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When Your Superpower Is Being Invisible: Lived Experience of Disability

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This is in no way a bash the NHS, or the hardworking social worker’s piece, this is my lived experience of invisible disability, the services who are working to support me. And the ways that they don’t quite work in the way that the Social Care Institute of Excellence had in mind. An invisible disability is a life-altering condition that is not apparent just by looking at someone. Guess what? This covers 1 in 7 of the UK’s population – so we are everywhere, you just don’t know it, because our superpower is being invisible.

Read more here :

When Your Superpower Is Being Invisible: Lived Experience of Disability — The Everyday (theeverydaymagazine.co.uk)

International Chocolate Day

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International Chocolate Day – or as I like to call it writers fuel day, is today! And I thought it would be fun to hear from my favourite expert in the Cacao herself Ms Melinda Newman of Nirvana Chocolat.

Anyone who follows my socials may remember a Facebook story where some chocolates literally jumped into my mouth (they were from Nirvana Chocolat). Or more recently where my creative play one week included learning how to make dark chocolate and raspberry truffles (at a Nirvana Chocolat BYOB workshop). Seriously you have never tasted anything so amazing in your life – and that’s bar nothing.

Did you know that every Belgian village has their own chocolatier? And that when you go to someone’s house you take them the gift of your village’s chocolate? Neither did I, but now that’s going to be my thing – you want to visit me? Great. Where’s my artisan chocolate?

Mel’s creations have spoilt me for off the shelf brands, (unless I want something dirty – ooh missus). I consider these treats as beneficial to my mind body and spirit, being full of quality ingredients. Cacao boosts brain power like caffeine does, milk and cream have essential fatty acids and vitamins to make me healthy, and they are made with care to encourage and support my creative endeavours. What’s not to love?

I give you Chocolatier to the stars – Melinda Newman of Nirvana Chocolat

Bespoke Handmade Belgian Chocolate Wedding Favours | Gifts | Loughton – Nirvana Chocolat by Melinda Leigh

Rita Lee Chapman guest post

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Content from http://www.ritaleechapman.com/wwwritaleechapmancom/ :

Eden Gruger – 24 July 2022

This week it is my pleasure to interview Eden Gruger. Would you please introduce yourself to my readers and share something about your life.

When did you write your first book and how did it come about?

People who read my blog were always asking me when I was going to do a book. And as I have always written stories there was quite a back catalogue to choose from, so in the end it was more a case of choosing things that worked well as a collection and editing! You could say Down With Frogs (my first book) was thirty five years in the making.

Do you always write in the same genre or do you mix it up?

I write darkly comic modern fiction collections whose stories are based on real life events, which as you can imagine is such a lot of fun. And I create non-fiction guides to publishing and marketing your own books, which makes use of the twenty plus years I had in sales and marketing. They both use different parts of my brain, but the same skills of discipline and patience are needed to get them down on paper.

When you write, do you start with an idea and sit down and let it evolve, or do you make notes and collect ideas on paper beforehand?

All of the above! I often hear a snippet of something that sets off any idea and I’ll note that down on my phone. Eventually it might get fleshed out and become a whole story. Sometimes a few separate notes might join together to become something much more interesting than they were individually.

Would you like to give us a short excerpt from one of your books?

Deafness and Accents from my new mini fiction collection Funny Bird

Auntie Elda is a lovely person, I think, I say I think because although I have known her my whole life, I haven’t actually been able to understand the vast majority of what she has said.

This is because she is blessed with a beautifully, musical Southern Irish accent, it sounds totally gorgeous, but thanks to my dodgy hearing is absolutely impenetrable.

Meaning that the extent of my participation in our conversations has been nodding. And whenever she leaves an expectant pause muttering “hmmm” ad nodding or saying “um yes” in as neutral way as possible, just in case it was a no that was called for.

Because I have never properly answered her enquiries or added anything if interest to our ‘chats’ she must think I am quite bonkers. And after each visit I imagine her going home and saying to my Uncle “ahh poor girl” while shaking her head.

The one upside to this whole situation, and one that I cannot lie I find quite gratifying, is that Auntie Elda has always confused me with my sister whom she rarely sees, and generally calls me by my sister’s name, so at least she thinks it is Laura who is the idiot.

Who is your favourite character and why?

My favourite character is the narrator, who is always a woman but doesn’t even get called by her name. She is blunt, and funny with no sense of embarrassment. But if you read between the lines and you’ll see how vulnerable she can be. Many readers have told me they identify with her, which is lovely.

Which of your books gave you the most pleasure to write?

Oh my, this would be like picking a favourite child, and I just cannot do it. They have all given me great joy, sometimes frustrating me, but ultimately allowing me to express myself and share my voice, so I have to love them all equally, don’t I?

What is the best marketing tip you have received?

It would be not to spend any money on advertising until you have released a few books, the Alliance of Independent Authors suggest six. It makes sense, then you can sell your back catalogue to your new readers.

How would you describe yourself?

A proudly eccentric, eclectic middle aged woman. Yep, that just about covers it!

What do you do when you are not writing or reading?

I have an absolute obsession with my garden, and my allotment – I literally dream about them! Watching things grow and getting to eat things that you have tended to yourself never ceases to thrill me.

If you could holiday anywhere in the world, where would you choose and why?

There have been places that I have seen on TV or read about that briefly capture my attention – Japan for one, and Canada being another. But the truth is that I am a real homebody, so if I ever do go away I stay in the UK so that I can take my dogs and never have to travel for long. Plus as my granny used to say “we do have some amazing scenery here you know”.

If you have owned pets, do you have a funny story you would like to share with us?

Oh, my goodness there are so many to choose from, I guess the latest one is that I was in an obedience class with my big dog, and had his lead attached to a carabiner on my training vest. Everything had gone well in the class, and the owners were just chatting at the end, when he saw something on the other side of the hedge and took off, so mid-sentence I was suddenly lifted off my feet landing flat on my back in the mud.

What is the biggest factor for you when selecting a book to read?

I definitely judge a book by its cover, but then ultimately it’s the blurb that engages me, or not.

Are you working on a new book at the moment?

I am! I have three non-fiction books based on my masterclasses going through their final edits. And the fourth fiction collection is heading for its final draft. So 2022 is going to be a busy year for me.

Do you have any events or book promotions coming up that you would like to tell us about?

My third modern fiction collection Funny Bird is available to buy in eBook – but free to all my VIPs, who help me choose covers, get to read my works in progress, and get invitations to all my events. So if you would like to be a VIP and get free access to Funny Bird here is your link https://bit.ly/FunnyBird

Delightfully hilarious, sensitive, witty, brave, forgiving and loving read

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This delightfully hilarious, sensitive, witty, brave, forgiving and loving read is not to be missed. The author’s magical simplicity is a clever invitation, not only to be thoroughly entertained, but Gruger reintroduces ourselves in a whole new light.

Laughing at Myself is a beautifully easy read that you won’t want to put down. Gruger skilfully guides you effortlessly through her narrative, while giving you all the details the reader needs to put themselves in the scenes of the story. Each short story flows into the next. Equally if time to yourself is limited, (and hiding from my 3 children at home during lockdown is only successful for so long), it is a book you can delve into for a quick visit, be entertained and come back to it again later… again and again. It will never fail to put a smile on your face.

As Gruger continues to introduce herself as she skips through her life’s encounters, you are left laughing out loud as you get to know her ‘Bridget Jones meets Calamity Jane’ character. The amusing references are endless, but… “Yet another time in my life when something I found funny, everyone else thought was idiotic”… resounds throughout.

I was left feeling not only amused, but quite elated. Encouraged to look at the humour within ourselves, our own vulnerabilities, to recognise them, greet them, open heartedly, and laugh away. Perhaps we can admit a little piece of this author is within all of us, and Gruger does a superb job of introducing us.

Gruger will leave you awakened, with a renewed awareness, as she teaches us those good solid life lessons… laugh at yourself, laugh with others, find the humour in life, forgive ourselves and ultimately love ourselves and the life we live.

The only criticism you will have is being left wanting more. Not just more tales of Gruger’s adventures, that goes without saying. But intrigued to find out more about each scenario, to share the further depths of Grugers thinking and humour. Where will each experience take her next. You want more than that peek, you’ll want to be experiencing it with her, get to know her better. She’s your potential best friend you haven’t met yet. And there’s a hell of a lot of catching up to do!

humourous book of short stories

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I just read Eden’s book ‘Laughing At Myself’, which is a delightfully cringeworthy, humourous book of short stories that is written so well that I couldn’t help but picture myself as the character in most stories, particularly the one about the elderly cat’s bladder issues, as I had to literally question the author whether the story was based on the time it happened to me. It wasn’t and I was evilly relieved that I wasn’t the only person that one of her cats had decided to use as a litter tray.

The whole book made me feel grateful that I am not the only person in the world that gets myself in an array of embarrassing situations, and I happily laughed at the characters’ misfortune.

I read the book over three mornings and found the writing style easy to read due to the ease of flow and the large type intended for dyslexic readers. I am not dyslexic myself but did find the format easier to read than a regular font.

I also particularly enjoyed the story about the size 6 shoes on size 4 feet, and the one about the driving test. I won’t give any more away as you need to read it yourself.

I very much look forward to reading future work from Eden. Well done!

The book is easy to read, episodic

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I have loved reading LAUGHING AT MYSELF … so many of the stories I could relate to in way one or another … feeling like an awkward teenager at times and especially the perm 😂 didn’t we all have a disaster hair-do during some stage in our lives? 😂😬

The book is easy to read, episodic, the type of book you want to read on a rainy day, with a cuppa and a biscuit (or three).

It’s important we can find humour in some of the hiccups life throws at us, and Eden’s book reminds us of that.

I was sorry that I’d finished it, it was like I was getting to know Eden more and more and then it was the end ☹️

I Hope there’s another in the future.

Definitely worth a read especially if you need cheering up

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Just had the privilege of a sneak peak of Eden’s new book “Laughing At Myself” I read this in just 2 sittings, it was so easy to read and to pick up and carry on where I left off, the bigger text and white space is a big win for me too.

It was like having a chat with your bestie reminiscing over those cringeworthy, hilarious and embarrassing moments that we have all experienced at some point in our lives. Just what I needed!

I was laughing and cringing along with the stories in equal measures, Couch Potatoes had me gasping with horror and Nice to See You, had me remembering my own fashion faux pas.

It’s good to know other people have those moments as well!

Definitely worth a read especially if you need cheering up or are feeling self conscious.