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| Women On Writing Tour |
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| Welcome to my Blog! Wander through wonderful worlds real and fictional, meet interesting people, visit exciting places and find a few good books to enjoy along the way! |
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| About the Book |
Purchase
a copy of Homecoming Chaos by visiting Amazon, Barnes
and Noble, or Kobo.
Make sure you also add Homecoming Chaos to your Goodreads
reading list.
Literary Resilience: How My Kidney Transplant Reignited My Writing Passion by D W Brooks
My
family has bad kidneys.
There are many people with a genetic kidney condition throughout my mother's side of the family, so I had been aware that I was at high risk of developing the condition myself since I was a child. When I found out definitively in my 20s, I resigned myself to the prospect of dialysis and a kidney transplant in my future.
Moving forward as my body betrayed me in several ways was challenging.
There were moments when I felt sorry for myself. Being tired was a constant,
and I spent a lot of time sitting/reclining in my bed with my computer.
It
was boring. You can only read so many news and gossip articles. So, I needed
something to do.
My
first career choice as a child was to be a writer. My cousins and I created our
own universe of characters—creating character profiles, maps of neighborhoods,
the whole works. We had a bunch of half-finished stories about these characters
which my parents placed in their attic. Sadly, those handmade books disappeared
into the ether, and I moved on from that career choice to the steadier option
of medicine. As I grew older, writing was something I thought about in passing
as I picked up another paperback book to read.
But
sitting in the bed all day while I was on dialysis gave me a lot of time to
think. And I created a family and a story in my mind. Since I really couldn't
do anything else, I might as well write what I was thinking about down. I
bought software and books to help with the process, but Microsoft Word ended up
as my primary guide. Progress was slow—I took a lot of naps.
I
finally finished my rough draft a few months before my planned transplant. I
put the draft aside and focused on recovering. But my mother passed away six
months after my surgery, and we moved my father into our home. He stayed with
us for almost two years.
After
my father passed away in 2020, I started looking at my manuscript again,
wondering if I should take it further. First, my circumstances had changed.
After the transplant and with COVID, I had to be more selective about whatever
I planned to do next, as I was immunocompromised. Staying at home was probably
the best option. Second, I wondered if I could make something happen with what
I had written. I guess it was curiosity. And third, I had always wanted to
write—but could I do it for a living? I had enjoyed creating a universe–like
what I had done as a child. I also found that I had more ideas for these
characters and more stories to tell. The manuscript needed work and with the
help of an editor or two (or three) and a pack of other freelance professionals,
I got the book ready to publish.
So, while my transplant and everything associated with it was a grueling experience, I ended up with a new kidney and a new career—the career that I had originally started out with.
Follow the tour
November 20th @ The Muffin Join us as we celebrate author D.W. Brooks and interview her about Homecoming Chaos. You'll also have the chance to win a copy for yourself.
November 22nd @ Author Michelle Cornish Visit Michelle's blog to read her review of Homecoming Chaos.
https://www.michellecornishauthor.com/blog/book-reviews
November 25th @ The Faerie Review Stop by to check out Lily's spotlight of Homecoming Chaos by D.W. Brooks.
https://www.thefaeriereview.com
November 27th @ Michelle Cornish Join Michelle to read an interview with D.W. Brooks.
https://www.michellecornish.com/blog
November 29th @ Pages & Paws Join Kristine as she shares a guest post by D.W. Brooks about switching careers from medicine to writing.
November 29th @ Lisa Haselton’s Reviews and Interviews blog Join Lisa for an interview with D.W. Brooks.
https://lisahaselton.com/blog/
November 30th @ Life According to Jamie Stop by Jamie's blog to read her review of Homecoming Chaos.
https://www.lifeaccordingtojamie.com
December 3rd @ Author Michelle Cornish Visit Michelle's blog to read a guest post by D.W.
Brooks writing as Jamison Scott about the wedding that wasn't.
https://www.michellecornishauthor.com/blog/bookis-bits
December 5th @ Reading Beyond the Book Cover Join Jaleesa as she shares her review of Homecoming Chaos.
https://readingbeyondthebookcover.com/
December 6th @ A Storybook World Stop by Deirdra's blog to read her spotlight of Homecoming Chaos by D.W. Brooks.
https://www.astorybookworld.com/
December 7th @ Nikki's Book Reviews Check out Nikki's review of Homecoming Chaos by D.W. Brooks.
https://nikkitsbookreviews.wordpress.com/
December 9th @ Helen Hollick Author Visit Helen's blog to read a guest post from author D.W. Brooks.
https://ofhistoryandkings.blogspot.com/
December 12th @ Bring On Lemons Join Crystal as she shares her review of Homecoming Chaos by D.W. Brooks.
http://bringonlemons.blogspot.com/
December 14th @ The Knotty Needle Stop by to read Judy's review of Homecoming Chaos by D.W. Brooks.
http://knottyneedle.blogspot.com
December 15th @ Sue Edwards’s blog Stop by Sue’s blog to read a guest post by D.W. Brooks about literary beginnings.https://suebe.wordpress.com/
December 17th @ World of My Imagination Visit Nicole's blog to read her review of Homecoming
Chaos by D.W. Brooks.
https://worldofmyimagination.com
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Website: https://helenhollick.net/
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