Category: writing

I have such exciting news that I’m about ready to burst! The authors of The Mother of All Meltdowns are teaming up to give you a fantastic Mother’s Day Giveaway! There are so many great prizes, I wish I could win! I’m not eligible…but you are! Chocolate, flowers, jewelry, a getaway…and more! Not only that, but we have also started a forum just for moms. It’s a community for the perfectly imperfect mother named “No Mother Is Perfect.” It’s place where you can let your guard down and talk about the meltdowns, struggles, and less rosy aspects of being a mom. I hope you join us!

Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 11th 2014! And we want moms everywhere to accept the meltdowns, stop chasing perfection, and embrace their uniquity. You won’t find this word listed in Webster’s, but you will find it within every mother on the planet. Enter between April 1, 2014 to May 11, 2014 to win one of three fabulous prize packages including a three night stay for two at a destination spa!

To kick off our giveaway, I’m interviewing Holly Bertone. She writes at The Coconut Head’s Cancer Survivor Guide. Today is Holly’s first blogiversary and she is featuring an interview with me! Please stop on by and give her some comment love.

1. Holly, we were both young women when we were diagnosed with breast cancer. How did you discover your cancer? Tell us what was going on in your life at the time.

I woke up one morning and by accident felt a weird bump in my right breast. I went to the doctor right away, and after a series of tests, received the diagnosis on my 39th birthday. Two days later, my boyfriend, Carter, proposed. We got married 10 days after my treatment ended, and I was sick and bald on our wedding day.

2. The name of your blog and your book is The Coconut Head’s Cancer Survival Guide. How did you come up with that name?

When I was going through treatment, it seemed like every day, Carter came up with a new nickname for my bald head. The names were silly and it kept us laughing. My favorite was Coconut Head, because I had several rogue hairs that stuck out of my bald head, and it looked like a coconut. The name for the book and blog seemed to fit right along with my goofy personality.

3. Speaking about your book, what prompted you to write and publish a book about cancer survival?

I had a lot of people encourage me to turn my emails, blog entries, and journal entries into a book. It’s been a life-long dream of mine to be an author, but I had no idea that cancer would be the catalyst to get me there. The Coconut Head’s Cancer Survival Guide is raw, and the reader gets an uncensored view of my life and journey during cancer, while simultaneously being engaged and getting married. I realized after I published the first book, that this is where my life’s mission is, to write inspirational books for fellow cancer patients and survivors.

4. Tell us about the company you founded, Pink Fortitude.

It seemed like I woke up one day and realized I was all over the place with my breast cancer awareness. Pink Fortitude, LLC was created to be an umbrella organization for all of my awareness endeavors – the books, the blog, speaking engagements, and even some merchandise. I wanted my work to be taken seriously as a business and I also wanted the flexibility to support different breast cancer charities. Pink is a nod to breast cancer, and Fortitude is my life word.

Thank you so much, Holly, for answering my questions and being an inspiration for all women! You can keep up with Holly on Twitter, Google+ and her website, http://www.CoconutHeadSurvialGuide.com.