tamara.harpster's blog

A Quiet Sunday Evening at Home

Submitted by tamara.harpster on Sun, 09/17/2017 - 19:27
It's a Sunday evening, and I'm enjoying some quiet time after a somewhat busy weekend. The quiet is unusual, I can usually hear a TV, my son bouncing around the house or some other noise but all is quiet, for the moment.
 
Yesterday, my husband and I were working in the yard, cleaning up some items and taking care of a mouse/rat problem in our tool storage area outside. Baking was finished for the week, and it wasn't my weekend for house cleaning, so it was nice to spend some time in the yard, I don't do that often enough.

Imperfect Parenting

Submitted by tamara.harpster on Wed, 09/13/2017 - 21:02

In less than a week, we are releasing a book about life with our autistic son. The project started as a recommendation from a friend. The original intent was to share our challenges as a family and give an inside look at what life can be like with autism. While we’ve worked on the book, I have also thought about my own reasons for publishing our story.

Geese with Baby Goose

A Positive Story about Autism

Submitted by tamara.harpster on Mon, 09/11/2017 - 21:45
I would like to share a positive story about my son. He is 27 and he has always been interested in visual activities, such as drawing, building with Legos, photography and making movies. He likes to make up stories and when he was younger he created an entire world based on Lego Bricks. At that time he was unafraid to share his stories and I helped him to create a website with information about his creations.
 

Notes on Writing: The Antagonist for the Story

Submitted by tamara.harpster on Wed, 08/30/2017 - 21:33
Time for another chapter of my story “Year 2038 Bug” and this chapter ends the introductions section of the book. I introduce the antagonist, more commonly known as the villain and show a little bit of her reasons for shutting down all of the electronic devices in the world. There will be more character development for her in the story, this is an introduction and setting up some of the concepts for what has happened and what the protagonists of the story will need to fix, somehow, someway.
 

Author Reading for "You Don't Want to Go For a Ride": Our Family's Journey with Autism

Submitted by tamara.harpster on Tue, 08/29/2017 - 04:00

I am pleased to post a video of John and I reading from our book "You Don't Want to Go For a Ride", I thought people might enjoy an author reading.

Also, a reminder about our Goodreads Giveaway, you can sign up through September 4th for a chance to win one of two autographed proof copies of our book.

Author Reading Video

Goodreads Giveaway

Summer Outings 2017

Submitted by tamara.harpster on Mon, 08/28/2017 - 20:15

Summer is almost over and I remembered I have pictures from some of our summer activities. Posted below, some pictures from the Padres game we attended in June, the Palomar observatory we visited in August and big clouds that were generated during some of our extra hot weather. No pictures of the eclipse, I'm afraid. My camera just wasn't up to the task and the pictures were too bright.

Large Clouds on Summer Day

Goodreads Giveaway for "You Don't Want to Go For a Ride"

Submitted by tamara.harpster on Tue, 08/22/2017 - 00:00

We are giving away two signed copies of the proof version of our book "You Don't Want to Go For a Ride": Our Family's Journey with Autism. The signup for the giveaway will start on 8/22 and end on 9/4. The book will be released on 9/19.

Click on the link below to enter the drawing, there is no obligation for purchase in order to enter.

Keeping Silliness Alive

Submitted by tamara.harpster on Wed, 08/16/2017 - 21:07

I defined my schedule a few months ago and it seems a bit frivolous to me to post this article considering what has been in the news lately. However, perhaps it is even more important to remember to take a moment out and keep things light hearted. I want to shine a light in the world and continue to create a feeling of home and safety even if times are troubled.

Squirrel looking out of its den

Notes on Writing: Writing a Character I Don’t Like

Submitted by tamara.harpster on Wed, 08/02/2017 - 22:09

My note will be short this time, my blog buffer is low so I’ve been writing the next chapter instead of working on this article. This chapter introduces Brian Wilson, who is Deidre’s father. He and Deidre are estranged but Brian still tries to watch over her. The Year 2038 bug will remove those tools and he will have to find other means to keep an eye on his daughter and grandson.

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