Posts by Christina Consolino
Quick Tip: Change the Subject
Over the last five years, I’ve spent a lot of time with people with dementia. I’ve also spent a lot of time with family and friends of those living with dementia. Countless conversations have filtered to my ears, and the greatest lesson I’ve learned there is not to argue with someone who has dementia. Now,…
Read MoreLetting Kindness Guide Our Actions: An Interview with Sheila Athens
Sheila Athens writes the kinds of books I love to read—“smart women’s fiction with a hint of romance.” She also says that “her stories are about women seeking to find the peace we all deserve—whether they’re battling an external foe or an internal one (or both).” Which means her books are both relatable and realistic,…
Read MoreSaga of the Great Toe, Part III
The last time I wrote about my great toe was way back in February 2013, long before I had this site. Then, I mostly wrote about whatever my day involved, and you, lucky readers, got to ride along. Now I know a few of you steadfast warriors made the jump with me from Heptadecagon, and…
Read MorePromoting Recovery in the Aftermath of Tragedy: An Interview with Caitlin Avery
The old saying is to write what you know, and author Caitlin Avery has done just that. In 2010, she released a memoir “that’s about learning from her mistakes, and learning how to accept herself entirely—one that alters her love life eternally.” She then poured her personal experience on several fronts into her women’s fiction…
Read MoreQuick Tip: Tailor Your Responses
Today’s quick tip was inspired by something Tallulah Willis said about her father, Bruce. As those who’ve spent any time with people living with dementia know, each day is never the same. Sometimes, our loved ones will be chatty; other times, they refuse to speak. Some days involve plenty of smiles and the next day…
Read MoreFlipping the Script: An Interview with Kimberly McMillan
Author Kimberly McMillan knows how to write enjoyable, relatable, and heartfelt fiction. Her debut novel, Never Enough Time, launched in early 2023 with Warren Publishing, and readers have used all three adjectives to describe the novel. Other readers praise different attributes. One Goodreads reviewer wrote, “I love stories like [this]—stories that have flawed characters who…
Read MoreQuick Tip: Walk Away
One question I get asked fairly often about The Weight We Carry is whether or not I have personal experience with dementia. Why yes, yes I do. My maternal grandmother had Alzheimer’s, my mother had Alzheimer’s, and my father has vascular dementia. I’m choosing to ignore what might be in my future at the moment…
Read MoreHelping Other People: An Interview with Rishikesh Upadhyay
Plants, their survival, and climate change have always fascinated me, so I’m looking forward to reading The Life of Plants in a Changing Environment by Rishikesh Upadhyay. The book released in July 2022, and though it is Rishikesh’s fourth book, he says he’s been writing and preparing for years and loves “sharing his stories with the…
Read MoreDrawing on Feelings: An Interview with Stephen and Mary Weller
It’s rare that I feature two people at a time in these interviews, but today is one of those days. Stephen and Mary Weller are partners in both life and in writing. Married with “kids, pets, and a mortgage” for many years, they’re coauthors of the first two books in the Kantara Scrolls Series with…
Read MoreFinding That Right Balance: An Interview with DJ Hicks
One of my favorite types of people to showcase in this forum are the emerging authors, and DJ Hicks falls into that category. Though he’s just celebrated the one-year anniversary of his debut, First-Name Basis, the book was the “first (official) project” to make it from his head to the page thanks in part to…
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