I know some of you very well, and some of you I've never met. I connected with some of you in first grade, and some of you at a professional conference this winter. Regardless of how well or how long we have known each other, I thank you for reading this blog.
This blog will be short and sweet, as will the next one. My book, Flashback Girl: Lessons on Resilience From a Burn Survivor, is being released on September 15, and I am very busy. In fact, I now hover two steps away from an anxiety attack on a daily basis.
I am gaining traction. I will be interviewed on The Pulse, a weekly radio program on NPR (WHYY airdate 10/2/20). I have been asked to write a blog for Psychology Today and will be a contributing editor for three websites: Thrive Global (Arianna Huffington’s new gig), The Elephant, and Best Ever You. Consequently, these blog pieces are about to have a much wider audience. I have an article coming out in Authority Magazine. I will be featured again in Burn Support News in the fall. Next week, I am being interviewed for two podcast (Empower Humans and The Hidden Why) next week. Plus. . . we shall see. . . a lot is happening.
All of this activity arose from a simple wish, three years ago, to write my life story.
I have no idea what will happen with this book. I hope it gets a big splash, but maybe it won’t. I hope readers will like it, but maybe they won’t. All I can do is work hard, gather experts around me, and do what they ask me to do. I would like the book to gain steam, not just for me, but because it is an authentic and inspiring story of surviving impossible odds, and still building an excellent life. The book also contains lessons at the end of each chapter, to connect deeper with others who are struggling. Between the lessons and the inspiration of the story, I think this book is perfectly timed for 2020, a year of universal hardship, loss and pain.
There have been times over the past three years that I have wondered why I am doing any of this. There have been dark days, when my work has been rejected. There have been anxious days, when I had no idea what the heck I was doing. Those of you who have reached out to me, telling me that you like my work, or that my writing has helped you. . . I can’t tell you how much your comments have helped me to keep my chin up.
All my life, helpers have appeared just when I needed them. I have been very lucky in this way. So, friends, if you wish to help now, here are some ideas:
1) You can buy Flashback Girl here:
2) If you like the book, please consider writing a short review on Amazon here.
3) If you like the book, and are a member of Good Reads, please consider writing a short review here.
4) If you don’t like the book, (perish the thought), please feel free to skip suggestions 2 and 3 altogether.
5) I will be announcing a Virtual book launch party soon. I hope you will celebrate with me! (Details to be announced; to receive an invitation, I need your email, so please join the mailing list on this website.)
6) Tell your friends, tell your family. . . enthusiastic word of mouth travels fast and wide.
It is time for Flashback Girl to don her little yellow cape and attempt to fly. If she does fly far, it is partly due to people who have shown an interest, given advice, offered connections, shared a blog, or simply clicked “Like.” As you will read in the book, I survived my childhood due to the loving support of many people who took a special interest in the little burned girl. Many strangers, friends, nurses, doctors, therapists, neighbors. . . many people have helped me thrive and shine.
I sincerely thank you for your support.
Lise Deguire's multiple award-winning memoir, Flashback Girl: Lessons on Resilience from a Burn Survivor, is available for purchase on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Newtown Book Shop and The Commonplace Reader.
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