Come and join the fun! Meet Ruth and visit her fabulous blog hostesses.

* Feel free to copy any part of this email and share it on your own blog or in your newsletter.

About Ruth:

Ruth J. Hartman was once "normal." She perceived the world around her as any other person would-until she turned 27. That's when Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) dug in its claws and refused to let her go. Her world (and her family's) was turned inside out.

Working as a dental hygienist was difficult enough, but trying to balance her work life with the challenges of OCD was overwhelming. Ruth's family, friends, and co-workers didn't understand why she suddenly acted so bizarre. She wanted to help them understand, but she couldn't. She didn't understand it herself.

My Life in Mental Chains is moving and tragic, yet in the end, it's an uplifting story of personal faith and inner strength. Ruth's insight will be a great comfort to OCD sufferers, their families, and their friends.

Ruth graduated from the Indiana University School of Dentistry with a degree in Science/Dental Hygiene. Her interest in writing, which began in high school, led her to earn her diploma from the Institute of Children's Literature in "Writing for Children and Teenagers."

She lives in rural Indiana with her husband and two cats.

Visit her website at www.ruthjhartman.blogspot.com, or contact her at RGHartman@aol.com.

My Life in Mental Chains by Ruth J. Hartman
Published by Pipers' Ash Ltd., $13.00
Publication Date: November 1, 2008
Non-Fiction, True-Life Story Chapbook
ISBN# 9781906928001

The following are the tour dates for Ruth Hartman. Don't miss a single day. It's going to be a great trip!

Also, as you view the listings, make note of these wonderful blogs. Each one of them, a treasure, and a place that many readers call home. In a noisy online world, you will find sanctuary in these true gems.

 

January 26, 2009 (Monday)

Ruth Hartman launches her tour at The Muffin!

Come join us for the first day of Ruth's tour! We will be chatting with Ruth about her book and the writing process. Let's start the party! We welcome your comments and urge you to participate! Those who comment will be entered to win a signed copy of My Life in Mental Chains.

Visit: http://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/blog.html

About The Muffin:From the bakers of WOW! Women On Writing. Have you checked out what we've been baking for you on the daily Muffin? We've stirred together some traditional ingredients with new ones to deliver more interviews, enlightenment, thought-provoking ideas, and inspirational messages to help you through those gray writing days.

Want to get blog posts from The Muffin via email? Sign up for free and get posts delivered straight to your inbox with feedburner.

 

January 29, 2009 (Thursday)

Ruth at Raising Socially Anxious Children

Ruth visits Darlene Devoe's blog, Raising Socially Anxious Children and talks about how even though she wasn't diagnosed with OCD until age 27, looking back now, she recognizes the some of the symptoms in her youth: worry, depression, separation anxiety, and extreme shyness. This sounds like a super informative post. I can't wait to read it and discuss!

Visit: http://www.raisingsociallyanxiouschildrenblog.com/

About Darlene and Raising Socially Anxious Children: I'm a mother of two wonderful children. My daughter was diagnosed in 2005 with anxiety disorder and in 2007 with social anxiety disorder. She has suffered from this terrible diagnosis all of her life. It has been an uphill battle for the last three years for us to help people understand that the way she interacts with others is not due to beligerance or unwillingness but from anxiety. Support is essential. Sharing ones experiences and everyday struggles helps in making one feel not so alone. Being alone in this constant battle does not need to exist.  I hope that through my battles and victories I can help others find their place. Anxiety is with us for a lifetime but strength can overpower it and support can silence it.

February 12, 2009 (Thursday)

Ruth at Deena's Bookshelf

Ruth stops by Deena's bookshelf to talk about the signals and treatment for OCD. Ruth lists what symptoms she has, her treatment for them, and some other OCD signals that people experience. Sounds informative! I'm looking forward to this post!

Visit: http://deenasbooks.blogspot.com

About Deena's Bookshelf: Looking for a good book? You've come to the right place! I am an avid reader and I'm always posting a new review, hosting a blog tour, giving away books for comments, and introducing debut authors.

I tend to review Christian fiction and non-fiction, but I also have recommendations for secular adult and children's fiction that doesn't have that "ick" factor. If there's a book you're curious about, drop me an email and maybe I've read it. I love to hear from my readers...but for now, let's get reading, shall we??

 

 

If you have a blog or website and would like to host one of our authors below, we are still accepting a few choice blogs to participate in our Partnership Program. Come and join the fun! Please email Angela & Jodi at blogtour@wow-womenonwriting.com and put "Blog Tour Partnership" in the subject line. We currently have 2 more authors that we're accepting hosts for. Please tell us the author you are interested in and your available dates. We'll get back to you with the details if you are accepted. We look forward to hearing from you!

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Tour Dates: February 9, 2009 - March 9, 2009 Title: No One is Perfect and YOU are a Great Kid Author: Kim Hix Genre: Children's Nonfiction/Special Needs Winner of Best Children's Book for ages 6 and under, Reader Views Award for 2007 Annual Literary Awards Synopsis: No One is Perfect and YOU are a Great Kid is a lovely book written about Zack, a young boy who struggles daily with ever changing moods. He tries to understand why he gets very sad, upset, discouraged and angry in response to what most would consider insignificant events. Zack often feels different, left out, and isolated due to his moods. He poses thought provoking questions to his audience that can spur some meaningful conversation. This book will touch your heart and anyone who has a special child in their life who struggles with any degree of emotional, behavorial, or psychiatric disorder. About the Author: Kim Hix is a native of Columbia SC. She graduated Lander University with a BS in Psychology 1988. She worked at various capacities at Marshall Pickens Hospital in Greenville SC from 1990 until 2004. She is now employed part time by Greenville Hospital System as a Patient Family Liaison (Advocate) and also as a part time personal trainer for Sportsclub Simpsonville. She has been Married 15 years to Doug Hix and have two children Zack 12(dx OCD, Tourettes Disorder Spectrum, and PANDAS) and Kelsie, 8, a real girly girl! She currently reside in Simpsonville SC with her family and 3 dogs. "My name is Kim Hix and I am the mother of a very special young boy who struggles with emotional difficulties. He has experienced an array of moods from an early age, which include rages, depression, anxiety, and drastic mood shifts. In our journey to find help, we've encountered many specialists and interesting people. During this time, my son dealt with feeling different from his peers, isolated, and at times, rejected. My son would express to me that he felt no one understood him and that he was the only kid in the world with these problems. What started out as a project to help my son, cultivated a desire to let other kids and parents know that they are NOT alone. In fact, millions of children are suffering with mental illness, neuropsychiatric disorders, and behavior disorders. They long to be accepted, to be normal, and just fit in. They suffer, and we, the parents, suffer all the while our hearts are breaking. "This is why I wrote a book for Zack and kids like him, who struggle with feelings of being different. It is my hope that this story will offer some measure of comfort and belonging to the children who read it." Author's Websites: Kim Hix' website: Intense Kids, Great Kids Book available for purchase: No One is Perfect and YOU are a Great Kid Best Children's Book Award: Reader Views Goodies: You will receive a signed copy of Kim's book, and be entered in the WOW! Women On Writing Blog Tour Goodie Bag competition! Participate! Please email us with "Blog Tour Partnership" in the subject line and your available dates. We schedule 2-3 stops per week from February 9th - March 9th. We look forward to hearing from you!   --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tour Dates: March 16, 2009 - April 16, 2009 Title: Pep Talks, Warnings, and Screeds: Indispensable Wisdom and Cautionary Advice for Writers Author: George Singleton Genre: Writing (Writer's Digest Books) Synopsis:  Toddlers - and drunks - bang around hitting walls, tables, chairs, the floor, and other people, trying to find their legs. Writing fiction is a similar process. Sometimes it might take a while before the story gets some balance and moves forward. Sometimes the story takes off as if motor-driven, then crashes into something not foreseen or expected. Learning to be a writer is all about finding your legs, and doing your best to convince onlookers that you know what you're doing and where you're going. In Pep Talks, Warnings & Screeds, acclaimed Southern story writer and novelist George Singleton serves up everything you ever need to know to become a real writer (meaning one who actually writes), in bite-sized aphorisms. It's Nietzsche's Beyond Good & Evil meets Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird. It's cough syrup that tastes like chocolate cake. In other words, don't expect to get better unless you get a good dose of it, maybe two. Accompanied by more than fifty original full-color illustrations by novelist Daniel Wallace, these laugh-out-loud funny, candid, and surprisingly useful lessons will help you find your own writerly balance so you can continue to move forward. About the Author: George Singleton has published short stories in a variety of magazines and journals including The Atlantic Monthly, Harper's Playboy, Zoetrope, The Georgia Review, Shenandoah, Southern Review, Kenyon Review, Glimmer Train, North American Review, Fiction International, Epoch, Esquire.com, Nw England Review, Carolina Quarterly, Greensboro Review, Arkansas Review, American Literary Review, and so on. His stories have been anthologized in eight issues of New Stories from the South, and also in 20 Over 40, Surreal South, Writers Harvest 2, They Write Among Us, and Behind the Short Story. His non-fiction has appeared in Bark and Oxford American, and has been anthologized in Best Food Writing 2005, Dog is My Co-Pilot, and Howl. He has published four collections of stories: These People Are Us, The Half-Mammals of Dixie, Why Dogs Chase Cars, Drowning in Gruel; and two novels: Novel and Work Shirts for Madmen. George was born in Anaheim, California and lived there until he was seven. He grew up in Greenwood, South Carolina. He graduated from Furman University in 1980 with a degree in philosophy, and from UNC-Greensboro with an MFA in creative writing. Singleton has taught English and fiction writing at Francis Marion College, the Fine Arts Center of Greenville County, and the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities. He has been a visiting professor at the University of South Carolina and UNC-Wilmington, and has given readings and taught classes at a number of universities and secondary schools. His papers are reposited at the Jackson Library at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He lives in Pickens County, South Carolina, with the clay artist Glenda Guion and their eleven dogs and one cat. Author's Websites: George Singleton's website: www.georgesingleton.com Goodies: You will receive a signed copy of George's book, and be entered in the WOW! Women On Writing Blog Tour Goodie Bag competition! Participate! Please email us with "Blog Tour Partnership" in the subject line and your available dates. We schedule 2-3 stops per week from March 16th - April 16th. We look forward to hearing from you!   --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Please Note: Apply early. We only schedule a maximum of 15 stops per author. To be included on one of these tours, query now! We'll let you know asap if you are accepted and what happens next.