Sharing support: reaction to my article in the AJC

I’ve been overwhelmed with all the support and kind wishes that Jack and I and our family have received since the publication of my “Personal Journey” article titled Fear and Gratitude in the Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC) Sunday edition of July 10, 2016.

Here are some quotes from the messages, letters, and comments:

“Thank you for sharing your story. My son is your son’s age and was a Terry student at UGA. I can’t imagine how hard this was but so glad things worked out well for him and your family.”

“…Had me in tears…Congrats…Awesome…Very cool…”

“…so proud of your good writing as I sorrowed along with you, Jack, and the whole family.”

“Your story touched my heart…Kudos…Fabulous article…This is beautiful.”

“…your strength and talent go beyond the pages you write.”

“Excellent article…Amazing journey…Well done! Very moving! Thanks for sharing your experience.””

“…brought tears to my eyes and reassurance that goods thing can happen in this world…Inspiring! That’s the one word that would describe Julia McDermott’s Personal Journeys’ story of her son, Jack’s, battle and victory over brain cancer. We’re reminded that our lives can change in a moment and the only way to meet fear and tragedy is through positive action, courage, and faith.”

“…unbelievable…I marvel at your family’s courage and faith through it all!…Don’t we learn in the most unimaginable situations?”

From a friend in my French conversation class: “Quel article dans le journal ce dimanche passé! Cette histoire est incroyable, une source d’inspiration! Tu es vraiment douée comme écrivaine et comme mère extraordinaire!
Et ton fils est un modèle de courage et de ténacité pour tout le monde.”

And:

From Dr. Allan Friedman of Duke, in an email to me: “You are a gifted writer. This is a very nice article….Give him my best.”

From UGA President Jere W. Morehead, in a letter to Jack: “I read about your battle with cancer in…the AJC. I was deeply moved by your experience. I can only imagine how difficult it must have been to confront such dire circumstances as a student. The strength that you demonstrated to overcome the illness and complete your education is truly inspirational. Your story sends a powerful message of hope and courage to so many, and the University of Georgia is proud to call you an alumnus.”

IF I’ve forgotten to include your message, or if you would like to send one, please post it in the Comments below!

July 19, 2016 0

List Post, juillet 2016 (July)

Read the “Personal Journey” article I wrote in the AJC – Atlanta Journal Constitution – titled Fear and Gratitude, here (and in the Sunday July 10, 2016 print edition)
Check out my Events tab for my upcoming appearances, including the one on Thursday July 14 at 6:30 pm at the Book Exchange Marietta
I’m hard at work on my next novel, and hope to have half of the story written by the time I appear at this year’s AJC Decatur Book Festival on the Thriller panel!

July 8, 2016 0

Wine with Wendy on Wednesday, numéro neuf (9)

Despite the busy-ness of summer, Wendy and I were able to meet for lunch this month, and this time, a mutual, good friend joined us!

We went to a spot that was casual, not too much $, but good…and of course, we each had a glass of wine. Our friend had white, but Wendy and I chose a rosé. The three of us caught up, told stories, and shared our news with each other.

Three is a useful number in storytelling (of course, I thought of that): 3 details (and no more) to describe something; 3 sequences in an act; and 3 acts in a story. Three is also a good number of beats in a character’s arc, of images to choose from when deciding on a new book cover (or for choices for anything, for that matter), and the number of paragraphs in a blog post. No wonder they say, “Three’s a charm.”

Not the wine we had, but a bottle mon mari and I purchased at a Wine Tasting we went to with some very fun members of the Atlanta Toulouse Sister Cities Committee (a French cultural group). We bought more than three bottles, though.

June 24, 2016 0

List Post, juin 2016 (June)

Even though fall is my favorite season, I love May and June. It’s warm, but not too hot, and flowers are blooming…And this year, my wedding anniversary falls on Father’s Day, and last month, my son Jack’s birthday fell on Mother’s Day!

This month’s list:

I’ll soon be on the way to a very fun city out west to help celebrate my sis-in-law’s milestone birthday with a bunch of other members of the family. I’m told there will be T-shirts!
I’m appearing from 7pm to 9pm on June 15th at The Snug Gastro Pub in Canton, GA with 4 other local authors to do a book reading and sign books.
Publicity update: If you missed the Neighbor Newspapers/Marietta Daily Journal article about me and the Georgia Author of the Year Award nomination of ALL THE ABOVE, click here to read. Winners (and finalists) will be announced this Saturday night by the Georgia Writers Association.
There may be another article about it in a different Journal soon, so stay tuned…

June 2, 2016 0

List Post, mai 2016 (May)

Because I recently sent my bimonthly newletter* (and a previous announcement, about my new novel, DADDY’S GIRL), this monthly List Post is different.

I won’t list my upcoming events** and travel plans, but focus instead on this Sunday, May 8: Mother’s Day, my son Jack’s birthday, and the sixth anniversary of day Jack (and his dad and I) learned he had a brain tumor.*** Read ALL THE ABOVE for more about that.

Two things about Mother’s Day:

Something memorable happens on a Mother’s Day in DADDY’S GIRL. Be the first to comment, explaining what happens, to whom, and when – and win a free, signed copy of the book!
I have four children, and have celebrated many Mother’s Days. The photo below is of my absolute favorite Mother’s Day gift, ever. My daughter made it in school a long time ago, when she was very young. Her “9 Reasons” were spot on about me, and they melted my heart! (side note: this was when I was into scrapbooking, and I made one for each kid – her and her three older brothers).

In “List” format:

She always knows when to give a hug!
Knows how to break up a fight.
Can sometimes be a little pushy about what she wants!
Warning! Can get very emotional.
Loves to go to the movies!
Knows where to go shopping.
Can drive U Nuts! but is still as sweet as can be!!
Doesn’t yell unless needed to.
She’s the best scrapbooker I know!

*sign up to receive it, under FOR READERS and NEWSLETTER

**see EVENTS

***A friend recently told me she didn’t know that it was malignant – maybe because we were so private about it in the beginning, and we desperately hoped that it was benign. If you read ALL THE ABOVE, you’ll understand. One reason I wrote the book was to tell the true story; another reason was to try to touch others.

May 2, 2016 0

Wine with Wendy on Wednesday, numéro sept

Hours before my new suspense novel DADDY’S GIRL was published, Wendy and I met for lunch at one of the (new) French restaurants we had been to once before. But this time, we sat outside.

Our table was to the left of the side window

Le restaurant? Le Bilboquet.

It’s always so much fun to catch up with Wendy, hear about her kids (side note: four out of the five have a “y” in their name), her travels, her adventures, and talk about art, books, and movies.

It was delightful sitting outside in this new Buckhead shops and restaurant enclave, unimaginatively dubbed The Shops of Buckhead Atlanta, on Peachtree Road. I had rosé, she had chardonnay, and we each ordered something très bon et très français.

(I just love how Wendy and I are both interested in French – although she is taking a needed break right now from French classes.)

De toute façon – anyway – our lunch lasted well over ~~an hour~~ an hour and a half, and we both felt at the end that time had flown. A talented artist, Wendy gave me some great feedback recently about the details on the cover of DADDY’S GIRL. I have learned so much about art from her (my all-time favorite course I ever took was Art History). We also talked books: the great, the good, the fair, and the I-don’t-recommend-you-read-this-but-somehow-I-finished it. And we discussed the publishing industry and talked a little about films.

Wendy has never been to Paris (!) and I told her that when she does, she must visit the Musée d’Orsay to see all the Impressionists’ works there. (I would love to go with her.)

Afterward, I’m sure we would find a lovely French restaurant or café for lunch. 🇫🇷

April 22, 2016 0

Publication day for DADDY’S GIRL!

My women’s fiction/psychological suspense novel DADDY’S GIRL is out today! Find it on Amazon, or download it on your Kindle!

A spoiled, entitled princess risks it all to join a technology startup, loses it all, and then embarks on a mission of revenge and retribution.

April 21, 2016 0

Pizza and a Movie: The Martian

~~This~~ Last weekend’s Pizza Toppings at Corner Pizza:

Arugula
Bacon
Sun Dried Tomatoes

Movie:

The Martian

Yes, I know this movie is no longer playing in theaters. We missed it when it was,* and since nothing at the cinema at the moment seemed interesting, we decided to go home and watch this film.

We had both recently read the book, and we both liked the movie. But, as is often the case, the book was better, and there were some things left out of the film 😦 But it was still really good.

What made it really good, for me (now I wish it had won an Academy Award; I think it was nominated for 3, including Adapted Screenplay, yay) weren’t the science of it, or the special effects. I don’t even (normally) like science fiction. Though I know we aren’t sending people to (make that, leaving people on) Mars yet, I felt like this story could actually be happening. Now.

No, what made it so good were A, the characters (all) – notice I didn’t say actors, though it was well cast; B, the humor (mostly in dialogue); and C, the story itself. And B was the best. Same thing for the novel by Andy Weir, which I highly recommend.

When is Hollywood going to figure out that it’s about the writing?

We passed on going to see The Boss, and I guess we will go see that soon. I hear it’s funny. However, it will be a different kind of humor than what Weir did in his book, and what was in the movie.

Now for the pizza. He wanted Arugula. The other toppings gave it the crunch and the tang (and flavor) we wanted. Yum.

Bon appétit.

*Two others we missed and plan to watch at home are Mad Max: Fury Road and Steve Jobs. We did see Creed, though, and it was fantastic. Blood and all.

April 12, 2016 0

Cover Reveal: Daddy’s Girl

After rejecting 2 earlier (working) titles, and 3 other (very different) cover images, the cover for my new suspense novel, DADDY’S GIRL, is set in stone! I can’t wait until it’s published, only days from now!

What’s it about?

A spoiled, entitled princess risks it all to join a technology startup, loses it all, and then embarks on a mission of revenge and retribution…

April 11, 2016 2

List Post, avril 2016 (April)

My next novel will be published this month! The title is DADDY’S GIRL, and the genre is women’s fiction/psychological suspense (with an emphasis on the latter). Choosing the cover was difficult, but I love it. Stay tuned to my blog for a preview of the cover and for the exact publication date!
I’m getting great feedback from both writers groups I’m in, on my work-in-progress, which is another novel. Thanks, Linda Sands, for connecting me to the newer one!
I’ve been selected to be a nonfiction presenting author at the Milton Literary Festival this fall. Read my updated bio here.
In case you’re wondering, we skipped a few Pizza and a Movie Fridays recently. There aren’t many films out right now that we want to see. 😒
Later this month, I’ll join phenomenal photographer Lynn Crow and Beautycounter consultant extraordinaire Valerie Langman, at a Social in Johns Creek, GA, to benefit CURE Childhood Cancer. I’ll be signing copies of ALL THE ABOVE, UNDERWATER, and possibly, DADDY’S GIRL! See my Events Tab for more information. 😀

April 4, 2016 0