Guest Post

Render Guest Post by Stephanie Fleshman

September 10, 2013

Please enjoy this guest post by Stephanie Fleshman, author of the enticing Paranormal YA, Render. Then read on to learn how you can win huge prizes as part of this blog tour, including a Kindle Fire, $550 in Amazon gift cards, and 5 autographed copies of the book.

The 5 Guys You’ll Meet in YA Fiction:

A Guest Post by Stephanie Fleshman

According to GalleyCat, YA eBook revenues increased 120.9% last year. The great news is whatever YA male character types keep you reading, it’s unlikely you’ll run out of books anytime soon. After a while contemplating my favorite YA reads, I noticed a pattern when it came to the male heroes in these stories. Without further ado, here’s a run-down of the 5 guys you’re likely to meet when reading a Young Adult novel…

Guy #1: The Broken and Vulnerable

When I think of broken, I think of Josh from Barry Lyga’s Boy Toy. The sad thing about Josh is that he knows he’s broken but blames himself instead of the person at fault.

When I think of vulnerable, two characters come to mind: Sam from Maggie Stiefvater’s Wolves of Mercy Falls series and Cabel from Lisa McMann’s Wake series. Cabel is doused with gasoline, then set on fire by his alcoholic father. He wants to be loved, yet is scared. What makes him strong in a not-in-your-face kind of way is that he wants to love. His lack of resentment and hate is what makes him attractive.

Guy #2: The Abusive

In Jennifer Brown’s Bitter End, Cole is the product of “like father, like son.” In Swati Avasthi’s YA novel Split, however, Jace is the product of being victimized by his own abuser. Unlike Cole, Jace is capable of remorse and guilt. He not only owns up to his actions, but he wants to pay for them. By comparison, Jace makes Cole look like a sociopath.

Guy #3: The Obsessive

It’s no secret that Edward from Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Saga is borderline stalker when it comes to Bella. She is his world entirely. In his mind, though, he is only being protective. So, is Edward protective, overprotective, or obsessive? You decide:

Protective: Capable of or intended to protect someone or something.
Overprotective: Having a tendency to protect someone, esp. a child, excessively.
Obsessive: Of, relating to, characteristic of, or causing an obsession; Excessive in degree or nature.

Guy #4: The Dominant

A good example of this type of YA male lead character is Patch from Becca Fitzpatrick’s Hush, Hush series. Patch is 100% boy. He’s self-confident, strong, and stands his ground against Nora. Though he is dominating, I don’t believe it’s in a harmful or abusive manner.

In the second book, you get to see more into his heart as he begins to really care for Nora’s well-being.

By the third book, he’s thinking of Nora’s safety and how he can stay with her. He sacrifices what he wants in order to protect her and their relationship, which seems non-existent to Nora by this stage. Not everything is what it seems, though.

Other good examples are Alex from Simone Elkeles’s Perfect Chemistry and Avi from the same author’s How to Ruin series.

Guy #5: The Lovable

I’m going to start with Koldan from my own YA novel, Render. Koldan is firm but not so dominating that he feels the need to control. He’s confident and strong, but recognizes his weaknesses. He’s romantic in the sense that he will do whatever it takes to keep Raya safe, even if it means risking his own life. And he’s not afraid to show his feelings for Raya.

Now, I cannot move forward without mentioning Holder from Hopeless by Colleen Hoover. Thirteen years! Thirteen!!! That’s all I’m going to say. Those of you who have read Hopeless know exactly what I’m talking about. For those of you who haven’t, there’s nothing about this guy not to love.

Now I’ve got a question for you: What’s your favorite YA male character type?

As part of this special promotional extravaganza sponsored by Novel Publicity, Render, the debut YA Paranormal novel by Stephanie Fleshman, is on sale for just 99 cents! What’s more, by purchasing this fantastic book at an incredibly low price, you can enter to win many awesome prizes.

The prizes include a Kindle Fire, $550 in Amazon gift cards, and 5 autographed copies of the book.

All the info you need to win one of these amazing prizes is RIGHT HERE. Remember, winning is as easy as clicking a button or leaving a blog comment–easy to enter; easy to win!

To win the prizes:

Get Render at its discounted price of 99 cents
Enter the Rafflecopter contest below
Visit the featured social media events
Leave a comment on my blog for a chance at a $100 prize.

About Render: A betrayal born of blood. A curse for a gift. A love worth saving… Seventeen-year-old Raya Whitney thought she knew Koldan–until a sudden turn of events threatens both their lives. Get it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or iTunes.

Stephanie Fleshman graduated with a degree in psychology and has family throughout the United States as well as in Thessaloniki and Athens, Greece. Visit Stephanie on her website, Twitter, Facebook, or GoodReads.

Guest Post- Applying for Social Security Disability with Multiple Sclerosis

March 2, 2013

I was contacted Molly Clarke about doing a post on my blog about applying for Disability Social Security and I thought this post would fit in with my blog and could possible be useful to anyone out there that needs to apply as well.

Applying for Social Security Disability with Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis, or MS, is a chronic and progressive autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system. Symptoms can become debilitating and worsen over time, eventually leading to loss of function that prevents gainful employment. MS comes in multiple forms, including:

Relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS)
Primary-progressive MS (PPMS)
Secondary-progressive MS (SPMS)
Progressive-relapsing MS (PRMS)

Symptoms that accompany each form vary, as does the progressive nature of the disease; however, the Social Security Administration (SSA) recognizes each as a disabling condition that can potentially meet the eligibility requirements for receiving Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits.

Meeting the SSA’s Definition of Disability

To meet the basic eligibility requirements for disability benefits, your disability must be expected to last at least twelve months. Because MS is an episodic autoimmune disease, meaning there are periods of symptom flare-ups and times when no symptoms may be present at all, satisfying this eligibility requirement can be a bit challenging.

The SSA will closely review your medical records to determine:

How often your episodes occur;
How long your episodes last;
How much time passes in between episodes;
What your symptoms are during episodes; and
How impaired you are during your periods of remission.

Because the SSA recognizes the episodic and progressive nature of MS, applications submitted with the diagnosis are typically evaluated first under the MS listing, and then under the “residual functional analysis”, in order to determine if the applicant qualifies.

The SSA’s Blue Book Listing for MS

The SSA utilizes a manual known as the Blue Book to evaluate conditions under standard disability listings. MS appears in the Blue Book under Section 11.00 – Neurological. To meet this listing and qualify for disability benefits, your application and medical records must prove:

You have partial paralysis, tremors, or involuntary movements in at least two of your limbs, impairing your ability to walk or use your hands;
You’ve suffered severe vision loss which cannot be corrected by wearing glasses;
You experience mood disturbances, decreased mental capacity, or memory loss as a result of an organic mental disorder; and/or
You suffer from muscle weakness and severe fatigue resulting from disruption of signals from the central nervous system, a cornerstone symptom of MS.

MS and Residual Functional Capacity

If your MS does not meet the SSA’s Blue Book listing, you may still qualify for Social Security Disability benefits. The SSA will evaluate your residual functional capacity (RFC) to determine the severity of your condition and whether or not it prevents you from finding and maintaining gainful employment.

Your sensory, memory, mental and physical limitations will be evaluated during the RFC analysis. The SSA will also look at your employment history, your education level, and your acquired job skills to determine if you are able to hold a job.

If your MS is found to limit you so that you cannot reasonably be expected to work, then you may qualify for benefits under a “medical vocational allowance”. This means that your MS symptoms do not meet the Blue Book listing but still prevent you from working.

Medical Evidence in Your MS Disability Application

To successfully apply for disability benefits you must provide medical records that back up your claim. Your application must include records such as:

MRIs, EEGs, CT scans, x-rays, spinal tap, and other diagnostic results documenting abnormalities and a formal MS diagnosis;
Vision, hearing and speech evaluation exams, if applicable;
All other medical records related to the diagnosis and treatment of your MS;
Results of mental or psychological evaluations, if applicable;
Documentation of the frequency, duration and severity of your episodes; and/or
Statements from your treating physician(s) documenting your diagnosis, prognosis and functional capacity.

Seeking Assistance

Because filing for disability benefits can be a long and complicated process, you may find that you need to seek the assistance of a Social Security advocate or attorney. A professional will be able to guide you through the process and possibly increase your chances of approval.

Submitted by: Molly Clarke
http://www.socialsecurity-disability.org/blog

Open Adoption, Open Heart

November 28, 2012

As I am sure most of you know I placed my daughter for adoption when I was 20. I was contacted about hosting a guest post of a writer who has adopted his 2 children through open adoption. I jumped at the chance to have a guest post on my blog as well as get the chance to read the book he has written. I will have the review of the book up sometime next week after I have had the chance to sit down and read it. Here is the guest post and please leave any comments or questions down below!

My wife and I are infertile. We don’t know why. The doctors and nurses can’t seem to give us any real answers about why we’ve been unable to have kids for our 8 years of trying, but here we are. No little ones carrying on our genes.

Infertility is a funny thing (if you’re willing to look at it that way). It seems to come with some invisible sign that only fertile friends can read. The sign, of course, reads- “Here I am without a baby. Please please please tell me how we can solve our infertile woes.” Cornered at church or at the supermarket, as soon as someone hears that we can’t have kids, it’s, “Well, you know what we did? We went on this all carrot and celery diet. And guess what! By Thursdays that week we were pregnant.”

Even more common is the ever popular, “My brother and his wife couldn’t get pregnant so they did such and such.”

Don’t get me wrong. It’s annoying and all, but after a while we infertile people get to a point where we start to enjoy it. I absolutely love it when I get to say, “I’ve never heard that one before.” I fear some people may think I’m being rude by laughing at my own friends. I don’t mean to be rude. I really don’t. I’m just pointing out that some people are really funny and they don’t seem to see it. Here are a few of my favorites-

Woman should stand on her head after intercourse. Now, that one may actually have some scientific reasoning to it. I don’t know. I aint a doctor. Gravity is real, though, so who knows. That one is actually pretty popular to try, or some variation of it.

Rub ice cubes on your (fill in the blank here). I don’t leave that “fill in the blank” empty because I’m censoring myself. I leave it blank because I’ve heard just about every body part, male or female, in that blank spot. Whatever the body part, I always enjoy that one.

Try intercourse in the back seat of a car. Now, I have actually heard that one from real people, but the fact that I also saw that on The Simpsons when Apu was trying to get his wife pregnant should tell you something if you think it’s a good problem solver.

Have an affair. I haven’t heard that from any of my “friends” because they wouldn’t be my friends anymore if they suggested that, but I’ve heard other people say it was told to them. Idiocy.

Eat more (another fill in the blank). Spaghetti, or vegetables, or Mexican food, or B vitamins, or or or…

Again, I’m not trying to pick on people who give their input. I appreciate when my friends take the time to care- just know that I may be laughing at you behind your back if you tell me the reason I’m not able to get my wife pregnant is because I wear boxers instead of briefs- or the other way around.

Adoption is the best thing that has ever happened to me, and Open Adoption, Open Heart is our adoption story. It’s not simply a matter of filling out papers and waiting for a baby. It’s a process of building relationships- the birth parents are still in our lives. Infertility is still part of us, but it doesn’t define us. We are able to laugh at our problems because we are able to embrace our successes. Hooray for adoption, and hooray for those wonderful birth parents who helped make our dreams come true.

Author Bio

Russell Elkins was born on Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, D.C., in the fall of 1977. Along with his five siblings, he and his military family moved around a lot, living in eight different houses by the time he left for college at age 17. Although his family movedaway from Fallon, Nevada, just a few months after he moved out, he still considers that little oasis in the desert to be his childhood hometown. He and his family now live in the Boise, Idaho area.

Russell has always been a family man at heart, looking forward to the day when he could be a husband and a father. It took him a little while, but eventually his eyes locked onto a beautiful blonde, and he has never looked away. Russell and Jammie were married in 2004. Years of struggling with infertility left Russell and Jammie with a decision to make and their lives changed dramatically when they decided to adopt.

Russell and Jammie have adopted two beautiful children, Ira and Hazel, and have embraced their role as parents through open adoption. Both are actively engaged in the adoption community by communicating through social media, taking part in discussion panels, and writing songs about adoption. Russell also writes a weekly post for Adoption.com and contributes regularly to Adoption Voices Magazine.