Never have I published back-to-back postings on my blog, but this one carries with it a sense of urgency, not only for the benefit of my readers, but also for the author to whom it will introduce you today.
Arlene R. O’Neil is another of my author friends with whom I correspond on the Facebook group of Master Koda, and the good news is that her wonderful book, Broken Spokes is available free on Amazon in its eBook version until midnight PMT tonight. Please read on to get the scoop on Arlene, as well as how you can take advantage of this great offer and add this book to your eBook library:
Tell us…who are you…where do you live…what do you do on a daily basis?
My name is Arlene R. O’Neil. Originally, I am from Connecticut but moved to South Carolina 2 1/2 years ago to escape the cold weather and to finish writing my second book. I live on a 3 ½ acre farm and have five goats and two black Labradors as pets. There is never a dull moment on a farm, so when I am not writing, I spend my days feeding, cleaning, refilling water troughs, mending fences, mowing and tending to a small garden. I am also an editor and proofreader.What do you like to do when you aren’t writing and/or promoting your book?
The little free time I have, I enjoy sitting in the goat pen playing with, or brushing, my kids, or playing fetch with my dogs. I try to keep my brain working by playing Words with Friends on Facebook and keeping up with changes and posts about my friends. Sometimes I help a friend with chores on her 200-acre, full functioning cattle farm, and other times we go for short horseback rides. Due to some physical limitations, I am not as active as I would like to be, but this is where my writing brings comfort. I do have a son in the Army and enjoy collecting items to send to him and his unit when they are deployed. Doing donation drives at Christmas for deployed troops is something I look forward to.Give us an overview of your book. In what genre is it classified? What is the source of its title?
“Broken Spokes” is a combination of broken bones, broken bike, and broken spirit. An autobiography, it tells the story of my life and how an accident, and its results, changed not only my physical being but my emotional state as well. Unintentional negative messages from childhood carried in to adulthood... messages I am still working to discard. My words speak to those who have gone through similar circumstances and after reading my book, they realize that they are not alone.Also included in “Broken Spokes” are chapters of my life with an amazing black Labrador named Little Bit. Although blind, he influenced my life in so many positive ways and taught me balance. Little Bit also was my comfort and my sanity during my son’s multiple deployments, which are also mentioned in my book.
How is your book different than others in this genre?I think what makes “Broken Spokes” different is that my main goal in writing it was to help others, to let readers know they are not alone in their struggle through the positive messages I incorporated into my book. So many identify with the little girl in the book and watch as she overcomes every single obstacle placed in her way. It is a book of hope, of triumph over tragedy.
Belonging to several blind dog sites as well as military support groups, I found myself writing short stories on these sites. For years, people told me I had talent and I was not sure if that was true or that they were just being kind. As the years passed and the compliments continued, I began to believe that maybe I did posses a certain flair for writing and decided to try my hand at writing a book.
How did it happen that you wanted to become a writer?As a child, I remember writing short stories, plays, and poems. I honestly cannot remember a time when I wasn’t creating something. I have three briefcases filled with stories that I have saved through the years. In 1986, a poem I wrote called “Memories” appeared in an anthology called “Our Forgotten Graces.” This was my first experience being published and it was the start of my professional writing career.
What advice do you have for aspiring, or new, writers?Write! If this is your passion in life…write! Never let others have a negative influence in your work. I write for me because it is what I love. If something I write touches just one person, I have reached my goal.
Where can people buy your book?“Broken Spokes” is available in paperback or Kindle at www.amazon.com and also from my publisher, www.sagabooks.net
Do you have any works in progress, and if so, give us an overview. I have several works in progress. My next book, “Army Life and Deployment Through the Eyes of a Mom” will be published by Saga Books as soon as I am finished writing. This book will detail the past eleven years of my son’s Army career and will serve as a guidebook for all military parents. Not only will it tell of my personal experiences, but it will also list suggestion on how to deal emotionally with the different aspects of a Soldier’s life from basic training to multiple deployments. It is my hope that this book will offer needed support to parents.
My next book will be the amazing life story of Little Bit, a totally blind black Labrador who grew to become a Therapy dog and an ambassador for Blind and Handicapped animals. Through my writing, Little Bit is known all over the world and there is a memorial fund in his honor in Connecticut. After that I plan to write “The Pages of My Life,” a compilation of everything I have written with a short paragraph explaining what was going on in my life at the time. This will contain humor, tragedy, and some thought-provoking articles.
By then, I am certain to have enough material for a few more books!
“Broken Spokes“ is available to download free from now until 12:00 pm PMT, Wednesday, August, 15th. The following is the link to the Kindle version on Amazon:Below is the link to the paperback version:
http://www.amazon.com/Broken-Spokes-Arlene-R-ONeil/dp/1897512163/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1315320072&sr=1-1
My professional page on Facebook can be viewed at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Arlene-R-Gallo-ONeil/271244249572408Linda Lee Greene’s current book GUARDIANS AND OTHER ANGELS is available at http://www.amazon.com/Guardians-Other-Angels-Linda-Greene/dp/1897512562/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1338336762&sr=8-1
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