindy Kennedy: The internet is great for learning about what the illness is and how it manifests, and even for researching how what you eat can impact your Hashimoto’s, but it is all targeted at adults.  Kids are such creatures of habit, so getting them to change their routine, or deal with something out of the ordinary can be really difficult.  You can research what medications or supplements to take, but my book gives the tricks on how to actually get your kids to take them.  Let’s face it, you can’t reason with a child to take their pills at 6am on a school morning!

Q:  What are the top 3-5 tips you would offer to parents of children with Hashimoto’s disease?

Cindy Kennedy: My number one tip would be make sure the blood tests get done.  So many parents are reluctant when it comes to bloods tests because it is traumatic.  As hard as it is though, they have to be done so their levels can be monitored and their medications adjusted.  This is so important because low thyroid hormone levels in children can stunt their growth, impair their intellectual development and affect the onset of puberty.  My other tips would be to make sure everyone is getting a good night sleep, and managing your stress as well as theirs.  It can all feel overwhelming at times, so you need to look after your own health too.

Q: How much research did you do to write your book?

Cindy Kennedy: I have lived, eaten and breathed Hashimoto’s for the last 3 years!  I attend professional seminars, scour the medical journals, read books and talk to as many people as I can.  Being a Nutritional Medicine Practitioner is great because it gives me access to all manner of extra resources and wonderful mentors to guide me along the way, and enables me to dig so much deeper than I could otherwise.

Q: What did you find the most challenging to writing your book?

Cindy Kennedy: I think the most challenging thing about writing the books was deciding what to include and what to leave out.  It is such a complex disease and manifests differently in everyone.  As a result, there are so many ways you can support someone with Hashimoto’s.  In the end, I decided to make it a book that tells you all the things you need to know in the early days, but no one ever discusses because I couldn’t find that information when I needed it.  There are already books on women’s hormones, autoimmune disease in adults and even Paleo diets specifically for autoimmune disease, but there is nothing for children.  Nothing that tells you how to work with doctors so you don’t tear your hair out, or how to organize the ridiculous amounts of paperwork you end up with.  There was a big gap that needed to be filled.

Q: How did you make descriptions of medical terms understandable? Is it important to speak in easily understood language, i.e., is part of the problem that nomenclature obscures comprehension of the disease?

Cindy Kennedy: Thank you!  I take this question as a real compliment!  I was quite worried writing the book that it would be confusing because it is such a complex disease and you do have to use a certain amount of medical terminology.  I think because I’ve been explaining it to my children for a couple of years, so that they understand what is going on in their bodies, it’s helped me to be able to discuss it in layman’s terms.  It’s also part of my job to be able to explain people’s complex medical conditions to them and to empower them to take charge of their own health, so I guess it just comes down to lots of practice!

Q: What’s next? Will you write more on Hashimoto’s or other diseases? Do you want to become a full-time writer?

Cindy Kennedy: I still have another 2 books at least about Hashimoto’s that I really want to write.  My next book will be about how what you eat affects your Hashimoto’s.  In addition to the changes that you need to make to your diet, I really want to write about how to make the changes sustainable - especially for families. 

What we eat is so much a part of who we are.  I think the reason many people who try and improve their diet really struggle, because there isn’t enough support for changing habits.  It’s one thing to know you should do something, but another thing altogether to actually do it - look at exercise!  We all know we should exercise regularly, but so few of us actually do. 

I’d also like to write a book that is a series of interviews with people and families living with Hashimoto’s.  Hearing other people’s struggles and triumphs helps you to realize that you aren’t alone and that there are other people out there who understand what you are going through.  Chronic illness can be an awfully isolating experience, and I’d really like to combat that feeling.

I don’t think I’ll become a full-time writer as I really enjoy my Practitioner work and watching people’s health improve.

Q:  Tell us about Cindy Kennedy. What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

Cindy Kennedy: I’m actually a real homebody.  I’m very lucky to live on beautiful acreage in the Australian bush and our property borders onto a gorgeous river, so I like hanging out with my husband and kids at home and enjoying the peace and quiet.

About Cindy Kennedy

Cindy Kennedy is the author of HELP! MY CHILD HAS HASHIMOTO'S and is the owner of Nutrition Navigator, a Nutritional Medicine Practice in Grafton, NSW.  As a qualified Nutritional Medicine Practitioner and mother of two young children both of whom have Hashimoto’s, she is passionate about raising awareness in the community on the plight of families living with invisible illness and helping people overcome their autoimmune and thyroid disease.

Cindy and her family live on a property in country NSW, which gives her a unique and personal insight into the difficulties that come with rural living such as reduced access to community support, mainstream medical care, and complementary Natural Medicine. Through the use of modern technology, Cindy provides the tools via her practice and now her book to enable both city and rural families to access high quality, personalized Nutritional Medicine Services to take charge of their silent disease and live a healthy, productive and fulfilled life.

About HELP! MY CHILD HAS HASHIMOTO’S

HELP! MY CHILD HAS HASHIMOTO’S  is the book all people dealing with a new hypothyroid diagnosis have been looking for. Finally - a complex condition is broken down into layman’s terms that everyone can understand.  Cindy Kennedy, a qualified Nutritional Medicine Practitioner and mother of two young children with Hashimoto’s reveals the secrets to successfully living with this autoimmune disease.

Reading HELP! MY CHILD HAS HASHIMOTO’S  is like sitting down with an old friend who has already been through it and wants to share their wisdom with you.  It’s all the little things that no one ever tells you about.  How to work with, not against your doctors and schools, tricks for preventing constipation and fatigue, how to avoid drowning in the enormous piles of medical paperwork and even dealing with the dreaded Hashimoto’s hair!

Cindy lets her sense of humor shine through as she walks you through her own family’s journey of autoimmune hypothyroidism.  Told from the heart, this is not just a how-to book, but an insight into the many ways that Hashimoto’s manifests itself, and how to overcome it to live a happy, healthy and productive life.

Excerpt

I wanted to write this book not as a Nutritional Medicine Practitioner but as a mother, because I have walked the path myself and I know the journey that lies before you. I've taken my child to blood test after blood test, been through the fights to get her to take her medicine, endured the tantrums and meltdowns and even kept written records of her every poo! I've drowned in all the paperwork and had to juggle the seemingly never-ending procession of doctors' appointments. We've had to travel interstate to see specialists and explain to friends why she's just too tired to play. I've sat down with teachers and principals to work out a system that supports her needs. I understand.

This book will take away the feeling of being overwhelmed - of being confronted with so much information that you don't know where to begin. It will break it down into easily digestible chunks can be worked through together as a family, step-by-step at your own pace. I want to alleviate the fears and guilt we feel as parents when our child is diagnosed with a chronic illness. I want to provide support so you don't feel lost and alone like we did. I want you to know that your baby isn't the only child having to deal with this grown-up's disease. Most of all, I want you to have hope. Hope for the future. For your family's future and your child's. I want you to realise that this disease can be managed. It may not be easy, but it is achievable. I want to take you by the hand and lead you through the confusing and overwhelming early days - one step at a time. This book will give you all of the tools that we didn't have, but so desperately needed in those difficult first few months. I want you to know it is going to be okay.

The following pages contain everything you need to get you through the first month or two following their diagnosis. From how to organize the mountain of medical paperwork, to getting your child to take their medicine every day. There are stress management techniques to help you cope and fun activities for your kids to help keep them calm. Symptom and poo diaries are explained along with links to some great apps guaranteed to make your life easier and run a little more smoothly.

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