Scary Stuff for Halloween, Alzheimer's Disease

Romantic Suspense, Deadly Undertaking
A fun read for Halloween!

Hello and welcome to the Focused on Story Blog! T'is the season for witches, goblins and ghosts and things that go bump in the night. Halloween has never been a favorite holiday of mine. I think the "being scared is fun" attitude of the holiday rushed out the door when my brothers took me to a horror movie when I was six years old. I still have nightmares about hiding under the theater seat! 

In my adult life, I get scared about other things than Frankenstein. But when I write about my fears, the words on the page help me let go of the oppressive feeling.

I wrote about a topic that scares me--Alzheimer's disease, a form of dementia. It was one of the most difficult scenes I have ever written. I wrestled with my fear of the disease and body-slammed it down on paper. 

In my romantic suspense, Deadly Undertaking, the mother of the main character is afflicted with Alzheimer's, a monstrous disease capable of stealing a person's personality and memories. The brain is attacked until it is rendered useless. No speech, no problem-solving, no reading, no recognition of loved ones. Eventually even the ability to eat and swallow is forgotten. Frightening? Yes! And worse is the fact that there is no cure, no turning back the inevitable loss of thinking, memory, and behavior.

Now you understand why I'm afraid of Alzheimer's because it may attack me and/or someone I love. I have lost friends due to Alzheimer's disease. I imagine someone you know and love has been stricken by this disease. 

By including a character with AD in my novel, I hope to raise awareness and educate folks about AD, a form of dementia. One astounding fact is 5.4 million people are living with Alzheimer's disease according to the Alzheimer's Association. 

Click here to learn more facts about Alzheimer's Disease. The mission of the Alzheimer's Association is "to eliminate Alzheimer's disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected, and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health."

Walk to End Alzheimer's

Photo courtesy of ALZ.org

This time of year the Alzheimer's Association is sponsoring walks all around the country in order to provide awareness and funding. Click here to find a walk near you or click here to register and donate. Donations are used for clinical trials and studies. With research, AA plans to not only relieve symptoms but to reverse the effects of Alzheimer's AND to eliminate the disease. Can you imagine a world without AD? I can.

During October through December, royalties from the eBook and paperback sales of Deadly Undertaking will be donated to the Alzheimer's Association. 

Deadly Undertaking

Halloween is the perfect time to read this romantic suspense set in a funeral home.

A handsome detective, a shadow man,

 and a murder victim kill Lauren’s plan for a simple life.

BACK OF THE BOOK: Deadly Undertaking by J.Q. Rose

Lauren Staab knew there would be dead bodies around when she returned home. After all, her family is in the funeral business, Staab and Blood Funeral Home. Still, finding an extra body on the floor of the garage between the hearse and the flower car shocked her. Lauren’s plan to return to her hometown to help care for her mother and keep the books for the funeral home suddenly turns upside down in a struggle to prove she and her family are not guilty of murdering the man. But will the real killer return for her, her dad, her brother? Her mother’s secrets, a killer, a handsome policeman, and a shadow man muddle up her intention to have a simple life. Welcome home, Lauren!

eBook Available at MAJOR DIGITAL BOOKSELLERS 

and

AmazonCA 

Amazon UK 

eBook and Paperback available at 

Amazon US 
ATTENTION Libraries and Retailers--Deadly Undertaking in paperback is available at Ingram.

Thank you for stopping in.

June is Brain and Alzheimer's Awareness Month: Can you envision a world without Alzheimer's?

Can you envision our world without Alzheimer's in it? The Alzheimer's Association can. They are researching and supporting families and caregivers, not in the hope of stamping out Alzheimer's but in their belief it can be eradicated so no one will ever have to deal with the devastation of this disease.

June is Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness month. Alzheimer's is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. 

I bet Alzheimer's has invaded your life because you know someone whom you care about has disappeared into the darkness of this disease. We have not experienced it in our family, but I have friends who have. 

When my friend and mentor, Bernie, discovered she had it, she told me one afternoon after inviting me for dessert and coffee. I will never forget the sadness in her eyes as we talked about the diagnosis. 

Knowing this awful disease is lurking in your future shadows you every day, waiting for the next degree of losing a piece of yourself.

I dedicated my book, Deadly Undertaking to Bernie, and I included a character suffering with Alzheimer's in the story. This was my way of trying to bring awareness to readers about this debilitating disease.

Today, I am using facts from the Alzheimer's Association site to help spread the word and marshal an army to fight against Alzheimer's.  If we don't take steps to fight and win the battle against AD, the result will be a world-wide epidemic by 2050.

• The number of Americans living with Alzheimer's disease is growing — and growing fast. An estimated 5.5 million Americans of all ages have Alzheimer's disease. Currently, there are 44 million people suffering from dementia globally. That number is up 22% over the past three years when there were 35.6 million people suffering from the disease.
• Alzheimer's disease is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. It is the fifth-leading cause of death among those age 65 and older and a leading cause of disability and poor health. 
• As the population of the United States ages, Alzheimer's is becoming a more common cause of death. It is the only top 10 cause of death that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed.
• Although deaths from other major causes have decreased significantly, official records indicate that deaths from Alzheimer's disease have increased significantly. Between 2000 and 2014, deaths from Alzheimer's disease as recorded on death certificates increased 89 percent, while deaths from the number one cause of death (heart disease) decreased 14 percent.
• It kills more than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined.
• The costs of health care and long-term care for individuals with Alzheimer's or other dementias are substantial. Dementia is one of the costliest conditions to society.

Alzheimers.net suggests these 7 Things You Can Do to Stop Alzheimer’s by 2025

1. Join a clinical trial
2. Get genetic testing
3. Email, call, and tweet your Congressmen
4. Get educated about Alzheimer’s & Dementia
5. Speak up if you see symptoms
6. Sign the Alzheimer’s petition
7. Volunteer or donate to an Alzheimer’s research or awareness organization

To learn more about AD, visit the following articles I used for this information.
Alzheimer's Association
Alzheimers.net

Click here to read the article I wrote about Bernie, My Hero on this blog.

Writing About Our Fears

It's the first Wednesday of the month so it must be time for a post from all the folks in the Insecure Writers Support Group. What is IWSG?

Author Alex J Cavanaugh explains it this way:

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

After visiting here, please take time to hop over to other blogs and hear their voices. You can find a list at Alex's IWSG page.  

Writing About Our Fears

by J.Q. Rose

Are you afraid of things that go bump in the night? Have you ever tried writing about them? Does it help when you face them head-on and vanquish those frightening images, diseases, persons?

I wrote about a topic that scares me--Alzheimer's disease, a form of dementia. It was one of the most difficult scenes I have ever written. I know the scene is not complete, but at least I wrestled with my fear of the disease and body-slammed it down on paper. 

In my WIP, the mother of the main character is afflicted with Alzheimer's, a monstrous disease capable of stealing a person's personality and memories. The brain is attacked until it is rendered useless. No speech, no problem-solving, no reading, no recognition of loved ones. Eventually even the ability to brush your teeth is forgotten. Frightening? Yes! And worse is the fact that there is no cure, no turning back the inevitable loss of thinking, memory, and behavior.

Now you understand why I'm afraid of Alzheimer's, because it may attack me and/or someone I love. So I have chosen to fight it through my story. I hope the novel will bring awareness to dementia and bring about efforts to continue research to find a solution. 

If you care to share what scares you, please leave a comment below. Have you written about it? How did you feel?

Thank you for stopping in.