Kat Biggie Press

Hybrid Publisher

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    • Grief and Loss
      • Twentyone Olive Trees: A Mother’s Walk through the Grief of Suicide to Hope and Healing
      • Sunshine After the Storm: A Survival Guide for the Grieving Mother
      • The Other “F” Word : When Faith Fills the Gap
      • Just Be Guide: Steps to Healing
      • Just Be: How My Stillborn Son Taught Me To Surrender
      • Never the Same: Families Forever Changed by Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome
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Q&A with Carol Parker, Author of The Fish Dress

Learn more about Carol Parker, the author of The Fish Dress, published by  Kat Biggie Press (October 2020).

Carol Parker

 

Q: Why did you write this book, and who did you write it for?

A: While living in Maine for thirteen years, my sister and I often visited thrift shops in search of eclectic items. At one shop, I spotted the fish dress, black and white with fish bones and strange symbols, and had to buy it. I noticed that when I wore it, acquaintances and strangers seemed mesmerized by the dress and heavily complimented me. At some point, I asked myself, “What if….?” and before I knew it, I had a story idea of a magical dress that empowers its wearer to overcome obstacles and discover her true self. My most likely readers are female millennials and up, who enjoy reading books that have a unique story line, engaging characters, and strong dialogue. A reader might want this book solely for entertainment, or perhaps she might like books set in a New England coastal town. Also, she might like books with magical elements and time travel. She might choose this book because it deals with mother-daughter relationships, romantic liaisons, and letting go of the past, to heal.

 

Q: What is your favorite part of the book?

A: I like the past life regression scenes with Nora and psychic Rosie Deerborn best. They take three journeys, where Nora discovers she is Marguerita de Roche, born in 1832, in the mountains of Andulasia, Spain, rescued by gypsies after a blizzard kills her family, and later kidnapped by soldiers and taken to be raised by nuns.

 

Q: When did you start writing books?

A: I started writing poetry at eight years old. I began writing my first novel when I was ten—historical fiction. I have never stopped writing, and also enjoy composing music and writing song lyrics.

 

Q: How is this book different from other books on the same shelf?

A: Originally I thought my book fit the Magical Realism genre, but I was told by an editor that it is not Magical Realism but “Fiction with Magical Elements”, the reason being that my story is not set in a magical world that operates according to specific rules of that world. My book is not set in a magical world, but with the time travel component, it is different than most fiction novels.

 

Q: Where does the tension in your novel come from?

A: Nora Jenkins, a divorced  teacher in her forties living in Maine, feels heartbroken that her daughter has cut off all contact. Nora turns to her sister Grace for emotional support and advice on how to get her daughter back into her life. Nora feels helpless and like a failure as a mother when her sister tells her she just has to wait until her daughter is ready to talk.

Angelica Jenkins, 19-year old daughter of Nora Jenkins, is dealing with heroin addiction and is in prison for drug offenses. She feels like a loser and too ashamed to accept her mother’s  and family’s support and refuses their attempts to contact her in prison. Deep inside, all Angelica has ever wanted is to make her mother proud.

 

Thank you, Carol!

The Fish Dress is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

MOTHER SETS A NEW COURSE TO HELP FAMILIES OF CHILDREN WITH A DUAL DIAGNOSIS OF DOWN SYNDROME AND AUTISM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

CONTACT:??

Alexa Bigwarfe

Kat Biggie Press

(910) 447-9619

info@katbiggiepress.com

 

MOTHER SETS A NEW COURSE TO HELP FAMILIES OF CHILDREN WITH A DUAL DIAGNOSIS OF DOWN SYNDROME AND AUTISM

Teresa Unnerstall is the author of a? new book that best-selling NY Times Author Lisa McCubbins likens to What To Expect When You?re Expecting

Aurora, IL ? May 1, 2020??[Columbia, SC]? The study of individuals with a dual diagnosis of Down Syndrome and Autism is a relatively recent research area, according to Dr. George Capone, director of the Down Syndrome Clinic and Research Center at Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, MD, who writes, ?Because this philosophy is relatively new to medical and educational professionals, there is little known about children and adults with DS-ASD medically or educationally.? (Source)

It was against this backdrop of unclear answers and a lack of reliable medical guidance that Teresa Unnerstall gave birth to her son, Nick, diagnosed with both Down Syndrome and Autism. 26 years later, Teresa has written a powerful memoir that doubles as a guidebook for parents navigating the same waters. A New Course: A Mother?s Journey Navigating Down Syndrome and Autism, is the book for families who feel like they don’t fit in with their local DS or autism support groups because of their child?s dual diagnosis, and are struggling to cope with this unique challenge.??

?My desire to […] write a memoir was prompted by a particularly rough evening, when I felt very much alone. I had yet to meet any families that were dealing with the struggles that we were having with our son,? writes Teresa.

New York Times Best-Selling Author Lisa McCubbin, says, ?Just like What to Expect When You?re Expecting and What to Expect the First Year have become the bibles for new parents, Teresa Unnerstall?s A New Course is bound to become the bible for parents who find themselves raising a child with Down syndrome and autism. Part autobiography, part how-to-manual, this amazing book offers the stark and often heart-breaking reality of raising a child with intellectual and developmental disabilities.?

For more about Teresa Unnerstall, please visit www.teresaunnerstall.com.

A New Course: A Mother’s Journey Navigating Down Syndrome and Autism, is published by Kat Biggie Press and is available everywhere books are sold.?

More about Teresa Unnerstall

Teresa is the mother of two boys and lives in the Chicago area along with her husband. Her youngest son, Nick is 26 years old and a graduate of Metea Valley High School. Nick has a dual diagnosis of Down syndrome and autism (DS-ASD). A New Course: A Mother?s Journey ?is her memoir about raising Nick which is forthcoming May 5, 2020. She has published articles and book reviews related to the special needs population. Teresa is a speaker and advocate in the community and a frequent guest lecturer at Aurora University and Northern Illinois University. She is a Dual Diagnosis Specialist and Consultant, for the Down Syndrome Connection of the Bay Area, offering expertise on dual diagnosis of Down syndrome and autism. Teresa is available for consultations, webinars, podcasts and speaking engagements offering her expertise on dual diagnosis of Down syndrome and autism.?

 

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What Do I Do? by Kimberly Calabrese

How to Help a Loved One Cope With The Loss of a Child

 

Each year in the United States, approximately 12,000 children ages 1 to 19 will die, according to the CDC. 1 in 4 women will experience a miscarriage, and over 11,000 infants will die in their first year. While these are things no one wants to talk about, it?s likely that you will know someone that loses a child, infant, or pregnancy. The loss of a child is one of the most devastating things that can happen to a parent.?

So many people are completely paralyzed when it comes to saying or doing the right thing to support their friend or family member after their child dies.? No one knows that as well as a parent who has been inundated with requests, or even worse, ignored by their friends and family who didn?t know how to respond to them after the child died. Kimberly Calabrese experienced the loneliness after the devastating loss of her child and has since dedicated herself to helping others who have suffered their own tragic loss, by providing a resource to the friends and family with guidance and action steps for helping a family grieving a child.

Kat Biggie Press is pleased to announce the forthcoming publication of our newest title, What Do I Do?: A Step by Step Guide for Friends and Family to Support Anyone Who Has Lost a Child, by Kimberly Calabrese. (ISBN 978-1-948604-44-4, ebook 978-1-948604-45-1)

Currently available for pre-order everywhere, What Do I Do? is slated to be released on August 6, 2019.??

As Kimberly says, ?You never get over the loss of a child, you evolve.?? In her book, ?What Do I Do??, her mission is to reach as many people as she can with the intent of aiding the healing process for those who have lost a loved one.?

Filmmaker Jessica Steinman Sternin says, ?…this book is an excellent starting point for anyone who wants to support and love someone through their darkest hours.??

Digital ARCs? are available by contacting the publisher or filling out this form.?

Download the full press release HERE.

Join the Blog Tour for What Do I Do?

What Do I Do? A Step by Step Guide for Friends and Family to Support Anyone Who Has Lost a Child by Kimberly Calabrese will be released by Kat Biggie Press on August 6, 2019. The book is available for pre-order on Amazon.

??…this book is an excellent starting point for anyone who wants to support and love someone through their darkest hours.?? – Jessica Steinman Sternin, Filmmaker

This book is full of ideas, checklists, resources, and stories to help and guide the family and friends (not the grieving parents) when they ask themselves – How can I help? What Can I do? after a friend or family member has a baby or child die. It’s the book many grieving parents wish they’d been able to point people to after their child died.

Kimberly Calabrese decided to write this book to help others get through the devastating loss of a child and talks about the critical need of helping family and friends.? She has since dedicated herself to healing others who have suffered their own tragic loss.

As Kimberly says, ?You never get over the loss of a child, you evolve.?

In her book, ?What Do I Do??, her mission is to reach as many people as she can with the intent of aiding the healing process for those who have lost a loved one.

Kat Biggie Press is currently organizing the blog and review tour for What Do I Do?

We are looking for influencers – bloggers, community builders, Instagrammers, people with large Facebook followings, authors, and other grieving parents who really would have loved to have had this book to direct people to every time they got the question – How can I Help? to join us in sharing the news about this book.

If you join us, we’ll provide you with plenty of resources to help you share about the book – links, copy, suggested posts, images, and so forth. If you’d like to run a giveaway, we’ll be happy to send a print copy to the winner you choose. This is an important book, and we’ll do whatever we can to make this easy for you to share.

If you’d like to participate, just fill out the form at the bottom of this page.

 

 

If you’d like to participate in the blog tour, just fill out the form below:

Learn more about Kimberly at http://supportofalovedone.com

 

Congratulations to Gerri Hilger, Book Excellence Award Winner!

Book Excellence Award

Congratulations to Kat Biggie Press author, Gerri Hilger on winning a Book Excellence Award in the Friendship category for her book, Our Duty, published by KBP in 2018.

About The Book

Our DutyOur Duty follows the shenanigans of Polly and Aggie, student nurses when World War II began. Eager to be a part of the action, Aggie joins the Army Air Corps upon graduating nursing school, and qualifies as flight nurse. She is shipped off to the Pacific, while Polly stays home. Aggie soon faces many difficulties common to this under-recognized group of brave women, including their initial lack of respect by the military brass. Aggie finally earned the respect of all around her when she kept 30 wounded men safe when their plane went down in the Pacific. Her letters home detail the challenges for nurses and the accounts of the personal lives of the airmen she came to know who faced unimaginable dangers in the skies over Europe, many ending in death. While Polly stayed behind to help on the home front, she does her part to keep Aggie entertained. Her letters boost the morale of any who are privy to them, describing romantic adventures and changes in life in the States.

Buy from Barnes and Noble
Buy from Amazon

About The Author

Gerri Hilger - Book Excellence Award

Author Gerri Hilger is??a life-long resident of Kansas where she was raised on a farm with lots of chores. She loved to sneak away to the barn loft to write terrible poetry and awful stories while dreaming about traveling the world. She received her Bachelor?s degree in English from Pittsburg State University at the end of the raucous ?60s. This was followed by years of teaching, raising four children with her farmer husband, and helping on their land. While pursuing her Master?s degree in Education, she began to follow her dream of writing. After more than 35 years teaching thousands of high school students, Gerri now enjoys retirement, writing and traveling with her husband to visit their children and 15 grandchildren ?in four different states and to enjoy sites of the world.

 

Find Gerri Online at:

Website

Facebook

 

 

For Media Inquiries, contact info@katbiggiepress.com

Congratulations to Sharissa Bradley, Bronze Medal Winner!

We want to recognize our author, Sharissa Bradley, for winning a Bronze Medal in the Foreword Indies in the Health & Wellness Category.?

Kat Biggie Press is pleased to announce Journey Back to Health: Six Steps To Confidently Getting Your Life Back has been recognized as a winner in the 21st annual Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards, garnering a Bronze award in the Health category.

As part of its mission to discover, review, and share the best books from university and independent publishers, Foreword Magazine, Inc. hosts an annual awards program each year. Finalists represent the best books published in 2018. After more than 2,000 individual titles spread across 56 genres were submitted for consideration, the list of finalists was determined by Foreword?s editorial team. Winners will be decided by an expert team of booksellers and librarians?representing Foreword?s readership?from across the country.

Sharissa was a member of Alexa Bigwarfe’s original author coaching program through her company Write|Publish|Sell,? in 2017, and signed on as an author with Kat Biggie Press in 2018. We have enjoyed watching Sharissa’s progression from a health coach with a book idea to an award-winner author!?

About The Book:

If you?re just starting your health journey, figuring out that first step can feel overwhelming. ?You need a guidebook. Journey Back to Health: Six Steps To Confidently Getting Your Life Back will empower you to take charge of your health, step by step. As a psychologist and a nutritionist, Sharissa Bradley is uniquely positioned to help the reader identify and change the ?behaviors and mindsets that hold them back. This book takes mind and body into account, and is designed to be easy to follow and implement.

About The Author:

Sharissa is a ?mother, an author, a psychology professor, and an autoimmune specialist. She is reversing her multiple autoimmune diseases by changing her lifestyle and using food as medicine. Her ?newest journey is to help you find your healthy healing path. Life is too short to spend even one more day worrying about how you will manage to get out of bed, and she is here to help you find your path.

 

 

 

 

 

We’re so proud of you, Sharissa!

?

Buy the Book:

Amazon

IndieBound

Journey Back to Health: Six Steps To Confidently Getting Your Life Back can be found wherever books are sold.?

approx 200 pages
ISBN: 978-1-948604-21-5
Price: 16.99

 

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