SOUL INK READINGS AT MY FACEBOOK LIVE: The quest for creative, disability friendly platforms

The quest for disability friendly platforms continues and I am finding it quite exciting. My hyperacusis means that being in large crowded theatres and venues has become untenable, mostly because theatres sadly do not have the equipment I need to able to access performance. So, unperturbed, I am currently exploring ways that I can work from the quiet of home and yet still creatively connect with people who might be interested in my work.

As I wrote in an earlier blog, I have spent some time re-vamping my youtube and now today, I am going to try and get to grips with FACEBOOK LIVE!! I am a tad nervous but in a good way.

The first thing I have done is opened a Cheryl Beer SOUL INK page dedicated just to my writing. This is an enormous step for me. Deep down, I have this feeling that my little humble offerings are not really going to be of any worth, so I tend to push them to one side and make myself too busy, by helping everyone else. But then this week, I went for an Angel Card Reading with the lovely Mandy Hawkins and what came up was that I need to 'turn up the volume and allow myself to shine'. Well, I started crying when she said it. The very thought of focusing on my own work quite frankly, makes me almost giddy. But, I'm not one to argue with angels and whether you believe in angel card readings or not, Mandy's loving encouragement and ability to switch on my sparkle, was really beautiful.

Anyway, I digress, so, I opened the writers page and over 200 people joined within 24 hours ... which was just MIND BLOWING and gave me affirmation that I am walking the right pathway.

So, tonight at 6.30pm I am going to see if I can get facebook live to work. I have no idea what I'm doing but I am guessing we can all learn together.

The idea is that I will be able to give interactive readings from my new SOUL INK book, sharing with folks that leave messages in my feed whilst filming. What a lovely way to connect with folk.

If you'd like SOUL INK reading, just pop on over and LIKE MY PAGE.

If you're intrigued and would like to find out more about me, why not click the link and pop to my website ... 

                                                                     

Published by Parlour Press

Wrapping with love : Every book sale has a story

As an author, I never feel more nervously excited than when I am wrapping a book up for someone who has invested in me, in my work, in my stories. When someone buys one of my books, it is not just a purchase. It is an emotional attachment. You are enabling me to rebuild my life.

Since being a child, I have lived as a musician, so when I became suddenly deaf, living with debilitating tinnitus and hyperacusis, I thought my life was over. To put it into perspective, sometimes the distortion of my tinnitus is so loud, I cannot even hear my own voice. Writing has saved me. Given me back myself.

Every book sale has a story with it and today I am going to tell you about the book I have just finished wrapping. I will not mention names because it wouldn't be fair on the young woman.

Many years ago, I was working in Community Education designing creative courses to build the confidence of Young Mums. And in she walked, filled with so much beautiful light shining from within her, but she could not see it herself. We worked together as a whole team over the next few years. I was so very proud of her, as we all were. She became such a wonderful Mother, trained in Youth Work and started to make a difference to the life of others. 

And then today, she wrote to me, saying how incredibly proud of me she was, that I  had taken something that she described as a curse, my hearing loss, and I had turned it around. She said that she admired me for having done this and wanted to buy a book so that she could feel me.

I cannot even begin to describe the emotion that this evoked inside me. I felt authentic, real. Like all the times that I have held the hand of young mums, older people with dementia, people on renal dialysis, those at end of life, every time I have sat with them to design a creative way of lifting their soul through writing, publishing or the arts, consolidated here; I was walking my walk just as I had supported them to do.

And there was she, all grown up and proud of me and I felt taller because of her, likely as tall as I had helped her to feel, all those years ago.

So, you see, when you buy a book from someone like me, it is so much more than a book. No, I am not on the shelves of WH Smith ... but I can be on your shelf, in your heart, part of your world.

 If you would like to purchase one of my books, why not pop over to me facebook page.  I will put all my love into wrapping it up and sending it to you.