The Heart of Applebutter Hill

Author Admits to a Mistake: Voting is Still Open! Diversity Novel #5 in Book Cover Comp!

Posted on October 29, 2019 by Donna W. Hill

OK, here’s the scoop. Voting for my novel in the book cover comp did not end Monday afternoon after all. It ends Thurs. Oct. 31, at 2:30pm Eastern. My mistake, I assumed it was like previous rounds. So, if you haven’t voted in the final round, here’s your chance. “The Heart of Applebutter Hill” is #5. So close! Please help. Jaws users, instructions are below. https://allauthor.com/cover-of-the-month/5725/

Book cover for The Heart of Applebutter Hill by Donna W. Hill shows a cave scene - stalactites reflected in an underground lake, while a hand holds the Heartstone of Arden-Goth: photos, Rich Hill;, design, Lizza Studios.

Voting Instructions for Jaws Users

Go on over to: https://allauthor.com/cover-of-the-month/5725/

The page title is “Vote for The Heart of Applebutter Hill“
From the top of the page, use ‘h to next heading which is the book title The Heart of Applebutter Hill.
Down-arrow past author & genre till you hear a number followed by “Vote button.” At this writing I have 258 votes, so it should say, “258 Sign-in Vote Button.”
Enter.
You will be prompted to sign up to the site; choose ‘author or ‘reader. You can establish a nice profile, but you don’t have to.
Give your email, password and sign up. Thanks bunches, you’ve just voted.

Posted in AllAuthor, authors, Blindness, Book Cover, novel, The Heart of Applebutter Hill, Uncategorized, Visually Impaired, young adult | Tagged author, blind, Book Cover, education, fiction, novel, Pennsylvania, screen reader accessibility, The Heart of Applebutter Hill, Visually impaired | 1 Comment

Blind Author’s Young Adult Novel #5 in Book Cover Comp: Please Vote Before Thurs. 10/31, 2:30pm Eastern!

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Donna W. Hill

At this writing, TheHeart of Applebutter Hill is in 5th place in the book cover comp. Don’t have time to read this? Go vote! https://allauthor.com/cover-of-the-month/5725/

Introduction

This post was originally published by Stephanae McCoy on “Bold Blind Beauty.” These are her comments.

Advocacy is in my blood and fuels my spirit. So when my friend Donna Hill sent me an email asking for help to win a book cover competition I said YES! Since I’m always looking for opportunities to increase accessibility, inclusion, and representation this opportunity is a fun way to do this. Please join me in voting for Donna’s book cover HERE. Together let’s change how we perceive one another. Without further ado, it’s my pleasure to present Donna:

Visit the original post & follow Steph! Blind Author’s Diversity, Inclusion & Anti-Bullying Novel https://boldblindbeauty.com/2019/10/22/blind-authors-diversity-inclusion-anti-bullying-novel/

Some Background

Earlier this month, my educator-recommended, young adult novel, The Heart of Applebutter Hill, was chosen to compete in AllAuthor’s Cover of the Month competition. I remember the first time I visited my special page and hearing Jaws, my screen reader, say “0 Votes Button.” It seemed like a hopeless case – not that I haven’t been there before.

I entered, and Jaws said, “1 Vote Button.” Since that first day, I’ve been working my butt off, following every lead and using social media in ways I would have never dreamed of only a month ago. Through blog posts, status updates, newsletters, emails to individuals, posts to my many Facebook and LinkedIn groups and requests to authors on the AllAuthor site, I’ve been doing everything I can to get the vote out.

Some of the procedures are complicated, but I’m doing them so much that it’s like my hands are dancing around the keyboard. I’m happy to announce that The Heart of Applebutter Hill is now #5 in the fourth and final round! I’m using the opportunity to raise awareness about blindness, guide dogs and accessibility, & I would appreciate your help. If I’ve already convinced you, just go vote at: https://allauthor.com/cover-of-the-month/5725/

Description of the Book Cover of The Heart of Applebutter Hill

The cover of The Heart of Applebutter Hill shows a cave scene – stalactites reflected in an underground lake. In the bottom right, a hand holds the blue, heart-shaped Heartstone of Arden-Goth. Photos by Rich Hill; cover design by Bob Lizza, Lizza Studios.

The idea for the book cover, however, came from yours truly. I have a beautiful blue glass, heart-shaped paperweight, which was given to me by my “secret sister” when I belonged to a women’s circle at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Glenside, Pennsylvania. The cave scene is a bit of a secret. I would like to find out if anyone recognizes it. I will say that my hubby Rich and I have been there twice, and without seeing it in the ordinary sense of the term, that cave formation dug a whole right into my imagination and provided one of the novel’s most exciting, scary and intriguing scenes.

Some Thoughts on the Big Picture

Pink breast-cancer-awareness afghan, designed and knit by Donna W. Hill, features twining vine surrounded by butterflies and candle flames with “Buddy Check” in Braille: photo by Rich Hill.

Why is this so important to me? It’s October which makes it “Breast Cancer Awareness Month,” and a celebration for me of twenty-nine years as a breast cancer survivor. I am aware that life is short and that there is a reason each of us is here, a unique perspective on the human condition we hold in our hearts and share as a gift to Life.

It’s also “Meet the Blind Month.” I was born legally blind from Retinitis Pigmentosa, a degenerative condition, and I feel an obligation to smooth the trail a bit for the next generation. People with vision loss are still dealing with the devastating impact of misguided, erroneous and cruel prejudices and low expectations about our potentials. These prejudices are held by people who have limited imaginations when it comes to their own impressions of what it must be like to not have eyesight.

Sighted Folks Need Our Help

The sighted world needs to learn about and embrace us for at least two reasons. First, many of us have developed survival, coping and innovation skills that are far less common in the general public. We know how to press on. We don’t have the luxury of giving up after a few tries. We endure humiliation and find ways of coping with it.

It was the news about how average Americans were reacting to the Great Recession that enlightened me. So many people have no clue how to deal with adversity. They’re devastated after applying for and not getting ten jobs. They are thunder-struck when their “friends” don’t want anything to do with them after they’ve lost their homes or jobs. The socioeconomic structure in which they place their trust is a mirage, and when they finally figure that out, they don’t know how to continue. It’s sad.

Secondly, there are people out there, from children to senior citizens, who are unknowingly living as temporarily sighted people. Most of the people in the world who are now blind lost their sight as adults. They grew up as sighted kids, soaking up the negative stereotypes about blindness, until they found themselves having to give up on life or transform their thinking about what it means to be blind. Too many give up.

Social Change Through Literature

Blooming red Amaryllis with a print copy of The Heart of Applebutter Hill, a fantasy featuring some awesome flowers: photo by Rich Hill.

Blind people come from every race, religion, ethnic, social, age and economic group. From genius to developmentally challenged, straight to gay, we are a cross-section of humanity. To open the minds of the next generation, we need to get our young adult novels & autobiographies into the classroom, where books can open young minds about the abilities and common humanity of visually impaired people.

I have been working on this issue all my adult life, using music, classroom visits, school assemblies and now literature. The prejudices – yeah, there’s that word again – are deeply entrenched in the human mindset. Whether due to unfamiliarity or something else, these roots need some serious tugging at to break free.

Yes, we can open minds about blindness through literature. A book can give sighted people a safe place to get to know a blind person. It’s also important that young blind people get to see themselves in an exciting adventure fantasy. I believe it can help bridge the gap between the sighted public and the blind community and help kids who are losing their sight realize they are not alone.

Blind Authors & the Publishing Industry: a Locked Door

The publishing industry, while occasionally willing to take on the nonfiction stories of blind people who make it into the public arena, has been more reluctant to embrace fictional portrayals of blind people by blind authors. The disability community has a saying, “Nothing about us without us.” So far, however, the industry is more open to fictional portrayals of blind people by sighted authors.

Some blind writers have been told that their portrayals of blind girls and women are “unrealistic.” Others were told that the public wants their fictional blind females to be demure, spiritual and in need of rescue. Despite the obstacles, more excellent blind authors than ever are establishing themselves as career authors.

Blind Authors Find Ways Around Those Locked Doors

Whether through self-publishing or by working with small publishing houses, their work is getting out there. Some of my favorite blind women authors include Deborah Kent Stein, Amy Krout-Horn, Kristen Witucki, Meredith Burton, Phyllis Campbell, Jo Elizabeth Pinto, Patty Fletcher and Lynda Lambert. As for blind men, there’s Jerry Whittle and Justin Oldham for starters.

Fiction by blind authors, however, is not on the bestseller’s lists. Several years ago, I ran across a report by the diversity watchdog group “Diversity in YA.” They track the Publishers Weekly bestsellers for young adult novels with main characters and authors with minority status, including disabilities. In 2013, there were no blind main characters. There were also no black main characters. Only the gay community even came close to having a percentage of books in line with population.

This is evidence of the rejection of diversity by the publishing industry and in my opinion something we need to change to create an atmosphere of inclusion in the general population. Here’s a link to the report: http://www.diversityinya.com/2014/03/diversity-in-publishers-weeklys-2013-young-adult-bestsellers/#more-3170

Voting Instructions for Jaws Users

Go on over to: https://allauthor.com/cover-of-the-month/5725/

The page title is “Vote for The Heart of Applebutter Hill“
From the top of the page, use ‘h to next heading which is the book title The Heart of Applebutter Hill.
Down-arrow past author & genre till you hear a number followed by “Vote button.” At this writing I have 310 votes, so it should say, “310 Sign-in Vote Button.”
Enter.
You will be prompted to sign up to the site; choose ‘author or ‘reader. You can establish a nice profile, but you don’t have to.
Give your email, password and sign up. Thanks bunches, you’ve just voted.

Outside Myself by Kristen Witucki: A Stunning Portrayal of Blindness Reviewed by Donna W. Hill

Posted on October 20, 2019 by Donna W. Hill

When you hear that someone is “having trouble adjusting to blindness,” you may be tempted to think that they need to accept the “fact” that they simply cannot do a laundry list of essential human activities. Can you set that aside for a time and consider this? Perhaps they need to learn that the sighted people around them don’t have the answers and in many cases may be holding them back.

Book cover of Outside Myself by Kristen Witucki, shows profiles of dual protagonists on background of warm tan parchment with title in Braille: photo courtesy Kristen Witucki.

The book cover of Outside Myself by Kristen Wytucki shows profiles of the dual protagonists on a background of warm tan, slightly wrinkled parchment . Both facing in the same direction, Tallie’s is nested inside Benjamin’s. Benjamin’s profile is slightly lighter than the background, and Tallie’s is a little lighter still. The profiles cast a shadow, as if someone cut each out of paper and laid them on the cover. The title is in black text. It also appears in Braille in the same color as the shadows: photo courtesy Kristen Witucki.

Superbly written, Outside Myself by Kristen Witucki gets to the heart of the human experience. Blended and broken families struggle with issues that tear parents and children apart. Trying to do their best, they are fettered by incomplete and often false information. At the center of it all, two very different blind characters, determined to create their own place in the world, grapple with the negativity in their families, communities and themselves.

Witucki gives the reader a candid look at a blind person who wonders why so many people want her to be sighted. Whether through medical advances or faith healing, their actions tell her that they can’t accept her as she is. She also shows us a person, who should know what being ostracized and bullied means, grappling with insensitivity to others. This happens in the midst of the joys and frustrations of everyday life.

This beautiful and honest story of a mentor relationship reaches into several worlds to expose the deepest pain and the greatest triumphs of the human spirit. It is told by two narrators, Tallie and Benjamin. Their names appear at the beginnings of their chapters along with the date and subject. They represent different age-groups, genders, races, belief systems and causes of blindness. They grew up in different eras with different rights under the law.

Most blind people lose their vision as adults. Yes, most blind people used to be able to see. This fact alone should compel everyone to learn about living in a sighted world without sight. Still, misconceptions and stereotypes persist. Blindness is insurmountable. Blind people can’t do this, that or the other thing. Independence, a fulfilling career and even love are all too often considered simply out of reach. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Outside Myself is recommended for senior high and older readers. Learning about the struggles and triumphs of life without sight within the pages of a gripping novel is a great place to start. It’s sorely needed, especially for young people still forming their world views. Rehab counsellors will tell you that the biggest obstacles their newly blinded clients face are their misconceptions about blindness – Misconceptions they gathered while living in the sighted world.

Writing a novel that provides an authentic overview of blindness, however, is a monumental task. Adults or children, male or female, genius or intellectually challenged, rich or poor, blindness is a part of the human experience. It’s not even possible to predict with any degree of certainty what any one blind person can or cannot see.

So, how did Witucki do it? She hit one out of the ballpark. Her experiences have placed her in an ideal position to tell this story. Born totally blind, she earned three master’s degrees in teaching gifted students, the creative writing of fiction and teaching students with visual impairments. Witucki is a wife and mother of three. She is also Curriculum and Content Editor, Blindness and Visual Impairment at Learning Ally, the world’s largest library of volunteer-narrated books.

The novel comes right out of her daily life. Tallie, a young and precocious blind girl, and Benjamin, a withdrawn grandfather who works at a library for the blind, meet on the phone. Witucki interweaves the two “points of view” with an uncommon agility. Her ability to blend action, dreams and memory allows their stories to unfold smoothly, drawing the reader into their separate worlds, even as she brings them closer together.

Music, literature, and the love of learning are lifelines throughout the book. You will encounter a commentary on Heidi, Swiss author Johanna Spyri’s classic children’s novel, that has probably never crossed your mind. Tallie’s concern for dry leaves and Benjamin’s relationship with the moon provide glimpses into their inner lives.

Outside Myself is set primarily in New Jersey, with a train ride to Raleigh and a skiing trip to Vermont. The Ski for Light event, where Tallie learns to cross-country ski, is real. I’ve attended it twice. It is accurately portrayed. All in all, an inspiring read, carefully constructed with clear, concise language, nuanced characters and unexpected twists. There’s so much in this book that I couldn’t resist a second read.

Purchase Outside Myself in Print, EBook & Audio Formats

Outside Myself is Kristen Witucki’s first full length novel. Purchase it and The Transcriber, a story for
adolescent emerging readers, and follow Kristen at: https://www.amazon.com/Kristen-Witucki/e/B00BCQVL4K%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

Audible has Outside Myself Narrated by Stephanie Keefer and Royal Jaye. Listen to a Sample at: https://www.audible.com/pd/Outside-Myself-Audiobook/B07CY6KGFQ

Options for readers with print impairments

Outside Myself is available through the National Library Service for the Blind & Physically Handicapped (NLS), part of the Library of Congress. Both novels are also available through Learning Ally.

Posted in acceptance, Accessibility, ADA, authors, Blindness, Book Reviews, bullying, Education, Kristen Wytucki, novel, Outside Myself, Uncategorized, Visually Impaired, young adult | Tagged accessibility, Audible, authors, blind, blindness, bullying, Kristen Wytucki, Learning Ally, Meet the Blind Month, New Jersey, Outside Myself, Ski for Light | 6 Comments

Blind Author’s Inspiring Message Transforms Book Cover Competition

Posted on October 16, 2019 by Donna W. Hill

October is one of my favorite months. It’s a great time to take a vacation, but this year, I’m doing no such thing. In fact, I’m working harder than I ever have. Earlier this month, my educator-recommended novel, The Heart of Applebutter Hill, was chosen for the AllAuthor “Cover of the Month” Competition. I’m so excited to report that it is now in round three – the top 50 vote-getters!

Print copy of The Heart of Applebutter Hill and Blooming Amaryllis: photo by Rich Hill.

Getting the Vote Out

I’ve been working my butt off, following every lead and using social media in ways I would have never dreamed of only a month ago. I need your help to get into the fourth (top 25) round. If you just want to go vote, here’s the link. Instructions for people using the Jaws screen reader are below, along with a description of the book cover. https://allauthor.com/cover-of-the-month/5725/

Can you help me? Options include spreading this news via your social media pages, direct mailings or word of mouth. Re-blog this post. Share my social media posts. I’m @dewhill on Twitter & Donna W. Hill on LinkedIn & Facebook. The Heart of Applebutter Hill has its own FB fan page – the links are at the end of this post.

Description of the Book Cover of The Heart of Applebutter Hill

The idea for the book cover, however, came from yours truly. I have a beautiful blue glass heart-shaped paperweight, which was given to me by my “secret sister” when I belonged to a women’s circle at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Glenside, Pennsylvania. The cave scene is a bit of a secret. I would like to find out if anyone recognizes it. I will say that it is a spiritual location that inspires me.

Some Thoughts on the Big Picture

Why is this so important to me? It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and a celebration for me of twenty-nine years as a breast cancer survivor. I am aware that life is short and that there is a reason each of us is here, a unique perspective on the human condition we hold in our hearts and share as a gift to Life.

I was born legally blind, and I feel a deep obligation to smooth the trail a bit. People are still dealing with the devastating impact of misguided, erroneous and cruel prejudices about our potentials. These prejudices are held by people who refuse to accept the truth of our common humanity.

The sighted world needs to learn about and embrace us for at least two reasons. First, many of us have developed survival, coping and innovation skills that seem to be far less common in the general public. We know how to press on. We don’t have the luxury of giving up after a few tries. We endure humiliation and find ways of coping with it.

Secondly, there are people out there, from children to senior citizens, who are unknowingly living as temporarily sighted people. Most of the people in the world who are now blind lost their sight as adults. They grew up as sighted kids, soaking up all of the negative stereotypes about blindness, until they found themselves having to give up on life or transform their thinking about what it means to be blind.

Social Change Through Literature

Blind people come from every race, religion, ethnic, social, age and economic group. To change the minds of the next generation, we need to get our young adult novels & autobiographies into the classroom, where books can open young minds about the abilities and common humanity of people with vision loss. I have been working on this issue all of my adult life, using music, classroom visits, school assemblies and now through literature.

Voting Instructions for Jaws Users

Go on over to: https://allauthor.com/cover-of-the-month/5725/

The page title is “Vote for The Heart of Applebutter Hill“
From the top of the page, use ‘h to next heading which is the book title The Heart of Applebutter Hill.
Down-arrow past author & genre till you hear a number followed by “Vote button.” At this writing I have 167 votes, so it should say, “167 Vote Button.”
Enter.
You will be prompted to sign up to the site; choose ‘author or ‘reader. You can establish a nice profile, but you don’t have to.
Give your email, password and sign up. You’ve just voted.

Inspiring Trail-Blazer Passes the Torch: Remembering Marca Bristo

Posted on October 6, 2019 by Donna W. Hill

The following tribute to the late disability rights pioneer, Marca Bristo, was written by Fun For The Disabled’s Vanessa Harris and Access Living’s Bridget Hayman. It is being re-printed with permission. Anyone with a disability, whether from vision loss, birth defect, injury or other, owes the freedoms and rights they enjoy at least in part to this brave and relentless champion of equality. It’s time to pick up the torch.

Remembering Marca Bristo

Internationally renowned disability rights leader Marca Bristo died September 8th, 2019 from cancer. Marca founded and built Chicago’s Access Living, one of the nation’s leading disability rights and service organizations. She had recently stepped down from her role as CEO because of her prognosis.

Paralyzed from the chest down in a diving accident at age 23, Marca became a staunch disability activist early in life, starting Access Living just two years after her accident. From there, her work expanded to the national and international stage.

Almost 40 years after Marca founded Access Living, the organization has continued to be a highly influential voice in the fight for equity and inclusion of people with disabilities. It is run and led by disabled people, and in addition to high profile advocacy efforts, Access Living provides essential services to nearly 2,000 Chicagoans with disabilities so they can live the lives they choose in the community.

Marca was an early champion for people with disabilities and one of her crowning achievements was helping to author the Americans with Disabilities Act, the landmark legislation that granted people with disabilities civil rights that was signed into law in 1990. However, Marca’s advocacy never stopped – her efforts led to the first fair housing program in the country to address disability discrimination, the inclusion of disability issues in domestic violence law and the requirement for all televisions to have close-captioned decoders.

Marca served as the Chair for the National Council on Independent Living for many years after co-founding the organization in 1982. President Clinton appointed her as chair of the National Council on Disability from 1994-2002 and she was the first person with a disability in the role. As the vice president of North America for Rehabilitation International, she participated in the negotiation for the United Nations’ Convention (UN) on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which the UN adopted in 2006.

She was given the Distinguished Service Award of the President of the United States in 1992; the Henry B. Betts Laureate, considered the Nobel Prize in the disability field in 1993; and the 1993 United Way of Chicago Executive of the Year Award.

Near the end of her life, Marca said she had no bucket list — that she had done what she set out to do and seen what she wanted to see. She also shared her firm belief that the disability activism work she started was in good and capable hands to be carried on by the staff at Access Living.

Marca is survived by her sister, Gail; her husband, Bob Kettlewell; their two children, Sam and Madeline; son-in-law Pierce Nahigyah; and her two-month old granddaughter Beatrix who stole her heart from day one.

Fun for the Disabled

Vanessa Harris, the founder of Fun for the Disabled, is an environmental engineer who loves to dance. She enjoys “chair dancing,” moving to the music in her wheelchair. She just launched a new not for profit organization: The Strategy for Access Foundation NFP.
“Our mission is to provide short documentary subjects and inspiring stories about people who manage to have a good life and create a legacy while they are alive regardless of their disability or circumstances. We also cover entertaining and educational information about products, organizations, places and events for the disabled and their friends and families so that they can share memorable experiences.”

Visit Fun for the Disabled: https://www.fun4thedisabled.com/

Follow their blog: https://www.fun4thedisabled.com/blog/

Access Living

Bridget Hayman is Access Living’s Director of Communications. She is a 2018 University of Chicago Civic Leadership Academy Fellow, a 2017 ADA 25 Advancing Leadership Fellow, and a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar. She holds a master’s degree in visual culture from Lancaster University, England, and a triple bachelor’s in English, journalism, and public relations from the University of Northern Colorado.

Access Living is a diverse group of people with deep experience in disability advocacy, service, and social change. Over 60% of their staff have disabilities or lived experience with disability. At the heart of everything they do is the mantra of the disability rights movement: “Nothing about us without us.” Their core services include advocacy, independent Living skills, transition support, peer support, information and referrals. Learn more about Access Living at: https://www.accessliving.org/

Posted in Accessibility, ADA, Disability, Uncategorized | Tagged Access Living, ADA, Bridget Hayman, Chicago, disability, Fun for the Disabled, Marca Bristo, social justice, Vanessa Harris | 1 Comment

Horrific Massacre Inspires Authors: International Writing Project Supports Terrorist Victims

Posted on September 29, 2019 by Donna W. Hill

On September 18th, representatives of Google, Facebook and Twitter met with members of Congress to discuss ways to curb extremist behavior on social media. They referred to the Christchurch, New Zealand Mosque attacks this past March. Remember? That was another mass shooting. That time the terrorist was a white supremacist; the victims Muslim worshipers.

What Happened in Christchurch?

Haven Book Cover: photo Courtesy of Claire Plaisted, Plaisted Publishing House.

Any slaughter is horrific, but attacks on schools and worship services always seem to hit me the hardest. Freedom to believe and worship as you see fit is the cornerstone of the American experiment in democracy. An attack against any faith is an attack against religious freedom in general. In reality, it’s an attack against our right to think for ourselves.

You can’t have it both ways. If we don’t allow one set of beliefs, then someone else is limiting our ability to make our own decisions about what we do or do not believe. That isn’t religious freedom; it’s mind control. What we do limit are actions that harm others and their property. And that applies to actions based on religious or nonreligious beliefs.

During Friday prayer services on March 15, 2019,the gunman videoed the first of two attacks on Facebook Live, and played military and anti-Muslim music while carrying out the massacre. In all, 51 people were killed, and dozens injured.

When I heard about the attacks, I was horrified and saddened, like most of us are whenever these mass shootings occur. My heart went out to the people of New Zealand. I felt so helpless, I wished I could do something. I wasn’t in the best place to be of help; I was trying to get back in the saddle after three years of medical issues and the loss of my fourth guide dog, Hunter.

The Haven Project

I had just started working with Patty Fletcher of Tell-it-to-the-World Marketing. We were trying to jump-start my novel The Heart of Applebutter Hill. A couple of months later, Patty suggested that I submit something to an exciting and unique project, which I did. I soon learned that I am one of ten traditional and independent authors from around the world selected to contribute to the Haven project, sponsored by Plaisted Publishing House, Ltd. New Zealand.

Butterfly on Milkweed Flowers in Various Stages of Bloom: photo by Rich Hill.

Proceeds from the sales of Haven, A Special Edition Anthology of Short Stories, memoir and poetry, go to charities supporting the Muslim community in the aftermath of the Christchurch mosque terrorist attacks. “Butterflies & Me,” my breast cancer survival story, was chosen for inclusion in the book.

“Haven,” says Claire Plaisted, of Plaisted Publishing House, ”is dedicated to those who lost their lives in the Christchurch Terror Attacks and their Surviving Families, as well as the Public Heroes, Police, Ambulance Personnel, hospital staff and all who assisted during this crisis.”

Meredith Lee Burton, another Tell-it-to-the-World Marketing author is also a contributor. In fact, she has two pieces in Haven: “Journey to Freedom” and “The Physician’s Magic Medicine.” Meredith’s ability to create modern versions of fairy tales that elevate the human experience in new directions is pure genius. She has several books out including Blind Beauty and Other Tales of Redemption and her latest Rebecca’s Refuge.

Getting the Word Out

For most of my life, I’ve been writing press releases for one thing or another. Initially, when we lived in the Philadelphia area, they were about my music. The local newspapers, radio and TV stations covered everything from my work as a street performer, awards for special songs, my three albums and my performances everywhere from local schools and churches to events concerning disability rights sponsored by the federal government.

Then, when computers came along, things got a lot easier and cheaper. No more sending things snail mail, and I could write, edit and send without help. I donated my services to the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) of Pennsylvania, the NFB’s Performing Arts Division, and the NFB’s Writer’s Division. I had great luck getting things posted around the nation. I always feel a secret pleasure when a newspaper just publishes my press release.

So, I went to work, writing press releases for our local area here in Pennsylvania’s Endless Mountains, my old stomping ground in the Philadelphia area and my hometown of Easton, Pennsylvania. The first person I heard from was Julia Owens from Lehigh Valley Live, an online news source encompassing Easton, where I grew up. Here is the article she wrote after interviewing me. https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/easton/2019/08/this-easton-native-was-one-of-ten-authors-chosen-for-an-international-writing-project.html

A couple of our local papers, including the Wyoming County Examiner, gave me a taste of that secret pleasure of having my press releases printed virtually verbatim, and with the two photos I included . Someone in our dentist’s office cut out the article, glued it to a postcard and mailed it to us. We got a fresh copy from the Examiner’s Tunkhannock office. It’s not online, so we scanned it.

This article from the 7/28/19 edition of the Wyoming County Examiner (Tunkhannock,PA) contains Donna’s press release and two pictures she sent to the paper.

Haven is available through Lulu.com

Links to Authors & Publishers

Claire Plaisted, Plaisted Publishing House Ltd., New Zealand

http://www.plaistedpublishinghouse.com

Tell-it-to-the-World Marketing: Patty Fletcher

https://m.facebook.com/tellittotheworld/

Meredith Lee Burton

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GC3HNYB/

The Heart of Applebutter Hill by Donna W. Hill

Donna Takes a Break to Play with Mo, her Yellow Lab Guide Dog & His Red Jolly Ball: Photo by Rich Hill.

Donna’s Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/donnawhill

Facebook Fan Page for The Heart of Applebutter Hill: https://m.facebook.com/TheHeartOfApplebutterHill/

Posted in authors, Blind Beauty and Other Tales of Redemption, Christchurch Mosque Attacks, Claire Plaisted, Haven, Meredith Burton, New Zealand, Patty Fletcher, Plaisted Publishing, PR, Rebecca's Refuge, Tell-it-to-the-World Marketing, Terrorism, The Heart of Applebutter Hill, Uncategorized, Wrighting | Tagged author, authors, Blind Beauty and Other Tales of Redemption, Facebook, Freedom of Speech, memoir, Meredith Burton, New Zealand, Patty Fletcher, poetry, Press releases, Rebecca's Refuge, Short Sttories, social justice, Tell-it-to-the-World Marketing, Terrorism, The Heart of Applebutter Hill | 6 Comments

Indie Authors, Contests & Consternations: Win or Lose – You Can’t Do Either Without Entering

Posted on September 16, 2019 by Donna W. Hill

Winning a writing contest, no matter how small, seems to be a necessity for the modern author. Even if you aren’t qualified for the Pulitzer, there are more and more contests for indie authors. I’ve never won a contest, whether as an author or as a songwriter. It pains me – not that I’ve entered many.

Medallion from Bookworks Book of the Week Prize for Donna’s high school adventure/mystery with excursions into fantasy The Heart of Applebutter Hill.

In July, however, my first and only novel, The Heart of Applebutter Hill, was named the Bookworks novel of the week. I think that put a bug in my shorts. Then, I received a mailing that Patty Fletcher of Tell-it-to-the-World Marketing sent out to her author clients. It mentioned the North Street Prize for indie authors, sponsored by Writer’s Market. It cost $75. Yikes, but I was off and running. Two things stopped me.

First, I went to the site and discovered what looked like a deal-breaker. It appeared that all authors of genre fiction, including young adult novels, had to enter the same category. That seemed ridiculous and a tad mean. There was a Children’s Literature category, but my novel isn’t for children. I must be missing something, right? So, I wrote to them. While waiting for their response, I enlisted Google’s help to find other indie author contests.

“It’s nice to snuggle up with a good book,” says Goofus, a strawberry blonde tabby, getting cozy with The Heart of Applebutter Hill by his Mom, Donna W. Hill. Cover shows cave scene with a hand holding the blue Heartstone of Arden-Goth: photo by Rich Hill.

Goofus, Hills’ kitty, snuggles up with The Heart of Applebutter Hill:photo by Rich Hill.

That’s when the second thing happened. I found the Booklife Prize, sponsored by Publishers Weekly. It was more expensive ($90-something), but … “All entrants receive a Critic’s Report, which includes a score as well as a brief written critical assessment of their novel by a Publishers Weekly reviewer.” In other words, they offered a written critique of every submission that authors could use to promote their work.

Hmm, if contests are important, reviews are even more so. I couldn’t justify the expense of entering both contests. Then, the answer came in from the North Street people. I was right; I should enter my young adult novel in the genre fiction category. Ugh!

Well, the North Street prize’s July 31st deadline was fast approaching, and their answer paralyzed me. The Booklife Prize deadline was the end of August and I decided to take a deep breath, work on the Haven project (the anthology from Plaisted Publishing in New Zealand to help victims of the Christchurch mosque terrorist attacks) and the “Sizzling Summer Super Release Book Launch Party!” (the Facebook event that Patty had set up for us). I could think about contests afterwards.

Mo, a male yellow Lab guide dog, in the grass with a copy of The Heart of Applebutter Hill by his Mom, Donna W. Hill. Cover shows cave scene - stalactites reflected in an underground lake, with a hand holding the blue, Heartstone of Arden-Goth: photo by Rich Hill.

“They don’t really expect me to read this, do they?” says Donna’s guide dog Mo: photo by Rich Hill.

Eventually, I went to the Booklife entry form. Lo and behold, they had a category for middle school and young adult fiction. That meant only one winner for what I would consider two categories – still better than the North Street contest with all genre fiction whether for general, middle school or young audiences lumped into one category. I still can’t believe that. I have the email, if anyone wants to see it.

So, on to the Booklife prize. Just one teensy little issue – the blurb mentions the Middle School/Young Adult category, but the form didn’t. I looked around and around, assuming I was missing something, because I’m always missing something, right? But, no, my happy little category simply wasn’t there. OK, where’s the Contact page? I found it and set about to ask my question.

When Booklife wrote back, they had fixed the problem with the form, and – hang on to your socks – they gave me a promo code that saved me $20 on my submission for pointing it out to them. Now, I could enter the contest in good conscience. Even if I don’t win (which is statistically likely), I had done a service to the authorly world by pointing out the missing category and earned myself a discount.

Author Donna W. Hill takes time to play with her yellow Lab guide dog, Mo, and his red Jolly Ball: photo by Rich Hill.

Donna playing with her guide dog, Mo and his Jolly Ball: photo by Rich Hill.

My financial prudence as well as my social responsibility sides having thus been appeased, I entered. Now, I wait. One way or another, in eight weeks, I’ll have that review in hand. We’ll see if I have the nerve to use it. Meanwhile, my Booklife profile enabled me to create a project which allowed me to apply for a Publishers’ Weekly book review.

Posted in adventure-mystery, authors, Book Reviews, fantasy, Indie Authors, marketing, novel, Self-Publishing, The Heart of Applebutter Hill, Uncategorized, Wrighting, Writing Contests, young adult | Tagged authors, book review, fiction, Novels, self publishing, The Heart of Applebutter Hill, Writing Contests, young adult | 8 Comments

Bridging the Great Divide: Counting on a Fictional Blind Girl

Posted on September 4, 2019 by Donna W. Hill

At the center of my novel, The Heart of Applebutter Hill, is a plot to steal the powerful and dangerous Heartstone of Arden-Goth. the legend of the Heartstone (a blue, heart-shaped sapphire) was inspired by a passage from C.S. Lewis’s The Silver Chair. Refugees attend a progressive private school, fly the Cloud Scooper, accidentally end up in the central domed courtyard of Bar Gundoom Castle and escape to the mystical land of Satori Green.

“It’s nice to snuggle up with a good book,” says Goofus, Hills’ kitty, a strawberry-blond male tabby: photo by Rich Hill.

Baggy, Abigail and Curly Connor (Abbie’s dog ) must find the person who is trying to steal the Heartstone, while dealing with summer school and their troubled friend Christopher. The heroine is a legally blind 14-year-old girl.

What? Wait! Why write a blind girl into a perfectly good fantasy adventure
story?

My Theory About Blind Girls in Fiction

My belief is that by bringing blind and disabled teens into the lives of middle school students and older readers through fiction, we can break down the walls of ignorance and fear which separate us. It can generate more awareness and acceptance of our common humanity among the general public and will be invaluable to those who, though they are unaware of it, are destined to lose their sight. Ultimately, it will cut the cost of programs supporting otherwise able-bodied unemployed blind people.

For those with vision loss and other disabilities, it provides a rare and welcomed opportunity to see themselves portrayed as strong, well-rounded and capable characters in fiction. It is currently available in accessible formats for readers with sensory, learning and physical disabilities through Bookshare and Learning Ally, as well as in print and ebook versions at your favorite outlets.

A Few Things About Blindness

Blindness and visual impairments are low-incidence disabilities. Compared with autism, dyslexia or deafness, there aren’t many blind or visually impaired Americans. Nevertheless, visual impairments are on the rise. In 2008, the CDC projected a tripling of diabetes-related blindness in working-age Americans by 2050. Considering reports of skyrocketing Type 2 Diabetes in adolescents (a frequent cause of vision loss) and the unexpected difficulties in treating it, this prediction may prove to be conservative.

The situation facing blind Americans is fraught with irony. Though Tim Cordes and David Hartman graduated from medical school without sight, and others are lawyers, engineers, mechanics and excelling in many other fields, unemployment among otherwise able-bodied, working age blind Americans is over twice the national average. Braille literacy, despite strong ties to gainful employment and advanced degrees, is low; most of America’s blind kids are never taught to read it.

Many believe that the major contributor to this dichotomy is the profound social stigma surrounding vision loss. This stigma, fostered by unfamiliarity, presents special challenges for people dealing with low vision, their families and those who seek to educate and rehabilitate them. Similarly, it is a major issue for those who encounter people with visual impairments as customers, clients and co-workers. The stigma also impacts relationships among neighbors and family members.

The “unfamiliarity” is due not only to the fact that blindness is a low-incidence disability, but because blind children represent the smallest group of blind people by age. Consequently, kids, while in their formative years before prejudices have taken root, rarely come into contact with blind peers.

Most blind people grew up sighted and are fettered by their own negative opinions about vision loss. Rehabilitation counselors say that undoing these prejudices is the greatest obstacle to a successful transition to living nonvisually. Furthermore, most professionals in the fields of special education and rehabilitation go through their entire training without ever interacting with a real blind person.

The problem has a profound impact on blind girls and women, who have few role models in either the public sector or fiction. Though general audiences have no trouble naming several blind men, such as Stevey Wonder, Jose Feliciano and former NY governor David Paterson, the blind woman most frequently mentioned is Helen Keller, who died in 1968. What other minority has endured the lack of a female role model for over fifty years?

Bridging the Gap

I understand the problems blind people face in the sighted world. I was born with Retinitis Pigmentosa and was the first legally blind child mainstreamed in the Easton, Pennsylvania School District. I have a B.A. in English literature from East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania. I wasn’t taught Braille in school and learned it only after college. Similarly, I wasn’t given a white cane. After I received my first guide dog, I got one, just in case.

It has been my life’s passion to bridge the gap between the blind and sighted worlds. I worked as a speaker and singer-songwriter for twenty years and have three recordings. My school assembly programs combined music with an interactive presentation about blindness and nonvisual ways of living independently. It hurts me that children, who someday will lose their sight, grow up so frightened of blindness and blind people.

For almost a decade, I have been writing about these realities for online magazines. I have appeared on many internet radio programs and have written guest blogs on these issues. I have also volunteered as a media relations specialist for various advocacy groups, including the Writers’ Division of the nonprofit National Federation of the Blind (NFB). In that capacity, I have placed stories about exceptional blind individuals and the issues accompanying vision loss with newspapers, radio shows and other media throughout the country.

Fiction & Social Change

Abigail & Curly Connor, from The Heart of Applebutter Hill, are standing in an Oval Opening at The Castle of Bar Gundoom: photo by Rich Hill.

Nonfiction and journalism, however, are not the only tools which can promote social change. From Oliver Twist and Uncle Tom’s Cabin to more modern works such as The Grapes of Wrath, Roots and Children of a Lesser God, fiction has played a significant role in raising awareness of social justice issues.

The Heart of Applebutter Hill is designed as a captivating adventure story, in which the reader gets to know a 14-year-old girl who is legally but not totally blind. Another character was blind from birth. It allows readers with visual impairments to see themselves in literature, and I hope that it helps readers – in and out of the classroom – to view people with vision loss as equals with talents, foibles and short-comings, like themselves.

Those using fiction to facilitate social change, however, are likely to encounter a major roadblock; the publishing industry is subject to the same prejudices as the general public. The watchdog group DiversityInYA, monitored the Publishers Weekly bestsellers list for books written by or about minorities including people with disabilities. Their research has shown that diversity in young adult literature is virtually nonexistent.

Blind writers, including me, learn that publishers and agents consider our portrayals of independent blind girls and women “unrealistic.” We’re supposed to be passive, long-suffering, spiritually gifted and most of all, in need of help. After a year, I gave up looking and self-published.

The Heart of Applebutter Hill, which features an intelligent and lovable guide dog, also has characters with other disabilities and addresses the issue of bullying. Despite popular beliefs that no one would do such a thing, more and more blind writers are beginning to speak out about the problem. A UK study shows that children with vision loss are experiencing high levels of bullying by their peers. Many of us think the problem in the U.S. is worse.

A Thought and a Request

A 6 petal lily: photo by Rich Hill.

Educators, rehabilitation professionals, and other writers recommend The Heart of Applebutter Hill for inclusion, diversity and anti-bullying initiatives in middle and high school, as well as for education, special education, healthcare, theology and technology majors in college. Can you help by reading it and sharing it with your friends and family?

Visit my Amazon Author Page at: http://www.amazon.com/author/donnawhill

“Like” The Heart of Applebutter Hill on Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/TheHeartOfApplebutterHill/

References: Blindness & Diversity in Young Adult Literature

“Diabetes Epidemic Signals an Increase in Blindness, Too” – The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/10/health/research/10diabetes.html?_r=2&ref=health#story-continues-1

Employment & Visual Impairments: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/publications/qa_vision.cfm

Blindness Statistics – American Foundation for the Blind http://www.afb.org/info/blindness-statistics/2

Diversity in YA: http://www.diversityinya.com/2014/03/diversity-in-publishers-weeklys-2013-young-adult-bestsellers/

“Bullying a ‘common occurrence’ for children with sight loss” – Optometry Today https://www.aop.org.uk/ot/industry/charity/2015/03/30/bullying-a-common-occurrence-for-children-with-sight-loss

Accessible Versions of The Heart of Applebutter Hill

Learning Ally: World’s Largest Provider of Human-Narrated Textbooks & Literature

Learning Ally carries The Heart of Applebutter Hill in the VOICEtext format; highlighted synchronized text accompanies the human narration. Listen and follow the printed word at the same time! http://www.learningally.org/BookDetails.aspx?BookID=KV589

Bookshare: an Accessible Online Library for Readers with Print Disabilities

Digital DAISY text, audio and refreshable Braille versions of The Heart of Applebutter Hill are available at: http://www.ookshare.org/browse/book/639304

Recommendations, Intro for Educators and Reference Letters

Professionals in the fields of education, rehabilitation, low-vision care, accessibility and the arts praise The Heart of Applebutter Hill. Read their comments at: https://donnawhill.com/recommenders-of-the-heart-of-applebutter-hill-from-professionals-

Dr. Karen Squier, O.D., Clinical Assistant Professor, Southern College of Optometry (Memphis, Tennessee ), and one of only 45 optometrists worldwide to have earned the highest level of certification in low-vision care from the AAO, has written “An Introduction to The Heart of Applebutter Hill for Educators”: https://donnawhill.com/intro-to-the-heart-of-applebutter-hill-for-educators/

What People Think about Donna’s Programs:
Download a PDF of reference letters from schools, colleges and other organizations who have experienced Donna’s presentations. Look under the heading “Download Reference Letters About Donna’s Presentations” at: http://DonnaWHill.com

Posted in adventure-mystery, authors, Blindness, bullying, Education, fantasy, Guide dogs, Self-Publishing, The Heart of Applebutter Hill, TheHeart of Applebutter Hil, Uncategorized, Visually Impaired, young adult | Tagged author, blind, discrimination, Donna W. Hill, fantasy, fiction, high school mystery, Longreads, novel, social justice, The Heart of Applebutter Hill, Visually impaired, WPLongform, young adult | 2 Comments

Love of My Life: a song for all of us

Posted on August 3, 2019 by Donna W. Hill

I wrote this song in March of 1991, between episodes of breast cancer. Rich and I were long since together, and we had married that previous December. To me, this is about determination, and it’s a song I wished I could have written much earlier. It is a song for all who are still looking for true love in this maddening world.

This is me and the real Curly Connor in a stone archway at Grey Towers, Milford PA. Curly Connor, my second dog from GDF, was with me the longest of my guide dogs and through both episodes of breast cancer: photo by Rich Hill.

Audio Player

Lyrics to Love of My Life

words and music by Donna W. Hill

3/12/91, Col. #10, 1991

Chorus

No matter how long it takes me,
I’m gonna keep right on looking for you,
Yeah, you, Love of my life,

No matter how far away it makes me go,
I’m gonna keep right on going for you,
Yeah, you, Love of my life.

Verse #1

House full of strangers, street full of fools,
Ignoring all the dangers and breaking all the rules,
Here in the free world, more and more it seems,
You can go with the flow, if you want to, And drown in the mainstream.

Verse #2

Pounding the pavement day after day,
So many people with nothing much to say,
Caught in a maze without any clue,
If I weren’t looking for you, what would I be doing?

Verse #3

I know you’re out there just like me,
Searching for someone who’s willing to be,
Shoulder to shoulder, partners and friends,
We might find each other just around the next bend.

Posted in Donna Weiss, Song Lyrics, songwriting, Uncategorized | Tagged love, music, singer-songwriter | 7 Comments

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Sunday Interview – Human in every Sense of the Word -Ignoring VS. Acknowledging and Obeying My 6th Sense by Patty Fletcher

Posted on July 28, 2019 by Donna W. Hill

Today is the 2nd anniversary of Patty Fletcher’s marketing company, Tell it to the World, and I’m happy to have been a part of it since this spring. This is a great article about the 6th sense.

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

Welcome to the Sunday Interview- Human in every sense of the word.

As humans there are five main senses that we rely on to navigate through this world. And there is one that we all possess but do not necessarily use all the time…

Sight, Hearing, Touch, Taste, Smell….Sixth Sense.

You can choose to write about one sense or all of them, including that elusive sixth sense we have clung on to from the early days of man.

If you would like to participate then here are the details along with my take on senses:https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2019/05/23/smorgasbord-blog-magazine-new-sunday-interview-series-human-in-every-sense-of-the-word-starting-sunday-june-30th-2019/

This week my guest is Patty Fletcher, who combines blogging with assisting sight impaired bloggers and authors to navigate the online world and book marketing. She and her Seeing Eye dog King Campbell are popular supportive members our community… Campbell is the subject of Patty’s post today, as she shares the bond they…

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The Heart of Applebutter Hill

Outside Myself by Kristen Witucki: A Stunning Portrayal of Blindness Reviewed by Donna W. Hill

Purchase Outside Myself in Print, EBook & Audio Formats

Options for readers with print impairments

Indie Authors, Contests & Consternations: Win or Lose – You Can’t Do Either Without Entering

Love of My Life: a song for all of us

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