Reading & Writing . . . so very exciting!

Books related to disabilities? I've read my fair share, to educate myself, and to try and find answers to the many questions I've had over the years about Carter's 

challenges.

These three books (that I really enjoyed) have protagonists who use AAC to communicate:

I Have No Secrets by Penny Joelson 

           Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper          

             Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern

 Here are a few more I've enjoyed that have characters with disabilities:

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

                                                      Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin

Rules by Cynthia Lord

Yes, the disability books I've been reading lately are all fiction: middle grade and young adult novels. 

And why is that? 

Because you're supposed to read what you want to write. And for some time now, I've been working on my own middle grade novel.

Writing a book is a lofty goal. I thought the book I would someday write would be the story of Carter's life. I've told a lot of that here, including his journey with AAC, but I wanted to step away from memoir writing. 

Instead, my story is about two young girls who are total opposites. One is a neat freak and the other, not so much. 

It came out of a writing prompt. I started writing and never looked back. Go where the writing takes you (or so they say). That's what I did and guess what? It didn't take me down a path that had anything to do with AAC or disabilities.

Maybe someday I'll try and tackle a story like that. For now, I'm happy to share, promote, and recommend the books above. 

I'm also happy to share something very exciting...

(Drum roll, please.)

Last year, I submitted the intro of my middle grade novel to CANSCAIP's Writing For Children Competition and I was long listed! What a huge and wonderful surprise! 

If I'm ever going to finish my story, I'd better get back to it!

Happy reading!