There's Nothing Funny About BiPolar Guest Post It's Not Your Journey

There’s Nothing Funny About Being Bipolar

When I have to look at a person and say, “I’m bipolar,” they get a bemused expression on their face as if they’re waiting for the punchline.  That’s all there is to it, and believe me, this is not a joke my friend.   

I can’t think of many more things as infuriating as someone using a mental illness as an insult.  You’re going to hear, “Oh my God! Don’t be so bipolar!” much more than you’re going to get, “Wow, do you have to act so diabetic all the time?” 

The truth is that there are many people that are bipolar and have done horrible things.  Things like theft, murder, even rape.  That does not mean that all of us are capable of such unspeakable acts.  Hollywood doesn’t help matters at all.  Have you ever been using one of the movie streaming services and caught a glimpse of a film that might be interesting?  Sure, many people have.  How many times have you clicked on the description of that film and discovered that the lead in the story is a horribly insane person, and you guessed it…bipolar. 

What is the real difference here?  Bipolar disorder is a disease of the mind; it manifests itself in physical ways all the time.  Just ask anyone who deals with it. Conditions like Fibromyalgia, Cancer, and AIDS begin as physical conditions and can eventually have a negative impact on your mind.  I know I’m walking a fine line here.  I would never tell a Cancer patient that their disease isn’t as debilitating as mine.  I’m just trying to say that it deserves the same amount of patience, acceptance, and respect. 

We hear a lot about stigma these days.  If you try hard enough, you can stigmatize any disease or disorder.  Is social media helping us or hurting us?  I honestly can’t decide.  For example, many, many people commented on the death of Robin Williams.  A lot of the comments were centered around how badly people felt that he was in that kind of pain, and their hearts went out to his family.  Conversely,  the number of comments that described him as a psychotic freak that only cared about himself was staggering.  Some people even went so far to go after his daughter in probably the most painful time of her entire life. 

There are positives to using social media.  I’ve experienced that myself.  I’ve had people from all over the world approach me to talk about my story, or to ask my opinion of their situation.  I’ve yet to come across someone that downright insults me, and I hope that I never do.  I’m not one to hold my tongue on something like that.  I do know that people have quietly unfollowed or unfriended me since I told my story.  Whether they did it because of my disease, I may never know.  The fact of the matter is if they want to walk away from me because I’ve said something that offended them, I completely understand that.  However, to take a hike because I have a disease that I cannot control?  That’s simply ridiculous. 

I get it.  There are people out there that use mental illness as a way to garner attention or special treatment.  To those people, I say shame on you.  Unfortunately, that kind of behavior has been around forever.  I watched a documentary on a woman who fooled an entire community into believing she was a survivor of the towers falling on 9/11.  People like that are sick, but not in the way they want you to believe.

In her first published work, Rebecca Lombardo collects her internationally followed blog into the pages of It’s Not Your Journey. Rebecca shares her struggles with bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, self-injury, and recovery from a suicide attempt.

Rebecca candidly reveals her real and raw feelings on these subjects, as well as addressing other issues that have contributed to her downward spiral and eventual climb out of her own pit of despair. Issues such as the loss
of her mother to lung cancer, the death of her brother, abandonment from friends and family members due to her hospitalization, and more.
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I’m 43 years old and have been happily married for nearly 15 years. I enjoy
reading, writing, music, watching movies and sports. I live in Michigan with my husband and our cats. At age 19, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I have struggled with mental illness in many forms for more than 20
years. I’m a published author, bipolar blogger, and a mental health advocate. In addition, I am about to become a contributor for the Huffington Post.

Follow Rebecca
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Giveaway - $20 Amazon Gift Card, Bookmark,
and a paperback copy of It's Not Your Journey. Open to US residents ONLY. 

It Feels Like Cheating! Guest Post from Author of Goodnight Kisses Wilhelmina Stolen

Download this book for FREE! It is free everywhere but Amazon right now but if you read kindle you can get it on Smashwords and send to your kindle as a document to read.

It Feels Like Cheating!

Say it isn’t so! Oh, but it is! I’m guilty! I have a thing for my hero’s younger brother! But honestly, in my defense, the love affair started out so innocently!

My creativity flows better late at night, when the house is quiet, the lights are low and I’m alone. It’s the perfect atmosphere for whipping up hot love scenes, but that wasn’t what this particular night was supposed to be about. I had a rough outline for Goodnight Kisses with a general idea of who my main characters were and what I wanted their love story to be. Knowing their personalities would evolve as the rough draft was written, I turned my attention to the secondary characters. These supporters usually show up as they’re needed and like the main characters, grow with the story. But this wasn’t the case with Jess Coldiron. Nope. This cowboy refused to wait.

When it comes to the men in my stories, the physical description usually comes first (because I like eating my cake before the main course). In the beginning, Jess was like any other character, an idea, a shadow or glimpse of who I wanted him to be. But that changed too. Sandy-blond hair, a little long. A rugged jaw (with just enough stubble to tickle). A straight nose. Blue eyes. Full bottom lip (perfect for nibbling). A Charlie Hunnam smile that made me want to lose my underwear. Broad shoulders. Strong hips. Long legs…

But looks aren’t everything. Jess needed to be a guy with heart. A man of substance and conscious. Caring with a playful side. I wanted him to be intelligent and humorous with just the right amount of charisma and he needed a voice, a sexy voice. Yeah, something slow and easy with a slight Texas drawl to it. A cross between Jensen Ackles and Matthew McConaughey. Oh, baby! I have to admit, at this point I was a little excited. Maybe too excited for a secondary character, but I didn’t care. I wanted more. So, I kicked off my shoes, poured myself another glass of wine and said, “Okay, handsome, talk to me.”

His first words were, “This night just keeps getting better.” I’ll say! He was so charming and irresistible. He spewed out lines and prompted scenes. Hours passed and before I knew it, I was in love with the easygoing and flirtatious younger brother of my main character. The sidekick, the brother my heroine always wanted. How did that happen?

Falling in love with the hot guy playing second fiddle to my leading man is nothing new for me and sometimes it does feel like cheating. But when a character is vivid and clear, it’s hard not to be captivated by them. Thankfully, my heroes never hold it against me.

Fearing she carries her mother’s curse of marriage, nineteen-year-old Eleanor Mackenna swore never to vow herself into matrimonial bondage. Nuptials aren’t needed where true love is concerned. A concept she is sure a man like McCrea Coldiron would agree with. The town gossip has him pegged as a heart breaker, but Eleanor knows a different side to McCrea. And years of loving him without seeing his affection returned has made her desperate enough to ask him for advice on seducing a man. ??

McCrea isn’t proud of his reputation as a brawler and a womanizer. As a teenager the rumors were funny, now they may cost him the land he has worked so hard for. Chatty little Eleanor Mackenna has been chasing his spurs for years and ignoring her was easy to do until she grew up. A beautiful face and curves in all the right places made her hard to resist, and when his granddad lays down an ultimatum to make her his wife, McCrea
offers her a first class lesson in seduction.?

Their date ending in more than good night kisses was everything McCrea promised it would be, but his sudden withdraw, and cold reaction to her confession of love reveal his true motives. A business arrangement with
benefits.

Get Goodnight Kisses on Amazon / iBooks /Smashwords / Kobo / Gumroad

I’m a country girl, born in Tennessee and raised in Kentucky. I’m a roamer, but always come home because I love the small town atmosphere. It’s who I am. Life in my little corner of the world consists of long winter nights curled up by the fire, cheering on my favorite football teams in the fall, enduring March Madness in the spring and walking barefoot through my garden with a cold jar of sweet tea in the summer – fireflies at sunset accompanied by a serenade of crickets and frogs, and lazy summer nights in the porch swing with my beau.

When I’m not writing, I’m traveling, reading or finding a million other ways to express my creativity. My tastes in music range from classical to rock. I’m passionate about history, art and helping others find the courage to express themselves.

Social Media Links

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Review and Giveaway - Blood Moon Magick (Whiskey Witches Novel 2) by SM Blooding

Detective Paige Whiskey has a lot on her plate. A gate to Hell is permanently seared into her soul and she has no way of controlling it. She let a psychotic serial killing demon free in exchange for Dexx’s life. Her sister is about to have a baby and a whole world of crazy has opened in the Whiskey household. And, if that wasn’t enough, she and Dexx are trying to figure out their relationship.
They’re about to discover a world that has been hidden from the Whiskeys. A world of shapeshifters, werewolves, and vampires. A world that was hidden to end a bloody war. A war between shifters and witches.
Paige has to make a decision. Solve this murder and start a war? Or ignore it and keep her family safe?
But when Dexx is bitten, all everything changes. War? Or love?
Why is nothing ever simple?
I received a complimentary copy for my honest review, no compensation was received.

I absolutely loved this book. Detective Paige Whiskey is a demon summoner who already knew of the existence of demons and angels, but her world just got rocked with the introduction of more paranormal creatures into her life. One of whom is already someone close to her, but she had no idea that he is something more than human.

The action in this book was fast paced and non-stop. I have not yet read the first book in the series, but after reading this one I am definitely going to have to go back and do so to catch up. Detective Whiskey has me hooked.

Goodreads/ Whistling Press Books /Amazon

(Free KU)
SM “Frankie” Blooding lives in Colorado with her pet rock, Rockie, and Jack the Bird. Jack has refused to let her to take up the piano again, but is warming to the guitar. It might help that Frankie has learned more than two strings. She’s added a few more Arabic words to her vocabulary, but don’t invite her into conversation yet—unless, of course, you’re willing to have a very . . . slow . . . conversation.

She’s dated vampires, werewolves, sorcerers, weapons smugglers and US Government assassins. Yes. She has stories.

She’s also an investigator with a local paranormal investigation group, Colorado Paranormal Rescue!

Find out more about her at:

Facebook /Twitter /Website / Newsletter
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Forgetting Jane, a Dark Paranormal Thriller by CJ Warrant Review and Giveaway

Amnesia and an unspeakable crime have stolen everything from Jane Doe except the haunting image of a girl in a yellow dress, which replays itself over and over in her mind.

Small town cop Elias McAvoy is haunted as well, by the crushing guilt he feels over the deaths of two women, one by his own hand. He can’t-he won’t-let Jane down too.

Together they delve deeper into Jane’s case, battling against her memory loss, and an increasingly tangled web of lies and murder that span forty years-and ties Elias and Jane together in ways they never imagined. As the mystery of the girl in the yellow dress unfold, so does Elias and Jane’s love for each other. However, when the killer reappears, intent on finishing what he started, Elias must face his demons in order to save the woman he loves or lose her forever.

Pre-order on Amazon

CJ Warrant is an amazing author!!!  Her books of love, mystery and suspense are written to where she keeps you on the edge of your seat.  Just when you think that you have figured out where she is taking a story -- she puts in a twist and catches you by surprise.

The small town of Beaver Creek, Wisconsin is the setting where the story takes place.  It starts with two hunters and their dog finding a woman who has been beaten and buried - but miraculously she is still alive.  Chief Elias McAvoy - a recovering alcoholic -- tries to find out who's behind the attempted murder.  Jane Doe -- the unidentified woman -- is in a coma and when she wakes up she suffers from amnesia.  No one knows who she is or exactly what happened to her.   I don't write spoilers -- but, believe me, this book will catch your interest and the suspense will hold you so tight that you will NOT be able to stop reading until you reach the end and discover all the secrets disclosed in the book.

I was given a copy of this book for an honest review.

CJ Warrant is an Award Winning Author for dark romantic suspense and thrillers that pulls at your heart, makes you shiver with fear, and hope for a happy ending. A lover of coffee, baking and family, but not in that order—She’s a wife, a loving mother of three and a cosmetologist by trade. Drawing her experiences from her Korean Italian heritage and growing up as an Army brat, her stories stir in dark plots with addictive flawed characters you will fall in love with.

Visit CJ on the web at www.cjwarrant.com

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New Release and Giveaway Bad Boys After Dark: Mick by Melissa Foster

Bad Boys After Dark: Mick

The Bad Boys are a series of stand-alone romances that may also be enjoyed as part of the larger Love in Bloom series.

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Indulge your inner vixen…
You asked for naughtier lovers, with the same fierce loyalty as The Bradens – Meet the Bad Boys… Four sinfully sexy, uber alpha brothers, about to fall head over heels for their leading ladies.
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Everything’s naughtier after dark…
Amanda Jenner is done being a boring-man magnet and has finally taken control of her love life. As any smart paralegal would, she’s researched the hell out of how to seduce a man. She’s waxed, primped, and ready to put her newfound skills into action–and a masquerade bar crawl is the perfect venue for her solo coming-out party.

Entertainment attorney Mick Bad lives by two hard and fast rules. He never mixes business with pleasure, and he doesn’t do relationships, which makes the anonymity of a masquerade bar crawl the perfect place for a onetime hookup.
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Amanda thinks she’s hit the jackpot when she bags a tall, dark, and sinfully delicious masked man–until she discovers the man she’s made out with is her off-limits boss. Mick’s already crossed a line he can never uncross, and one taste of sweet and sexy Amanda has only whet his appetite. When Mick offers to give Amanda a lesson in seduction–no strings, no regrets, and for goodness’ sake, come Monday, no quitting–the tables turn, and Mick’s totally unprepared for the lessons this sweet temptress provides.

Kindle / Kobo / iBooks / Nook / GPlay / Smashwords / Paperback
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BAD BOYS AFTER DARK
Mick
Dylan (coming soon)
Carson (coming soon)
Brett (coming soon)

More After Dark books:
WILD BOYS AFTER DARK (Available Now!)
Logan
Heath
Jackson
Cooper

The AFTER DARK series are part of the LOVE IN BLOOM big family romance collection. Each book may be read as a stand-alone novel, or as part of the series.

Melissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes contemporary romance, new adult, contemporary women’s fiction, suspense, and historical fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Her books have been recommended by USA Today’s book blog, Hagerstown Magazine, The Patriot, and several other print venues. She is the founder of the  World Literary Café and Fostering Success. When she’s not writing, Melissa helps authors navigate the publishing industry through her author training programs on  Fostering Success. Melissa has been published in Calgary’s Child Magazine, the Huffington Post, and Women Business Owners magazine. 

Melissa hosts an Aspiring Authors contest for children and has painted and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC. Melissa lives in Maryland with her family.

Visit Melissa on social media. Melissa enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups, and welcomes an invitation to your event. 

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             Excerpt:

LURED BY THE pulse of sex and anonymity, Amanda Jenner moved through the dusky bar, brushing against silk, satin, cotton, and flesh, each graze feeding the adrenaline coursing through her veins. Blue lights misted over sweaty strangers lost in the seductive bump and grind of foreplay and hoping for a night of erotic pleasure. If Amanda tried hard enough, she could smell tomorrow’s scent du jour—regret. Tonight she had no room for the confidence-crushing worry of what tomorrow would bring. She scanned the crowd, as she had in the previous three bars, immediately dismissing anyone who wasn’t in costume. Her world was full of boring men who excelled at wining, dining, and boring her to sleep. Ten years of romance novels and movies had led her astray, looking for the elusive needle in a haystack. She’d led herself astray, always the careful thinker, careful dresser. Or as her younger sister, Ally, would say, Careful kisser, careful lover. Ally, however, had taken charge of her sex life—and she’d found the perfect man.

Now it’s my turn. 

Read, Write, Love (Love in Bloom: The Remingtons) ebook, 2 winners.  Book information here http://www.melissafoster.com/books/read-write-love-love-bloom-remingtons/

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Under The Full Moon by Mike Zimmerman Cover Reveal

Cover Reveal

Under the Full Moon 

For months, gruesome murders have gone unexplained near a rural English tavern in the woods. The deaths have been primal, and on the eve of the latest corpse discovery, a stranger enters town. Desperate to earn the trust of the patrons that same evening, he insists that he knows what beast has tortured the small community, and he knows how to stop it before it kills again.

Not everyone is convinced, and when another person goes missing, unlikely alliances are forged to end the nightmare under the full moon.

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Mike Zimmerman is a graduate of Oakland University in Rochester Michigan where he studied History, Political Science, and Social Studies. He is a published author in Renaissance Magazine and likes to write both fiction and nonfiction in his spare time.
Mike Zimmerman has also published a full-length, historical fiction novel titled
“Dracula’s Apprentice.”

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Cover Reveal and Giveaweay- Under Her Skin by Margo Bond Collins

About Under Her Skin She's lucky he's a charmer… Lindi Parker works hard at being human, not an easy task for a weresnake. She has no desire to search for others like her—until a new case changes everything. When Lindi learns that she she's not the only shapeshifter in the world, she realizes she might be next on a killer's list. In order to save herself and the abused children she works with, she will have to team up with Dr. Kade Nevala, a member of the shifter tribe responsible for eradicating weresnakes—and the most attractive man Lindi's ever met. Even more terrifying, she’ll need to embrace her serpent side, a choice that has enormous consequences for Lindi, and for everyone around her. Add to Goodreads About the Author Margo Bond Collins is addicted to coffee (mmm...caffeine) and SF/F television, especially Supernatural (mmm...Winchesters). She writes paranormal and contemporary romance, urban fantasy, and paranormal mystery. She lives in Texas with her daughter and several spoiled pets. Although she teaches college-level English courses online, writing fiction is her first love. She enjoys reading urban fantasy and paranormal fiction of any genre and spends most of her free time daydreaming about heroes, vampires, ghosts, werewolves, and the women who love (and sometimes fight) them. You can learn more about her at http://www.MargoBondCollins.net and follow her on all the usual For updates about publications, free fiction, and other goodies, be sure to subscribe to her newsletter Amazon Author Page / Website/ Blog / Twitter @MargoBondCollin/ Google+ / Goodreads Author Page / Facebook Author Page / Pinterest Win a paperback copy of Under Her Skin + Book Swag. Open to 18+ USA addresses a Rafflecopter giveaway