Author Spotlight: Josephine Harwood, "Empathy"

During this month of #AlzAuthors and Caregiver Appreciation Month,  I've been getting to know a few other authors of books on the caregiver experience. This is a topic with many voices. A quick search for "caregiver books" on Amazon reveals 7,000+ titles, a variety of books in many genres: memoir, guidebooks, fiction, children's books. There's something for everyone. One of these authors contacted me soon after #AlzAuthors Ending the Isolation of Alzheimer's went live. Josephine Harwood's past experience as a caregiver led her to write a novel, Empathy, a contemporary romance about a woman who falls for the man who hires her to care for his disabled mother. This is not a book about Alzheimer's or dementia; it's about the aftermath of a catastrophic stroke. It's a quick read that explores the issues and challenges of providing 24/7 care to a loved one at home, with a sweet, though tempestuous, romance. 

Welcome to Adventures in Publishing Josephine! Tell us, why did you write a book about caregiving?

Thank you so much, Marianne, for this opportunity to share my book, Empathy. I have been a family caregiver for over the past twenty-six years.  I understand how being a caregiver can feel a little more than overwhelming.  Some people can write about their lives and they do it well.  I did not want to write a story about my life as a caregiver.  I wanted to create a fictional family dealing with the emotional fallout after their loving mother suffers a stroke.  Empathy is a roller coaster of emotions involving intense situations and family drama. Many of my readers didn’t even realize they were family caregivers until they read my book.              

That's an interesting comment. So many people go about doing what needs to be done without thinking much about it. It requires a ton of empathy. How did you come up with that title?  

Back in the early Nineties, I took a class to become a certified activities director for a nursing home.  My instructor was a social worker who was very passionate about helping the elderly.  She explained to us, her students, the difference between sympathy and empathy.  I have never forgotten her creative “empathy exercises” that successfully taught us what it might feel like to be an elderly person in a nursing home.  I knew writing this story would be one way I could show my empathy for my fellow family caregiver.  

Can you tell us a little about these exercises?

We had to do the following "empathy" exercises, write down our feelings, and discuss our feelings with the class.  Some of us, including me, had to willingly sit tied to a chair while wearing ear plugs and a scarf over our eyes so we could only see shadows.  Then, other fellow classmates would pretend to be impatient family members or irritated nursing home employees.They would approach you, yell at you because you couldn't hear, and they would physically shake you because you couldn't move. It was a little disturbing because you never knew what someone was going to do to you. We, her students, all worked in a nursing home, and we had to order and eat at least one entirely pureed nursing home meal. She also told us to watch three movies; Patch Adams, Awakenings, and The Doctor.  All three of these movies are excellent examples of empathy. 

My experience in reading these books shows me that the personal story of caregiving has universal messages. Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Don’t be so hard on yourself.  Your loved one did not come with instructions, and you are doing the very best you can.  Be compassionate and understanding but don’t burn yourself out.  Never turn down help and take breaks as often as you can.  You deserve them.         

So true. How much of the book is realistic?

The book is a fictional story, but I confess, some of the scenes are based on my own personal experiences as a family caregiver.  I am certain many of you will relate easily to at least one of the emotionally-charged scenes described in this book.      

What is the most important thing you have learned about yourself through writing?

When something touches me deeply, I have to write about it.  I will write a poem, a song, a play, or a book.  I have learned at an early age that writing is the best outlet for my emotions.   

Thanks for sharing your story, Josephine.

About the Author

When I was fresh out of high school back in the early Eighties, I wanted to be the next Pat Benatar or Joan Jett. I sang in a couple of bands, but neither Pat nor Joan had anything to worry about. Despite my desire to become a famous rock singer, my heart had always held an even deeper passion for writing. Whenever something touched me emotionally whether it was directly or indirectly, I had to write about it. Fast forward to the present; I am married to my high school sweetheart, I am a family caregiver, and I am currently working on my third book. I am very blessed with a life I didn't plan. So, I hope you enjoy reading my books written the only way I know how to write...from my heart. 

Purchase Empathy on Amazon 
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NaNoWriMo Writer? Watch Your Back, Neck, Shoulders, Arms, and Hands, Your Most Important Writing Tools

The month of November is many things, among them:  Election Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month, Caregiver Appreciation Month, and Movember. But if you're a writer, it's also something else: NaNoWriMo, otherwise known as National Novel Writing Month.

NaNoWriMo seems to be impossible: a challenge to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. It starts at midnight on November 1 and ends at 11:59 pm November 30. We're smack in the middle of it right now. Sound crazy? It did to me when I first heard about it in 2011, a rather latecomer to the game since it started in 1999. Better late than never. Anyway, since I live with RSIs and Thoracic Outlet Syndrome the concept of NaNoWriMo is well beyond my capabilities, but I'm still seduced by the beauty of it. 

Imagine being able to commit to writing an average of 1,667 words each day for 30 days. At the end, you'll have the first draft of a book, which over the next few months you can polish into something presentable, maybe even publishable. The possibilities astound me, a writer who's been working on the first draft of a novel for four years. I started it as part of a NaNoWriMo challenge, when I was able to produce 4,000 words over the course of a week before succumbing to a flare-up of RSIs and TOS. 

NaNoWriMo is not for writers without the stamina to sit at a keyboard for hours each day. One thousand six hundred and sixty-seven words sound easy - it's the equivalent of six and a half pages - in theory, achievable for most people who are able to keep to their commitment. But if you're someone prone to carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis, bursitis, headaches, back or neck pain, this challenge will most likely exacerbate your condition and prevent future NaNoWriMo attempts. 

Photo by bertys30 via Dollar Photo Club

Maintaining the postures of keyboarding, mousing, and viewing a computer monitor requires an incredible amount of exertion, muscle control, and energy. I've heard it said that an 8-hour worker at a computer station works his body as hard as a professional athlete, using primarily the smallest and most delicate of muscles and tendons, as well as a multitude of nerves. These micro-tissues, sustaining a static posture over long periods of time, become inflamed, injured, and cause great pain. If ignored, the condition continues. If left untreated, permanent disability can result.

I'm not a killjoy. I simply don't want to see other people end up like me. It's no fun struggling to write 250 words a day and failing. It's hard to complete  a project when you have to avoid the computer for days on end. If you're wrapped up in NaNoWriMo please take care of yourself. Here are some tips:

Prepare your body for a writing session:

• Massage your hands with your favorite lotion.

• Stretch your hands, wrists, arms, shoulders, and neck. 

• Don't forget your back, which can also be overworked. 

Adjust your work space for safety:

• Make sure your monitor is an arm's length away, at a height where your eyes are focused one inch below its upper edge. 

• Use a keyboard tray. 

• Ensure it's at the appropriate height so your elbows are at rest and in a neutral position.

• You should not be reaching for the keyboard.

• Be careful with your mouse. It's the root cause of a lot of disability. I use a keyboard with a built in glide pad. Cured my five-year history of elbow tendinitis. 

• A lap top is not a desk top. Don't use it as one. The ergonomics of it are completely off and will contort your body in painful ways.

• Take the time to set your chair at the appropriate height, making sure your feet are on the floor. Use lumbar support if you have it.

Watch your posture:

• Sit up, don’t slump.  

• Hold your ears over your shoulders and your shoulders over  your hips. 

• Do not lean forward. You'll get turtle head and hurt your back.

Take frequent rest breaks:

• Use a timer. Twenty minutes is as long as you should write before taking a break. 

• While resting, do some desk stretches or stand up and stretch, have a drink of water, rest your eyes. 

• Listen to your body.

After a session:

• Stretch again. 

• Soothe your muscles with gentle massage, especially your hands.

If you have pain:

•  Don't ignore it. Respond and treat.

• Use ice or heat as tolerated on sore areas.

• Over-the-counter pain relievers, such as Motrin and Tylenol, can help. 

• Topical remedies such as Topricin, Bio-Freeze, and Capsaicin are easily available and provide relief.

• Thermacare wraps are wonderful.

• Remember to stretch gently every day.

• Limit computer time, or perform multiple short sessions each day.

If the problem continues:

• See your doctor

•  A course of physical and/or occupational therapy can ward off chronic pain issues.

• Your doctor can order prescription strength medicine such as analgesics, muscle relaxants, and topical therapies.

• Surgery is a last resort. Don't let this happen to you.

• Consult a chiropractor.

• Hire a massage therapist.

• Visit an ergonomist.

•  Stay off the computer!

Last year, 325,142 writers participated in NaNoWriMo; 59,817 completed their goal. Avoiding repetitive strain injuries can keep you in the running to someday be one of them.

Interesting fact:  

Over 250 NaNoWriMo novels have been traditionally published. They include Sara Gruen’s Water for Elephants, Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus, Hugh Howey’s Wool, Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl, Jason Hough’s The Darwin Elevator, and Marissa Meyer’s Cinder.

To learn more about repetitive strain injuries and how they impact a writer's life please visit my blog My TOS Life; Broken, Not Bitter. An Authors Life with Repetitive Strain Injuries, on The Creative Penn blog; and Respect your Limitations - Live Your Dreams on The Balanced Writer.

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Cover Reveal! Chess Desalls' Time for the Lost, Book Three in The Call to Search Everywhen Series

One of the most exciting times in an author's new book release is the cover reveal. Once that goes live you know you have a book coming out soon. It's exhilarating and a bit daunting. I love being one of the first to reveal a new book's cover. Chess Desalles is one of my fellow CleanIndie Reads authors, and I'm happy to share the cover of the latest in her new YA time travel series The Call to Search Everywhen. Here's Time for the Lost, coming  in February 2016!

About the Book

Calla's disappearance leads her family and friends to suspect that she’s lost. In a desperate attempt to find her, Valcas seeks help from a man he betrayed. A new search begins, one that sounds promising, even if it forces Valcas to confront his past.

The travel team reunites for a mission they never saw coming: a journey to a world caught between life and death, and hidden within the deepest recesses of time. Ivory rediscovers a friend and Ray learns the meaning behind his tattoo. But the connections they make between travelers and the lost may twist the core of the Time and Space Travel Agency inside out.

Time for the Lost is the third installment in The Call to Search Everywhen series.

Catch up with Calla and Valcas' adventure before the third book releases on her website.

About the Author

Chess Desalls is the author of the YA time travel series, The Call to Search Everywhen. She's a longtime reader of fantasy and sci-fi novels, particularly classics and young adult fiction. Her non-fiction writing has led to academic and industry publications. She’s also a contributing editor for her local writing club’s monthly newsletter. The California Writers Club, South Bay branch, has awarded two of Chess’ stories first place for best short fiction. When she's not reading or writing, she enjoys traveling and trying to stay in tune on her flute.

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Subscribe here and receive a free PDF of my Kindle short story "Ino's Love."