Cynthia Stevison's Blog, page 4

The Power of Celebration

The Power of Celebration.

We started the celebration at 7:20pm on April 14th 2016.

Shelley Stutchman welcomed the crowd to the “The Tree of Happiness” book launch party. Shelley told of the bonus for those who attended the party. She gave a wonderful introduction of the bio by holding the book and reading the back cover.  Shelley  was the master of ceremony chosen by me because of her unique way of uplifting others.

As I sat at the table closest to the stage a sense of discovery found its way to my being. I am going to share it with you today.

The power of celebration.  The request to come to this gathering was a more that just an invitation to come to buy a book. It was an invite to others to move more deeply into this experience. I was vulnerable open to all. I had been recording myself working on the delivery of the selected reading. I wanted to experience “being present” for this event. I wanted to feel.

As Pastor Perkins invited the Divine’s presence to the celebration. I felt God in this place. Genuine love. Internal joy.

Shelley next invited my sister for her special reading. As she began to speak her tone started to show distress her tears looked like rain on a window pane. I wanted to reach out just like I always have and rescue her pain. This time sat and let her shed her sorrow she also needed this day. She read “In All Ways A Woman” by Maya Angelou.

Our sense of hearing was primed with prayer, poetry and song. There was sunshine in my soul this day.

As I walked in the crowd delivering hugs and warm handshakes my body had a wonderful beautiful stride. I think no one saw the new woman as she shed off her old skin to make room for the new skin to evolve and grow. I released the old that no longer served me so I could transition into my new life. Don’t get me wrong the old skin served its sacred purpose of protector now was time to “be present”.

I began to sign books in this new skin.

After the singing and talking I was welcomed to the stage again for my selected reading. I took pause in the moment. Inside I was calling the little wounded child to front of my conscience for healing. She shyly wanted to resist but she had been watching me grow confident and learn to manage my mental health. I don’t think anyone noticed as she stood by my side holding my hand as we read our story together.

The quote “it takes a village to raise a child” well in my case it took a village to raise a writer. I welcomed to the stage my family. I called on friends to come join us. Then I called on the audience to be my villagers.

Pastor Perkins closed the celebration with prayer.

This marks a significant moment in my life course.

Thank you. Cynthia Stevison.

 

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The Tree of Happiness reading by author Cynthia Stevison

“The Tree of Happiness” reading by author Cynthia Stevison starting on page 15.

http://rootwordsalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Safe-Cell.m4a

 

Read along if you want too.

Bonus material just for you.

Speak your souls truth even if it hurts sometime.

Much gratitude to all my readers.

Please take time to review my book on Amazon and Goodreads. Thank you.

AMAZON CLICK HERE TO Get THE TREE OF HAPPINESS

Mental illness can strike anyone. It knows no age limits,

economic status, race, creed, or color. We all suffer pain in different

ways. Losing control of one’s mind can be incredibly scary. Imagine

being locked in a cell, restrained, and stripped of all humanity.

Imagine no access to food or water, no human contact and being left

to urinate and defecate where you sleep. This abuse is shocking but

often true. Many Americans face these conditions each day believing

it could be their last. There is a mental health crisis in our country

and we must find liberation.

An estimated 50 million people nationwide suffer from some

kind of mental disorder. Statistics show one in five Americans

struggle with some kind of mental health issues. The best news is

that 90% of them are treatable.

 

Cynthia Stevison

 

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Local author releases her book on mental illness

Enid News & Eagle the dominant news and marketing source for Enid and the surrounding trade territory in northwest Oklahoma. I would like to thank  Enid News & Eagle staff  for the opportunity to advocate for mental health in our state.

A seven-day, morning newspaper, the News & Eagle serves more than 40,000 readers daily with its print edition and companion E-edition.

Another 200,000-plus unique monthly visitors access EnidNews.com.


The story begins on page A6

A local woman is sharing her journey through mental illness in hopes that it will help others.

Cynthia Stevison said mental illness runs in her family, and she suffers from chronic depression.

“We’ve struggled as a family unit,” she said. “My grandfather was bipolar. My mom was raised in a bipolar environment. My brother struggles with bipolar. It’s been part of my life.”

Stevison began putting her struggles on paper.

“For years, I’ve journaled,” she said. “I was going through a hard time in 2012, and I got all my journals out, and I started reading them and I thought, ‘Maybe I should write a book.’… I used journaling as a coping skill for many years, so I guess I was writing a book and did not know it.”

In April 2015, Stevison set herself a goal to finish the book in 26 weeks.

“That’s six months,” she laughed. “I didn’t do it in that, but I did it in less than a year — 11 months from start to publish.

“I just started putting stuff together and I said, ‘I’m going to put this hardship to words.’”

“

Oklahoma and the United States is in a mental health crisis, Stevison said.

“Mental illness is called the invisible disease, and people don’t talk about it,” she said. “I know the state has to cut (mental health funding), but if treatment is not available, how do you get help? How do you recover?

“With all the cuts in the mental health field and people not getting treatment, you are going to see more suicides, more people not getting help, which makes the stigma worse because they do stuff that is out of control. It’s just bad.”

Stevison offers personal advice to those struggling with mental illness.

“Never give up,” she said. “And you are enough. I never felt like I was enough to be anything — be a good wife, a good mother, a good worker.”

Stevison remembers her mother once told her to “snap out of it,” so now she uses the acronym “SNAP” to keep herself healthy.

“Sleep, nutrition, activity, people,” she said. “If I’m doing those things, it makes my life so much better.”

Getting enough sleep, maintaining a healthy diet, being physically active and getting out into the community helped Stevison battle her own mental illness.

“If people could know how to maintain those things, you’ll feel better, you’ll look better, you’ll want to read more or play more or go to church more,” she said. “A lot of my crisis times, I wasn’t eating the right food. I might skip two days of food. It makes your life a lot more miserable.”

Setting strict guidelines for herself also helped her accomplish her book, which was a boon to her own mental health.

“When I got my first book in the mail, it was amazing to have it in my hands,” she said. “To me, it kind of brings what was inside myself all these years to the outside. I felt like a big burden had been lifted off.

“There were two rules in my family: don’t talk and don’t feel. I’m doing both of those.”

Stevison will host a come-and-go book launch party and signing at 7 p.m. April 14 in the Conference Room in Springhill Suites, 5815 KL Drive in Enid.

Stevison’s book is published through Amazon, and is available on the website in paperback form and on Kindle, for $15.99. AMAZON CLICK HERE TO Get THE TREE OF HAPPINESS

For more information on Stevison and her book, visit www.rootwordsalliance.com.

Sally Asher is an Oklahoma State University multimedia journalism graduate. She came to the Enid News & Eagle in December 2014 and covers education and medical news.

Enid News & Eagle article Click here

 

 

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Author Reading “The Tree of Happiness”

Here is my first sneak peek reading of “The Tree of Happiness”

Mental Evaluation

I need help. It is my belief those are the three hardest words

to say.

My name is Cindy.

Rewind a half a century, and that is where my story begins.

I was the second of four children. My sister, Cheryl, is the

oldest, then me. Bobby came along five years later and Peter, who

could have been a prodigy, came eight years after that.

Neither of my parents graduated from high school. My

mother was sixteen and my dad twenty-three when they got married

in 1963. I was born eleven months after my sister. I always felt like I

was an accident. I was born into struggle.

I’m on the middle of the introvert scale.

I’ve always liked solitude.

My mother excused my behavior as “shy” when I was

younger. I hated to talk because I had a stutter. I attended speech

therapy when I started school to improve my speech impediment.

People told me that I was wise beyond my years. That I was

an old soul.

But I wandered aimlessly. I thought mostly about my

security. Scared and trusting of no one.

I pretended to be brave for my siblings who leaned on me,

but really, I was terrified, too.

My father was alcoholic until I was five. We didn’t realize

what this meant until much later in life.

I always wanted to fit in. I wanted friends, but I didn’t know

how to communicate outside of my own head.

My mother once identify me as a “loner.”

Sometime around kindergarten, my dad was saved and

became a Christian. We started going to church. We learned of God.

We went to Sunday School. We sang “Jesus Loves Me.”

Page 41

The Tree of Happiness

I had loved nature since a young age.

I spent much of my free time on a tree platform with my

brother, Bobby. We were closest.

That tree with Bobby was the first place I can ever remember

experiencing internal joy. The trunk held us up high on the branches

as we constructed our tranquility. The wooden platform was nailed

with hundreds of nails.

I could feel God in this tree. Yes, God as I knew him.

Genuine love!

This tree, without purpose or intent, gave me shade and

shelter from the chaos in my childhood. The bark was fractured,

coarse and grayish brown. The height reached sixty or sixty-five feet.

http://rootwordsalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Tree-Website1.m4a

 

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Series: Self Publishing Book Cover Designs Part 3 of 4

Today is the day we Launch the Book Cover Design contest and invite designers.

Step 5. Launch your contest and invite designers. Make sure you personalize the invitation. You can invite up to 50 a day. Don’t just look in book covers. Look in magazines covers, tattoos, 3D, art illustrations, remember you can invite anyone.

Example of my Personal message: My name is Cindy. I like your book cover designs. Be specific and name the design you like most. I have a contest going and would love for you to participate in the contest. Thank you for joining my contest.

You can copy and paste this message but remember to personalize it to each designer.

Step 6. When they submit a design. Give feedback. Ratings, private messages, help the designer by giving what you like and don’t like about the design. Change colors or move the title or new font. They can submit more designs.

Step 7. If you get some great designs and you love at least three of them. Pick you’re your favorite or ask for more time. Extend the contest if you don’t love at least three designs.

Once you start getting designs coming in rate them 1-3 if you rate too high 4&5 other designers might not think you are focused on a specific design and might not enter your contest.

The first couple days were slow for me. I only had a couple designers and the quality was limited. Remember good designs take time. They don’t want to be copied so they might wait until the last moment to submit.

What I love about 99 design is you don’t have to worry you can ask for more time if you don’t get the design you are looking for. You should receive dozens of designs. I received 32 designs.

Step 8. While the contest is going on I would recommend you start writing your back cover. Give it your best shot. Make sure you get some feedback from friends and family or an editor check out fiverr.com someone can do it for $5dollars. Keep it about 200-300 words. Include the author bio and allow space for your imprint ISBN and picture if you are going to get a professional headshot done.

Step 9. Manage you Design contest.

Round one. Get lots of designs. Narrow down your favorite designers.
Round two. Select the finalist or Ask for an extension.
Round three. Choose a winner and get your design files uploaded.

 

Step 10. Select guarantee your prize. This means you will be picking a winner.

Step 11.  Select Finalists and start final round. Now the designers know you will be picking a winner. Send them a message of your expectations. This is the final phase. The message should read something like please include these changes for your final book cover. Tell them the winner designer is responsible for 6 versions of the design.

Hardcover 2. Paperback 3. Audio. 4. Kindle. 5. Banner for website. 6. 3D jgps images for marketing.

Step 12. Take a poll for your final cover. Tab at the top click polls. Start a poll.

It’s easy for friends and family to vote on options. Share the poll. Facebook & Tweet or forward an email.  The poll is a great marketing tool for building interest in your book.

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The Healing

Page 133 of “The Tree of Happiness” available on amazon.com

To help me stay balanced I invented a little tag line. I needed something easy to remember to help me stay balanced.

Sleep, Nutrition, Activity and People. (SNAP)

We will explore these one at a time.

Let us begin with sleep.

Sleep plays vital role in good health and well being throughout our lives according to the U.S.  Department of Health and Human Services. Getting enough sleep supports healthy brain function. Sleep 8 to 10 hours a day.  Sleep helps your brain work properly.  Sleep also plays an important role in your physical health too.

Regarding nutrition: try to reduce your intake of refined sugars and caffeine.  Eat three healthy meals a day. Doing this also improves your heart health. Don’t skip meals.

As I am writing I am thinking it is past lunch time. I need to follow my own advice and get some nutrition into my body. This is one of the hardest things for me to learn. In the past unhealthy eating was one of the first signs that I was in crisis.  Recognizing this has lead to great benefits.

Remember caffeine can trigger mania and impair sleep. Before making radical changes in your diet consult with your physician.

According to book “The Paleo Cure” we were never meant to eat the sugar, refined flour and industrial seed oils that are a mainstay in the standard American diet. This may contribute to the 12.7 million strokes annually worldwide.  In addition,  diabetes and obesity affect over 100 million Americans and 1 billion people across the world. Be mindful of what you put into your body.

The activity part of snap means get up and exercise!  I have physical limitations and that is no excuse. I do chair yoga in the morning.  People with mental illness are at higher risk for medical illnesses. I notice in the summer if I go outside for a few hours a day and absorb what the sunshine has to offer I feel better. The warmth gives me energy. The exposure to the sun is thought to increase the brain’s release of a hormone called serotonin. This is associated with helping mood boosting and calm and focused feelings.  It is that simple.

Exercise helps to improve energy levels , concentration and sleep, all of which are important for people living with mental illness. Try walking, tai chi,  joining a gym, following an exercise video.

The last part of SNAP is people, meaning social relationships.

Be around people. Go visit the sick, or take a class at the local technology school. Join a book club or go to a workshop.  Make it a point to leave the house at least once a week to connect with others. Social isolation is a recipe for trouble. Make a list of family members and supportive people in your life.  Stay in touch with them regularly. Make social plans. Strengthen your relationship with others by doing fun things.

Here are some other examples:

Start a card night.

Play board games.

Organize movie night.

Arrange a potluck dinner.

Skype or Facetime someone you love or lives far away.

Join a casual sports team.

Accompany other parents who walk and scroll their children.

Go to group therapy or join a support group.

I am now leaving the house almost every day. Slow and steady I have made the transition. You have to turn off the television and your electronics and get busy living.

Building connection is an important key to recovery.

 

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Series: Self Publishing Book Cover Designs Part 2 of 4

What do you want on the front cover?: Basics Title, Subtitle, author name. Font sizes. Spell out everything. You may be working with someone who is not English speaking. Tell the designer what publisher you are using. Create Space. Is this hardback or paperback or both?

 

Get an account with CreateSpace.com fill in your title and get your ISBN and pick  your trim size for your book. There are three different sizes.

Go back to 99 designs and continue your information.

Fill out the other section.  Go and find other similar book cover you like copy, paste and upload them so the designer will know what you are looking for in a book cover. You are not using these as final just as ideas.  Give the designer everything he/she might need to make a unique cover for you. There are many book covers you can copy and paste. I suggest you look at other options. I found some of my designs in tattoos pictures. Think of your keywords and google images.

Here are some of my examples. add to my 99designs book cover designs

CONTENT DETAILS.

My example:

I love color so don’t be afraid to use some.

The title at the top the largest text being the title The Tree of Happiness and the

Subtitle Seven Practical Steps for educating, empowering and encouraging others with mental illness beneath in smaller font. The authors name at the bottom Cynthia Stevison.

The book cover will come in two versions paperback 6 x 9 inches Create Space and with hardcover 6 x 9 hardcover dust cover see Ingramsparks publishing specs website. Be creative!!

The back cover will have text. I will supply the information when I decide on the final cover.

The cover could bleed over the design from the front cover. You could create a continuous image.

You should have skills to surprise me. I added some pictures that I like please use them to start your creative process. Spine: The Tree of Happiness Cynthia Stevison

 

OTHER: My example: Keywords highlighted

The Tree of Happiness is about internal growth.

Mandala with the middle infinity sign

Healing was like being plucked out of a prison and dipped in liquid grace. None of the pictures below are suppose to be used in the design they are for ideas only.

If you use stock photos they should be free or inexpensive.

Idea #1 is for vase with my home inside and struggles out growing is a tree with leaves of mandalas within the center swirls made incorporate the trunk textures in the background.

Idea #2

Images of tattoos of tree of woman inside with tree roots tangled in her body showing to different worlds.

Idea #3 woman sitting in lotus position with tree surround by circle (sun) and add leaves and infinity design around. Birds sign of freedom.

The back cover will have text.

I can supply the text when the final decision is made.

Also the back cover and spine could bleed over the design from the front cover for the continuous infinity theme I am looking for.

 

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Guest Blogger Shelley Malicote Stutchman

UNGUARDED

By

Shelley Malicote Stutchman

 

What does it mean to live unguarded?

It means living free from the worry of what others may think. Once you learn how to write unguarded, live unguarded, and love unguarded, you will take back your life.

I am the author of a journal called, “Unguarded.” This journal has three-hundred-and-sixty-six questions that will challenge you and take you on a path to understanding who you are at the soul level.  An example of one of the queries in the book is simply, “What makes you feel great?”

Another sample is to describe your favorite piece of candy as a child. When I answered that question, I realized I missed being able to eat a piece of candy and just enjoy it. As a grown woman who has to battle weight issues, I scrutinize the candy bar.  I check how many calories it has, and if I eat it, I feel guilty.  While writing my mind became consciously aware of the fact I no longer enjoy candy in the unguarded way, I did when I was a little girl. From this simple journal question, I vowed next time I long for a chocolate candy bar; I will eat it and enjoy it like a succulent wild woman.

Journaling is proven to improve mental and physical health. It can lead to increased self-esteem. However, there is a technique to journaling to get the most value from it. The power of journaling comes from reflecting. After each entry, re-read what you wrote. If you just close the book and move on, that “aha” moment will fade away. When you ponder on your writing, it can reveal deep and profound levels of insight.

Keep in mind; the more balanced your journal, the better. When you only concentrate on the negative, it doesn’t represent the whole picture.  In addition, write about the sweet, everyday things. Have moments of beauty weaved in with the heavy thoughts you are articulating.

It is my hope you pick up a journal and start writing. Use your journal for a self-healing guide.  May your eyes sparkle with the joy of writing, living, and loving unguarded.

Unguarded Journal on Amazon

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Local Radio Interview.

I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Chris Morales of Chisholm Trail Broadcasting on March 28th, 2016 in Enid, OK. Chris is young man I believe in his twenties. He is a new transplant to Oklahoma from New Jersey. He has a great smile and superb radio voice. He showed me great hospitality.  His gracious tone made me feel at ease behind the big radio microphone. This experience talking about “The Tree of Happiness” was surreal.

Chisholm Trail Broadcasting.

107.1 fm KNID  1390am KCRC    95.7fm KXLS

It will be played on the program “Lunch Break” in three different sessions three minutes long. Here is the entire radio interview for my friends that subscribe to this blog site. It was my honor to educate and advocate for mental health issues in our state and in our country.

I hope this interview inspires others to find their purpose and expand their potential.

There are four phases to the book.

The Struggle
The Recovery Plan
The Healing
The Impact

Why mental illness called the invisible disease?

People don’t often look sick. Some individuals hide behind closed doors and use alcohol and drugs to medicate the disorder. Many individuals rather than seek help with their mental disorder, many hide, hoping that it will go away. They are unwilling to admit to their illness because they are frightened of society’s reaction. Those who most need support from others, aren’t able to find the support they need because of society’s view on their illness.

How did you recover?

I want everyone to know things did not change overnight. It was a slow and steady pace. I have known my share of hardships and loss but here I stand continuously moving forward. I remember the days that made me strong. I asked for help and I never gave up on myself.  I have a wellness plan that I stick too. NEVER GIVE UP.

 

KNID CHISHOLM TRAIL BROADCASTING “LUNCH BREAK” WITH CYNTHIA STEVISON.

http://rootwordsalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Lunch-Break-Cynthia-Stevison.mp3

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Series: Self publishing book cover design Part 1 of 4

Today,  I wanted to share with other self publishing authors how to design your book cover.  I uncovered a secret way to get the most unique cover for your money. It’s been proven over and over again the job of the book cover is to sell the book. A smart cover hooks the reader’s interest.

But how do you start?

10 Basic steps.

Develop keywords.
Decide your target audience.
Start an account with create space.
Get ISBN
What are the demographics of your book?
Develop ideas for covers before you seek a designer
 What is most valuable to the reader?
What is your message?
Choose images
Choose color palette

 

After you do these ten basic steps. I chose the most professional source of designers at 99 designs. I encourage you to shop around to find different sources. After searching for days this was the best choice for me. There is a video tutorial on youtube you can watch on 99 designs. It is not the cheapest way however it’s the way to get the most designers and best product. It’s called Crowdsourcing Contest and starts at 299.00. My experience was more than exceptional.

I got these items: hardback cover, paperback cover, audio book cover, kindle cover, pdf design without text, banner for my website, jpg files for marketing on facebook and twitter, 3d designs pictures of the book. 99designs

Start with giving an in depth description of your book. This will helps the designers to come up with ideas on the colors and your book as a product. Use the keywords from the above list and your target audience to design your unique cover. Write at least three paragraphs about your book.

Tell the designers what you want. Spell out everything. Find similar book covers you like and develop a style.

Keep a folder on your desktop and copy and save book covers you like into that file. This will come in handy when describe your style. Think outside the box. I gathered tattoos of my keywords. Try shutterstock, istockphotos, gettyimages, google keywords for images, etc.

Crowdsourcing is a contest and you pick the best design. I had 32 designs entries. My experience produced this cover below. The talent was superb. 99designs did all the work! I was very pleased with the outcome of my book cover design and my designer was professional, dependable, and creative. My freelancer was from Romania.

Remember to start with 10 basic steps.

The post Series: Self publishing book cover design Part 1 of 4 appeared first on Root Words Alliance.