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The Perks of Being an Artist

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Fractured Memories: Because Demented People Need Love, Too

02 Thursday Mar 2017

Posted by emilypageart in book, family, Fractured Memories, gratitude, humor, Uncategorized

≈ 11 Comments

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Alzheimer's, art, book, book about caregiving, book about dementia, caregiver, caregiving, caretaker, dementia, family, FLD, Fractured Memories, frontal lobe dementia, frontotemporal dementia, FTD, humor, marketing, publish my book, self publish, self-publishing

Bear with me (or bare with me, if you’re feeling frisky) for a moment. I realized I should really do a post that doesn’t include me bragging about all the mistakes I’ve made thus far in the self-publishing process and just do a post about the book itself. So here’s the skinny:

I wrote a book.

Now here’s the fatty:

It’s called Fractured Memories: Because Demented People Need Love, Too. Basically, in 2009, my dad was diagnosed at the age of 65 with frontotemporal dementia, a form of dementia that strikes early and progresses more quickly than Alzheimer’s, and for which there is no treatment to slow the progression of the disease. Via art and on this blog, I began documenting my family’s heartbreaking and hilarious experiences.

As a professional artist, I’ve often turned to art as a self-prescribed therapy to help deal with life’s trials. This battle was no different. I utilized the elephant as a symbol for dementia (because an elephant never forgets), and incorporated sheet music into the paintings because my dad had been a musician. Eventually, I created 40 paintings that are included in the book. I began blogging about the range of issues that arose daily as the disease progressed, documenting everything from my own fear of getting dementia, to my dad’s transition to diapers (and the various places he opted to drop his drawers and just “go”), to combatting his compulsions like the need to “clean” the cars with steel wool, to an exploration of how he might have gotten the disease, to finding the right dementia care facility, to the best ways to make him giggle. I approached the disease from the fresh viewpoint of a younger caregiver.

As my readership here grew, so did the suggestions from you awesome people that I turn the blog into a book. After hearing too many horror stories about traditional publishing contracts, I decided to self-publish. I ran a fundraising campaign for my book and presold over 500 copies in less than a month.

My dad was my best friend. He embraced the ridiculous, looked for the good in people, and mentored and helped people whenever he could. Following his diagnosis, when people asked how he was doing, he’d answer, ‘Not bad for a demented guy.’ He looked for the light hiding amidst the pain. He chose to be very open about what he was going through in the hopes that it would help other people cope with their own diagnosis or a loved one’s diagnosis. Writing this book seemed a fitting way to honor that legacy.

I tried not to shy away from the ugly, raw emotion of life with dementia, but I also looked for the laughter where it could be found. Rest assured, you will love my father as much as I do when the book is done, and perhaps gain some insight about how to cope with your own loved one’s dementia or how to support a caregiver.

So now that you’re all frothing at the mouth in sweet, sweet, demented anticipation, here’s where you can get it:

  1. Buy a paperback copy directly from me at http://shop.emilypageart.com/. When you buy it from me, you save a couple bucks and I make more on each book. Win win. And if you tell me you’ve ordered and tell me a terrible joke on any of my posts on the blog after you’ve placed your order, I’ll sign your copy with a terrible joke in return. Win win terrible win.
  2. Buy a hardcover or paperback copy off of Amazon here.
  3. Buy an eBook here or here.

And when you’ve had a chance to read it, and if you like it, please consider leaving a good review on GoodReads or Amazon or the stall door at Starbucks (only on a piece of paper taped to the door, please don’t vandalize). And then make sure your local caregiver and/or dementia support groups know about it. If you read it and don’t like it, please lie.

Hearts and snugglehugs,

Emily

book-cover-1

Floating Elephant says, “Buymebuymebuymebuyme!”

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Tooth Fairy: A Spoiler Alert

01 Wednesday Mar 2017

Posted by emilypageart in family, humor, Uncategorized

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family, father, humor, lies our parents tell us, santa isn't real, silliness, silly, tooth fairy, tooth fairy isn't real

Spoiler Alert: The Tooth Fairy isn’t real. If you’re a small child or someone who somehow didn’t already know this, please stop reading. Also, go back to the first sentence and unread it.

With that out of the way, I would like to tell you how I know this. When I was a kid and lost my bazillionth tooth (I have a lot of teeth. I’m part shark, apparently), I put my tooth in the little pocket of the pillowcase my parents had given me for the nights the Tooth Fairy was supposed to visit. I rested my rosy little cheek upon my pillow and closed my eyes and drifted softly off to dreamland, imaging the piles and piles of candy I would be able to purchase with the quarter that would be left for me.

Not long after, I was awakened by the sound of a thundering herd of rhinoceri (didn’t you know that that was the plural of rhinoceros?!) charging down the hallway. Timidly, I crept to the door and peeked around the corner, only to discover that it was actually my dad, arms flapping daintily, flitting about merrily on tippy toe in front of the bathroom door to make my mom laugh while she was brushing her teeth. Didn’t he know that was a choking hazzard?! Way to go, Dad.

When confronted, he tried to claim that he was actually the Tooth Fairy’s representative for the southeastern United States. But I did a thorough check and he did not have a pair of wings, and that’s not even remotely practical. What, was he going to drive to every state within his district to hand out money?! As if.

Thus, he dashed all of my dreams, which also alerted me to the whole thing about Santa. I won’t spoiler alert you on that one – wouldn’t want to ruin it for anyone not in the know. All for a cheap laugh from his wife – doin’ marriage right. Parenting, though? Meh.

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

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 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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Again, Another Thank You

19 Tuesday Apr 2016

Posted by emilypageart in art, family, Fractured Memories, gratitude, karma, kindness, Uncategorized, writing

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book, Emily Page, family, Fractured Memories, generosity, publish my book, Publishizer, writing

This thank you goes out to my mom and to my aunt and uncle (who has written a couple books, himself), who all purchased the “You Own An Original?! Package” for the book campaign. They did this knowing full well they could have all the free copies of the book they wanted, as well as a free painting. But they chose to support me both by raising the pre-orders count and by sponsoring the project with a large sum of money. The support I’ve gotten from friends and family floors me – especially knowing they don’t have to, they just want to. So THAAAAAAAAAAANK YOU to my mom, and to my aunt, Carole Page, and uncle, Chris Page. I love you all to pieces (don’t worry, I have the IKEA instructions for putting your pieces back together again)!

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Emily Page

Emily Page

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You can view my artwork on Facebook or on my website at http://www.emilypageart.com

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