An Apple A Day Is Making A Way

It’s a given that writers have pet projects.  Darlene Arden promotes animal rescue. Brenda Novak is legendary for diabetes research. Many authors support the American Literacy Foundation. Just as many support various college foundations throughout the country. 

Over the years I've supported some great 
charities and I'd like to say that I've been a great support to one particular project as of late, but, in all honesty, I’ve avoided most charitable projects for a few years. Sadly, illness, death, moving, three or four book releases, a little thing called Graduate School and my internships -  a lot of stuff got in the way.

Recently, though, I discovered a really great 

project that I feel everybody should know about! But first...a little background about how I found this project...

That hair could very well be me 
first thing in the morning...

Every morning, at the crack of dawn, during the school year I had to drive my daughter to high school.  Since school started at 7:00 – that meant we left at 6:30, which, depending upon how late I stayed up either writing or studying the night before, meant that I was barely awake when I walked out the door. 

For most people, this would mean lots of coffee.  Alas, I'm not a coffee drinker - music and banter are usually how I can wake myself up early in the morning. Enter the most awesome morning show ever:

 

Jayde & Her SO

I started listening to this
show when Jayde was extremely pregnant and losing one morning partner for another (To this day I have no clue what happened to obnoxious Ed…but Seth is so much funnier anyway!).  Every day it was something new and improved - if they weren't making fun of celebrities, they were making fun of Jayde for her pregnancy idiosyncrasies or drinking monumental amounts of coffee as they  hashed over life's little mysteries such as - if a guy wanted to have sex with just your feet would you dump him? They make for excellent radio, ladies and gentlemen. 

Seth's the hairy one 
to the left I believe...

If it wasn’t for Jayde and her buddies there were many days where Em might have not made it to school on time or I would have fallen asleep at the wheel to drive into the median. (No, I'm not kidding, I'm 47, it takes me a while to get moving in the morning these days!)  They’re always funny, always thought provoking, and some days, yes, total perverts, it makes for a great listening experience! 

Many times, morning hosts are considered irreverent individuals who completely separate their personal world from their professional world.  Other than the occasional public appearance they rarely, if ever, mingle with their fans and if they do, they’re usually pretty damned rude (Howard Stern, anyone? Those from Chicago might remember the great Kit Pareventi debacle of the late 80s'....or the Man Cow situation in the mid-90's...What about that nappy Don Imus? You get the picture...) 

Don't Let The Smirk Fool You...

Not so with Ms. Donovan – she has succeeded in healthily combining the two worlds – which, in my  opinion, as a former publicist, is something that's actually pretty rare. The audience is privy to exactly what she wants the world to know within limited boundaries and details. Her fans get to hear about her two adorable children, life with her significant other, her career path and how she handles life in general - all without giving too much away.  Now that's a professional!

Confuzed???

By now, you’re wondering what the hell I’m talking about, aren’t you? Never fear, we’re getting to that.   

This past month (that would be May), Jayde’s show presented a project that I thought was worth sharing with the world.  It’s a smaller endeavor compared to some but the benefits it provides are monumental. 

An Apple A Day is a program that Ms. Donovan started in memory of a young friend, Brittany Hamilton, who lost her battle with bone cancer in 2010.

Jayde & Brittany

What spawned the idea was Jayde getting an iPhone for Brittany for her sixteenth birthday.  In sharing with a friend how happy the phone had made Brittany, allowing her increased contact with the outside world, as well as further media outlets, the friend suggested that Jayde take the idea and turn it into something much bigger – which is exactly what she did.

Jayde & Dominic

Partnering with the Give Hope Foundation of Longwood, Florida, Jayde created the Apple A Day Program which provides mobile devices, such as iPhones, iPads, iPods, other smartphones and even laptops to children ages 2 to 17 undergoing cancer treatment, at no cost to them or their families.   

They take donated devices and restore them to factory settings or refurb them. The foundation also accepts donations to pay for the services. This way the families won’t have to worry about any type of bill regarding the device when they already have enough on their minds.  

Even if a device a person would like to donate

isn’t in top shape, the foundation will still take them. If they can’t get it running again, they’ll sell it for parts to raise the money to help pay for a new or used one.

Jayde & Riley

Think about this for a moment – you’re a child. Depending upon your immune system at any given moment your contact with the outside world is minimal at best sometimes, you’re trapped in the hospital, some days you feel great, others you feel horrible, you’re tired of television, tired of reading, you’re too tired or weak to mess with the phone.  How would that make you feel?  

Jayde & Talia

I know plenty of adults who can barely handle

long term hospitalizations – think about how seriously ill children have to deal with that. This item – whether it be an iPad or an iPhone, can improve that child’s quality of life during – and even after – their hospital stay.  It can change their entire world.

Jayde & Ava

As writers we often talk about how important it is for kids to read and be engaged in both literacy and educational media. Many times, seriously ill children lose out on these options, not to mention sometimes they can't even attend school. The Apple A Day program can assist in alleviating all of that and I'd like to encourage everybody - writer and reader alike - to consider donating towards an Apple A Day. 

To be honest, I don’t use Apple anything – I’ve been a PC person for way too long, old habits die hard – but I’ve already started lobbying my buddies that DO use Apples to consider donating their older items to the Apple A Day program and hey, if all else fails, monetary donations are definitely welcome! (Yes, of course I've donated! You should too!)

www.givehopefoundation.org

For those technically inclined when it comes to donations, here is Apple A Day’s mission statement, vision and objective:

Mission Statement:

Our mission is to bring joy into the lives of pediatric cancer patients though friendship, communication, sharing, and entertainment. When cancer treatment prevents or hinders normal childhood experiences and interaction, technology can become a welcomed bridge. This bridge also brings comfort, security, laughter, and a sense of normalcy in an otherwise scary and isolated battle.

Vision:

Our vision is to provide Apple products (iPhone, iTouch) to pediatric cancer patients ages 8-17 years-old, so that they may experience simple joys such as listening to music, taking pictures, text messaging, playing multi-user games, reading books watching movies, keeping up with schoolwork... basically the ability to stay in contact with family, friends, and the world.

Objective:

Our objective is to successfully launch Apple A Day in Orlando and establishing branch offices in major cities that have a a pediatric cancer hospital in the United States.

My son, Drew, the year after
he decided that crawling on the stove
would be a good idea. NOT. 

As a parent who, at one time, had to keep a burned sixteen month old happy for a week in the hospital, I cannot imagine having to keep a very sick child happy for the weeks and months it can require to deal with pediatric cancers.

Hubby The Week
Before He Passed Away

Keeping the late hubby happy and occupied for 58 days was hard enough and he was an adult.  I honestly can't imagine what these parents go through trying to keep their sick child entertained, engaged and in a positive frame of mind for an extended period of time.  
The Apple A Day project helps with that and then some. 

Jayde & Matthew

Currently providing for pediatric cancer patients in the Orlando and Tampa areas, an Apple A Day is something Jayde really wants to take to a national level and I think it would definitely be worth it. 

Jayde  & Ella

Already this program is a Godsend for a lot of children and while the program isn’t all that old – it’s only been up and running for about two years or so – it’s still worth a long, hard look and everybody's consideration. 

And something that I truly like about this program is the reality that its founder doesn't just sit back and do photo ops every so often as so many celebrities who 'work' in charity do. 

Jayde & Isha

Jayde gets right out there and meets with as many children as she can. She goes to them in the hospital, at home, at the Apple store even - she takes this calling very seriously and that is the type of dedication that I can get behind.

Gearing Up For The End Of The Apple A Day In May Celebration

Yes, there are many other charities out there that have been around a long time and have raised millions - that's great. At one point those charities were just starting out as well and needed extra publicity to get the word out there.  That's why I decided to skip the usual self-promotion and book talk this time around to share about Jayde's project.  

The Big Celebration Following An Apple A Day In May With Jayde & Hot 101.5

I know that time's are tough for everybody - but the reality is that almost everybody I know has at least $5.00 to spare. Or an iPhone that they don't use anymore. Or a dead laptop just gathering dust in their office closet.  To donate something to an Apple A Day would bring happiness to a child who truly deserves it, a child that may not live to grow up to enjoy adulthood. Please, consider donating to this awesome cause - to see the smiles on their faces, you definitely won't regret it. 

For more information regarding an Apple A Day, click on the heart logo above, or go directly to the Give Hope Foundation's website: The Give Hope Foundation    You can also access the program directly through my website's  Important Projects page now as well. Check it out, consider donating and pass the word along - the more people who know about an Apple A Day, the more children with cancer can benefit!  

Until next time friends, fans and writer-buds! 

Urban Exploration Strikes Again!

Okay, I know I said that I’d focus on writing and such during this grad school break but recently I stumbled across a new set of Urbex photos that I just had to share!

For those who might be new to my blog, Urbex is short for Urban Exploration – the art of photographing abandoned and decrepit buildings for the sake of posterity.  It’s something I find absolutely fascinating and thanks to my incessant rambling about it on occasion, now many of my fans do too! 

Yoan Bernabeu
Yet Another Excellent UrBex Photographer!
www.yoanbernabeu.net

Farther down there is a set of photos that recently appeared on Huffington Post's website. They were taken by a photographer from the Netherlands and were taken in many of the abandoned farm houses that dot the landscape throughout Western Europe.

An Abandoned Farm In Western Europe
Photographer Unknown

People who don’t understand my love for this type of thing often ask me “what’s the point of looking at an abandoned building?” or “what’s the point of looking at somebody’s garbage that was left behind?”.   Most urbex photographers, Mr. Feijen included, like to say that they take these pictures to "show the beauty of decay". Personally, I see the beauty of the story in that decay - the story that the location and its effects can tell.

Urbex Photography By The Super Talented Tom Kirsch
www.opacity.us

Wherever one looks – there’s always a story to find.  Last year I shared about Whitley Park here on the blog and a lot of people – writers and readers alike – fell in love with the place.  Whitley Park was an empty underground ballroom but the storylines that can come from that one location are literally infinite.

The Always Awesome Whitley Park Ballroom!

Ultimately, I am talking about writing in a sense. Everything and everyone I come in contact with is detail in some way for a plot in a story. My friends and family get a kick out of it, strangers have no clue, animals have no clue either, and scenery just doesn't care. Neither does Urbex.

Just take a look at these photos:

Photo by Niki Feijen

Photo by Niki Feijen

Photo by Niki Feijen

Photo by Niki Feijen

Photo by Niki Feijen

Photo by Niki Feijen

Photo by Niki Feijen

To some they may seem like a set of photos of musty crap in moldy old houses - BUT - think about it. Look harder. Look at the details. What if the walls could talk? Some of these homes are pristine in a sense.  It's as if time has stopped. Even as they decay it is as if the people just went to the store and never returned - the table is still set in one house while the china sits in the dining room buffet in another. These locations are literally time capsules waiting to be discovered and what's found there can create a plethora of story lines! 

Never mind the questions that can arise....What happened to the people? The owners? Where did they go? What happened to them? Did they get sick? Did they die? Did they get carted off to some old folks home and their children never bothered to clean out their house? Were they murdered and buried on the property? Were they murdered and never found? Or maybe he or she did the murdering and got sent to prison? Or they're on the lam? Maybe they were abducted by aliens? Joined a cult and got lost in the desert somewhere? 

The point is that no matter what condition a place  is in, there's a story to be told there. Never turn your nose up at a possible story - whether good or bad, a story is something to learn from and/or enjoy! (Well, if you don't like to read, I'm not sure why you're here anyway, lol.) As an author I'm always on the lookout for storylines waiting to happen. For me Urban Exploration photos provide some of the most fascinating details about life and people in general. Not to mention that these pictures are history.

Which, sadly, books may be one day...I would hate to think that that would happen - but there are cartoons about it already. There's a good chance of it happening if we allow technology to totally overrule all else. 

Possibly An Endangered Species?

Think about it. With all of our sinking into the welcome embrace of iPads, iPhones, Laptops, mini-this and mini-that sometimes the basics become lost in the rush to be part of the future. I guess that my ultimate point is that yes, technology is great, all the outlets media offers us today are great but let's not become so entrenched within technology and what the future holds that we forget to read!!

There's a plethora of books out there that combine past, present and future to give us some of THE best story lines!! With summer coming it's the perfect time to pick up a few books for the beach - a copy of Paramour would be perfect!!!  Going camping? Creep yourself out with a copy of Blood Roles! Jetting or driving off on a vacation? A copy of Illusions would be perfect for passing the time! Books - whether hard copy, paperback or ebooks are a perfect way to spend some spare time this summer!!

Until next time, happy reading and writing!! 

For more of Niki Feijen's awesome work, visit his website at: http://www.nikifeijen.nl/

Bad News, Good News and An Awesome Face!

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have been remiss in my blogging duties – but thankfully I’ve survived my first term of grad school!!  I now have two weeks to catch up on everything I’ve been unable to get to during the past fifteen weeks!!

Yeah, Grad School...Buy Some Books! I Have Student Loans To Pay Off!!!

 

At the top of the list is finishing Bad Medicine!! I’ve been inundated with letters wanting to know when the book will make an appearance and I’m happy to announce the sequel to Blood Roles will be released in November!  And to answer a most important question:  YES, Jon Joss will be on the cover of Bad Medicine as well!! (Along with some new faces to boot...)

Um, Yes, There IS A Sequel!!!
(I Just Have To Finish Writing It First!!)

 

The NABSU agents will be spending quality time hanging with some New Age twinkies in order to expose illegal activity and will find themselves in an awkward situation.  Names will be smeared, sex will be had and heads will roll – in more ways than one. And we just might find out who the White River Killer is! Or will we?  

Twinkies In Action...
Some Things You Just Have To See To Believe...

When the NABSU series was created my husband was still alive and we had big plans for it.  Sadly, since Rob passed away I have had a hard time working on these particular books so, for right now, Bad Medicine will be “it” for a while for this series. We had originally planned six to eight books exploring the other agents’ lives and I even spent quality time doing some rewrites for a very patient publisher but, after some soul searching, I’ve decided to shelve NABSU for the time being.  Maybe someday I can bring Taylor and Andie to life again but, for the time being, I’m closing NABSU’s doors. 

I think I’ve finally reached a point as a writer that I cannot get past – losing my writing partner for these books pretty much brought this particular series to a screeching halt.  I think Evanescence’s song “My Heart Is Broken” pretty sums up the feelings I have working on Taylor and Andie’s story. It’s not Taylor and Andie’s fault, it’s mine.  The NABSU series was a very personal set of books. My husband and I worked on them right up until the day before he passed away. It’s reached a point that working on the series is painful and I don’t feel that I can produce good storylines feeling that way.

This is not to say, though, that I am going to stop writing – far from it!!  Thank you to everybody who has sent comments regarding Illusions - I love it as well. It's a storyline that stemmed from the reality of a very special couple. Readers have been asking if there's a book somewhere for Ian. I hadn't given it much though, honestly, but given the interest in Ian's redemption as a human being I'm now considering a storyline for him. I think it would be interesting to revisit Olivia and Clay as well. Still working on that one...

The first book of the Bayside Erotica Series, Paramour, is doing very well – that means book two isn’t far behind!  Book Two isn’t named yet but it’s already coming to life! Picture it…a steamy Tampa Bay summer night, a flat tire, a mistaken identity and way more passion than should be legal!! I think I’ve even found the perfect, rugged, hero to star on the cover!!

Have YOU Gotten Your Copy Of Paramour Yet??

Speaking of cover models - every so often somebody will introduce me to a perfect specimen of sexy! A buddy recently introduced me to Julian Christian!

How Could You Say 'No' To That Face??
Oh, And The Guy's Cute Too!!

Julian's already got quite a few book covers under his belt but he's always on the lookout for more so if you're an author looking for an awesome cover guy? Check him out!

 Julian Christian's Model Mayhem Profile

Julian is also on Facebook: Julian's Facebook Profile

Keeping with my policy of only working with nice cover models - Julian's a great guy who respects what we do and how we do it. He'll be an awesome guy to have on your cover if you're an author - heck, I might even use him...although, that would mean I have to break my no-drool policy regarding men on my covers!!! lol

And if you're a reader? By all means - he's definitely somebody I'd buy a book for just for the cover! (Oh c'mon, we've all done it, don't act so innocent...that's how I got into Pamela Palmer's Feral Warrior Series, Paenther's cover model was hot!! lol)

I Definitely Judged This Book By Its Cover!!
(And It Was Well Worth It!)

So, whether you're an author or a reader, definitely check out Julian Christian - you won't be disappointed!! AND - if you haven't picked up your copy of Paramour, do it NOW, you won't regret it!

Keep Checking Back - There Will Be More - At Least For The Next Two Weeks Before Grad School Takes Over My Life Again!!