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~ Because demented people need love, too.

The Perks of Being an Artist

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Cassie Bustamante’s Review

05 Thursday Oct 2017

Posted by emilypageart in blog, book, dementia, Fractured Memories, gratitude, Uncategorized, writing

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art book, book about dementia, book review, Cassie Bustamante, dementia, Emily Page, Emily Page Art, Emily Page author, Fractured Memories, Raleigh artist, Raleigh author

This whole real estate thing is still madness, but I’ve had some time to paint and will hopefully be posting a new painting soon. Distraction is good right now, between the stress of daily life and the trauma we’re feeling as a nation following the shooting in Vegas. If any of you are in need of a little distraction, too, here are some book reviews Cassie Bustamante posted, including one of my book, Fractured Memories. And while you’re there, look around the rest of her blog. She’s got great decorating ideas and a project gallery.

Know a caregiver, or someone with dementia, or someone who knows someone with dementia, or someone who knows someone who knows someone else who’s a caregiver? Or heck, do you know a person? Well, you should tell them about my book, Fractured Memories: Because Demented People Need Love, Too. Part memoir and part coffee table art book, I recount my family’s heartbreaking and hilarious journey through my father’s dementia. Available to purchase here (this is my favorite way if you live in the U.S.), here or here if you’d rather get the eBook than a print copy, and here (especially if you want a hard cover copy).

Book cover 1

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YouTube Book Review

04 Sunday Jun 2017

Posted by emilypageart in art, blog, book, culture, dementia, Fractured Memories, gratitude, karma, kindness, Uncategorized

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Alzheimer's, art about dementia, book about dementia, book review, dementia, Emily Page Art, Emily Page author, Fractured Memories, frontotemporal dementia

Brittany, from BrittanyReads, posted her spring indie author wrap-up on youtube, and included a review of my book, Fractured Memories. So now you don’t have to read the review, you can watch it, because screw reading, amiright? Oh, wait. The review of my book starts at around 4 minutes 45 seconds. Please go show her channel a little love, and check out some more indie books!

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Getting Your Book Seen

03 Saturday Jun 2017

Posted by emilypageart in book, dementia, Fractured Memories, gratitude, karma, kindness, Uncategorized

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art, art book, book about dementia, book review, caregiver, caregiving, dementia, dementia art, dementia writing, Fractured Memories, gift for caregiver, Raleigh artist, Raleigh author, self-publishing

Hello there, glorious Fractured Memories readers!! As you all know, I opted to self-publish Fractured Memories: Because Demented People Need Love, Too, which means that promoting it is up to me. So I’m going to do some uber-begging. First, in order for books (eBooks, soft cover, or hard cover) to be seen on Amazon, they need to have at least 25 reviews. So far, I have 7. That means I need to get at least eleventy more (I’m good at art and writing, not math, people). That means I need help. That means that, if you read and liked the book, you could write a review on Amazon. That means that people would know the book exists. That means people would buy it. That means I wouldn’t have to live off of ramen noodles, which are terrible for my triglyceride counts. Instead, I could live off of cheese, which is equally bad for my triglyceride counts but so much tastier. It also means that I could support my bourbon habit, which sterilizes my insides, washing all those triglycerides out (yup, I’m pretty sure that’s how it works).

And now, another big ask: if you liked the book, tell someone you actually know! You can post about it on social media, or just tell a friend who you think would like it. If they’ve been a caregiver, they’ll be saying, “Me, too!” the whole time they’re reading it. If they haven’t been a caregiver, you’re prepping them for something that most of us will go through at one time or another with a parent or spouse or friend; or, you’re helping them know how to be a better support for the caregivers they know. Win-win! If they want to order a print copy (or if you want to order a copy for them), they can do so on my website at http://shop.emilypageart.com/ (I make more money this way than on Amazon, AND they’ll save a little money, too). If they’re not interested, try describing the book as “a staggering work of genius,” or “the best thing that ever was – EVER.” If they’re still not interested, they sound like pretty boring people and you should probably not be friends with them anymore.

Many, many (and a few more) thanks in advance!!

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Holla!

18 Thursday May 2017

Posted by emilypageart in art, blog, book, death, dementia, Fractured Memories, humor, karma, kindness, painting, Uncategorized, writing

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Alzheimer's, art, blogging, book, book review, dementia, dementia book, Emily Page Art, Emily Page artist, Emily Page author, FLD, Fractured Memories, frontal lobe dementia, frontotemporal dementia, FTD, indie authors

Just got another great review of the book by a book blogger! Hollaaaaaa! Check it out on her blog, Brittany Reads, or read it below:

“Fractured Memories: Because Demented People Need Love Too by Emily Page is a profoundly raw account of one family’s experience of caring for a father with frontotemporal dementia (FTD).  The story is told from the perspective of an adult daughter (the author) who is caring for her father along with her husband and her mother. The book has three parts.  This first part of the book is much like a traditional memoir, with the author’s experience recounted in a narrative.  The second part of the book reads a bit like a series of journal entries, raw and largely unedited recounts of caring for her father.  The author is an artist, and the third part of the book is a series of paintings she created that out of her caregiving experience.

The author’s love for her father is the greatest testament of this book.  Yes, the author becomes angry, emotionally frayed and anxiety-ridden in the seven years she cared for her father, and sometimes those emotions are even directed at her father.  But she never walks from the situation. Underneath all the difficult emotion was an abundantly present love of a daughter. The first chapter recounts her father’s life before his diagnosis. It’s a beautiful celebration of his life before dementia, including his sense of humor, his extraordinary passion for trains and music, and his time as a First Lieutenant in the Vietnam War.

Frontotemporal dementia is described as disease of a thousand goodbyes, like slowly losing the person you love in stages.  The author writes:

“When I got home, I, of course, got online and started researching the disease. What I saw was not good. Asshole internet, which so very often lies, refused to lie to me that night. The symptoms all matched: odd social behavior (disinhibition), inability to make changes or follow complicated instructions, heightened emotion, depression. Treatment was aimed at managing symptoms, not slowing or stopping the disease. There were no medications for that. Prognosis: death two to ten years after diagnosis, probably from pneumonia after aspirating food because of muscle failure. Two to ten years. Two to ten years. Two to ten years.”

This book leveled me.  I openly wept several times while reading it, especially in the second part of the book that read like a series of mostly unedited journal entries. I learned a great deal about the impact dementia has on a family. I also learned a great deal about how to advocate for someone living with this terrible disease.

The writing style is casual, and portions of the book read like an email from a friend.   It took a while for me to adjust to the casual style. I very much enoyed the artwork throughout the book.  The author uses images of elephants to portray herself, her father, and dementia itself because “an elephant never forgets” and “An elephant’s faithful 100 percent.”  The book ends with a list of songs, a playlist of the music that was mentioned throughout the book and has a special meaning or memory tied to the author and her father.  Fractures Memories is a must read for anyone who loves or cares for anyone living with dementia.”

And now, take a moment to read some of her other book reviews to find some other great new indie authors!!

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If you’d like to see my ridiculous thoughts translated into art, visit my website, or follow me on Facebook and Twitter. Know a caregiver, or someone with dementia, or someone who knows someone with dementia, or someone who knows someone who knows someone else who’s a caregiver? Or heck, do you know a person? Well, you should tell them about my book, Fractured Memories: Because Demented People Need Love, Too. Part memoir and part coffee table art book, I recount my family’s heartbreaking and hilarious journey through my father’s dementia. Available to purchase here (this is my favorite way if you live in the U.S.), here or here if you’d rather get the eBook than a print copy, and here (especially if you want a hard cover copy).

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The IndieView Author Interview

04 Thursday May 2017

Posted by emilypageart in art, book, dementia, Fractured Memories, gratitude, interview, Uncategorized

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art, author Emily Page, author interview, book review, dementia, Emily Page Art, Emily Page author, Emily Page book, find new authors, Fractured Memories, interview, Raleigh artist, Raleigh author

The IndieView just posted an interview with me about my book, Fractured Memories: Because Demented People Need Love, Too. Head on over and check it out! Then browse the rest of their site for other great author interviews.

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Dementia Care Book Recommendation

31 Friday Mar 2017

Posted by emilypageart in dementia, health, Uncategorized

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book about dementia, book review, dementia, dementia care, dementia care facilities, Rachael Wonderlin

I swapped books with an author of a dementia care book recently, and I’m relieved to be able to say that it’s great! It’s always a risky endeavor because you never know if you’ll like the other author’s book. Luckily, Rachael Wonderlin’s book, When Someone You Know Is Living in a Dementia Community, is well-written and she definitely “gets it.” It’s full of tips about how to have good visits with someone in a dementia care facility, how to deal with staff, how to keep someone with dementia happy and reduce their anxiety, and how to make interactions with them rewarding for you, too. Rachael has worked at several dementia care units and clearly loves working with this population. She’s a good problem solver and has a lot of patience and empathy. I highly recommend picking up a copy if you know someone with dementia or know a caregiver of someone with dementia. She also has a blog called Dementia by Day. You can buy a copy of her book on Amazon here.

Rachael Wonderlin book

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Thanks so much for reading my ridiculous thoughts! If you’d like to see my ridiculous thoughts translated into art, visit my website, or follow me on Facebook and Twitter. Know a caregiver, or someone with dementia, or someone who knows someone with dementia, or someone who knows someone who knows someone else who’s a caregiver? Or heck, do you know a person? Well, you should tell them about my book, Fractured Memories: Because Demented People Need Love, Too. Part memoir and part coffee table art book, I recount my family’s heartbreaking and hilarious journey through my father’s dementia. Available to purchase here (this is my favorite way if you live in the U.S.), here or here if you’d rather get the eBook than a print copy, and here (especially if you want a hard cover copy).

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This Review Tho’

15 Wednesday Mar 2017

Posted by emilypageart in art, blog, book, dementia, family, Fractured Memories, gratitude, humor, karma, painting, Uncategorized

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Alzheimer's, Beyonce, book, book campaign, book promotion, book review, Christmas day, dementia, dementia care, Emily Page, Emily Page Art, Emily Page author, FLD, Fractured Memories, frontal lobe dementia, frontotemporal dementia, FTD, Gideon's bible, marketing, Monet, promoting, publish my book, signature

My first order of books arrived today!! So now my living room looks like this:

boxes of books.jpg

As I start to empty the boxes, the cats are becoming ecstatic. They’re convinced it’s Christmas day. So. Many. Boxes. They keep hopping from one to the next.

I’ll be spending the next couple days signing books and preparing to ship out all of the pre-ordered ones. It’s a daunting but exciting task. Especially because I don’t really have a “signature” yet. I mean, I don’t want to sign the way I’d sign a document. My signature on paintings takes too long. So now I have to come up with a new one. Perhaps I should just sign them all with Monet’s signature. That’s legal, right? Think it’d boost my sales? Or maybe I should sign them with Beyonce’s signature – Beyonce the singer, not Beyonce the giant metal chicken (that’s just chicken scratch).

Seriously though. I just got my second review – again from someone I don’t even know. For some reason not knowing them makes me even more giddy because they’re not obligated to say nice things about me. I might have to change my name to Giddy-on. And we can all refer to Fractured Memories as Giddy-on’s Bible. We can put one in every hotel room! Thank you to Book Nation by Jen for a fantastic review. It’s so generous! Click here to read it, then take some time to read some other reviews on her site and maybe find more great books to pick up!

***********************************************************************

Thanks so much for reading my ridiculous thoughts! If you’d like to see my ridiculous thoughts translated into art, visit my website, or follow me on Facebook and Twitter. Know a caregiver, or someone with dementia, or someone who knows someone with dementia, or someone who knows someone who knows someone else who’s a caregiver? Or heck, do you know a person? Well, you should tell them about my book, Fractured Memories: Because Demented People Need Love, Too. Part memoir and part coffee table art book, I recount my family’s heartbreaking and hilarious journey through my father’s dementia. Available to purchase here (this is my favorite way if you live in the U.S.), here or here if you’d rather get the eBook than a print copy, and here (especially if you want a hard cover copy).

book-cover-1

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My First Book Review

13 Monday Mar 2017

Posted by emilypageart in art, book, dementia, Fractured Memories, Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Alzheimer's, blogging, book, book review, dementia, dementia care, Emily Page, Emily Page Art, Emily Page author, FLD, Fractured Memories, frontal lobe dementia, frontotemporal dementia, FTD, marketing

I received my first review for Fractured Memories – and it’s from someone I don’t even know!! Woohoo! This makes it feel a little more real, somehow. Here is a link to her blog, which is an excellent resource full of great ideas for promoting happy and healthy environments for dementia patients. Rachael’s hands-on experience working with people with dementia gives her a depth of understanding that she conveys easily on her blog, so I highly recommend her site. Plus, you know, she said nice things about my book, so she should be rewarded with some visits and comments for that alone, lol. Anyway, check out her review!

***********************************************************************

Thanks so much for reading my ridiculous thoughts! If you’d like to see my ridiculous thoughts translated into art, visit my website, or follow me on Facebook and Twitter. Know a caregiver, or someone with dementia, or someone who knows someone with dementia, or someone who knows someone who knows someone else who’s a caregiver? Or heck, do you know a person? Well, you should tell them about my book, Fractured Memories: Because Demented People Need Love, Too. Part memoir and part coffee table art book, I recount my family’s heartbreaking and hilarious journey through my father’s dementia. Available to purchase here (this is my favorite way if you live in the U.S.), here or here if you’d rather get the eBook than a print copy, and here (especially if you want a hard cover copy).book-cover-1

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Emily Page

Emily Page

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