Author Guest Blog & Giveaway w/ Gabi Stevens!

 

Usually when I’m asked to do a guest blog, I write about my book, the process, where I got my ideas, what my life as a writer is like, or something along those lines. This time, I want to focus on something a little bit different. Oh, it ties in with AS YOU WISH (the novel), but not exactly on the novel itself. I want to talk about two special characters in the book, Tommy and Joy.

If you didn’t already know, AS YOU WISH is a tale about the Arcani, magical humans who live among us, and their world. My novel features fairy godmothers, but they aren’t whom I wish to talk about today. Tommy and Joy are Arcani, bakers, and have
special needs. Tommy has Down syndrome and Joy is...well, Joy is just Joy. Reggie, the newest fairy godmother and the heroine of the novel, has set up a bakery for her friends and works beside them, taking care of the business aspects because she doesn’t bake. Tommy and Joy are very capable and talents bakers. And yes, they are realistic. I should know. My daughter was the inspiration for Joy. Give her the rules and instruct her, and my daughter can do most things. Oh, she requires supervision
for her daily life, but she’s fiercely independent—heck she’s a typical teenager in more ways than not—but she makes her own lunches for school, cooks some, and makes all the brownies for the family. In AS YOU WISH, Reggie truly regards Tommy
and Joy as her friends—friends who need perhaps a little more care, but friends first. And this brings me to the point of this blog.

Did you know that fifty-four percent of individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) never receive a phone call from a friend in their lifetimes?

When I first heard this statistic, I was shocked and yet at the same time not shocked. I’d seen it with my own daughter. When she was younger, five or six years old, children didn’t mind including her in their parties or outings. But as she and they aged, she became lonely. She wanted nothing more than a friend—not someone to look after her, just someone to play with. I can’t blame the other children; they were still growing, still in that self-centered phase of life when they don’t think of others;
but it was hurtful. Then, when she reached high school she found a group—Best Buddies, International.

Best Buddies™ is a non-profit organization that pairs up kids and adults with IDD to peer buddies. They have school programs, college programs, community programs and employment programs around the world. My daughter now texts with her buddy just like any other teenager. They have lunch together, go out to events
together, and look for each other at school. She gets phone calls, goes to dances, and also attends special activities. Yes, in a way it is artificial, but my daughter doesn’t see that. She loves her buddy and the sense of normalcy she receives from her Best
Buddies™ chapter.

So in honor of my daughter, Tommy, and Joy, I have pledged ten percent of my royalties to Best Buddies™. I hope you will help me support this group. All you have to do is buy a book. Besides, I happen to think it’s a pretty good book.

This post started out with its focus on two characters I’m sure I will never forget. So a question for you, Readers:

Which characters have stayed with you the longest (books or movies)?

A copy of THE WISH LIST, the first book in the trilogy, goes to one lucky commenter.

--Gabi

*One entry per comment!

International!

Ends April 29th!

Good Luck!

Find Gabi Stevens Online:

Website | Blog | Twitter

Buy Gabi’s Books:

Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble

Book Depository

 

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xoxo,