Your book in the hands of an Influencer…

I wanted to share with you how one or our authors ended up having her book shared to a mailing list of more than 60K people, then to a Facebook page with a following of more than 230K, and then to an Instagram account with a following of more than 61K people.

Continue reading Your book in the hands of an Influencer…

Listen To Julie Cross As She Shares Her Story At The Launch

Julie Cross is used to being in the limelight, talking candidly about her life, encouraging others to let go of their fears and shine brightly, and we have all come to love her for that.

It was wonderful to listen to her read her own story from Parenting A Child On The Spectrum for the audience at the book launch and so many people who were present related to her experiences.

Happily we were able to capture that moment in time so that others could benefit from it too.

If you would like a copy of Parenting A Child On The Spectrum click on the book below:

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Has it been a week already?

Last Saturday MJL Publications hosted the formal launch of Parenting A Child On The Spectrum and what a magnificent event it was, with people coming from far and wide to connect with the authors and their stories.

IMG_8390 (Medium)I opened the event to a full house at Redcliffe Library and told the story of how the book came to be.  Thank God I booked both meeting rooms because there were even a couple of people standing outside.

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Julie Cross sharing her story

Julie Cross, who wrote the foreword for the book, then followed with her own extraordinary story of parenting a child on the Autism spectrum which managed to hold everyone completely captivated, and took them through a range of emotions from pure joy and laughter, to sadness, recognition, bewilderment and then back to joy.  It was quite a journey and gave the audience a taste of what to expect from the book.

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Cindy Corrie from The Sycamore School – Autism Friendly Learning

The recipient of the fundraising efforts on the day was The Sycamore School – Autism Friendly Learning founded by contributing author Cindy Corrie so Cindy gladly gave a presentation outlining details of the first full-time primary school for children on the Autism spectrum in Queensland.  Everyone was so moved by her endeavours.  What a remarkable achievement.

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Randa Habelrih talking about School MATES

Contributing author Randa Habelrih, who also wrote the book Dealing With Autism, has created a volunteer, peer-based buddy system called School MATES  which is currently being piloted in 4 high schools in New South Wales.  Randa’s passion for taking AWARENESS to a whole new level that facilitates INCLUSION was evident in her presentation and everyone present got excited as Randa explained the opportunities that will come as a result of the program.

Every one of the contributing authors have done, and are doing, remarkable things for their families and within their broader communities and we all recognise that we are in very good company.

Each one of the authors was acknowledged and applauded before those that were present came to the front of the room where we captured this precious moment in time with more than half of the contributing authors in the same place at the same time.  Given that contributors are from 4 states this was indeed a rare moment.

From left: Trish Springsteen, Alison Carney, Randa Habelrih, Julie Cross, Annemarie Helder, Deborah Fay, Leah Adam, Paula Burgess, Kayleen Renton, Cindy Corrie, Tina Hooton, Paul Rendl, Rachael Rendle.

Finally, lucky door prizes were drawn and many happy people were pleased to be the recipients of some awesome prizes, but none more than Jazzy who drew a $50 Hoyts voucher courtesy of Paula Burgess and Beyond The Maze

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Jazzy won the lucky door prize.

The connection within the room was tangible as new friendships were made, experiences were validated, and books were bought and signed.  The experience was perfectly summed up by one of our guests who said this:

“I attended this event today and it was amazing to be there! I could relate to everything as a parent of two boys on the spectrum, I laughed, I cried and I laughed some more. Thank you for sharing your stories and journeys with us, I look forward to reading the book and all of your journeys. I felt so much love and support today. Thank you Deborah Fay, Julie Cross, Paula Burgess and all the other authors.”

This is exactly the experience we wanted to create, not just at the book launch but through the book Parenting A Child On The Spectrum.

And…just when you think it can’t get any better, many of us met straight after at South Bank to witness the bridge Light It Up Blue once more for Autism, for The Sycamore School, for Parenting A Child On The Spectrum, and for hope for families.

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The Victoria Bridge from the top level of Rydges Hotels South Bank

A very special and privileged guided tour of the top level of Rydges Hotel in South Bank gave us a very different perspective on the day we’d had, the month that had been, the book that has now officially been released, and the bridge that was blue for all of us who have raised, or are raising a child on the Autism spectrum.

Special thanks goes to my beautiful friends Kim Guthrie and Theresa Smith for their hard work on the day.

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Matthew, Deborah and Stuart Fay

Thanks also to my handsome husband Stuart Fay and my amazingly talented son Matthew.

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Deborah Fay with Media Expert and Coach Deborah Morandin

And last but not least, special thanks to Media Coach Deborah Morandin who has been right behind me every step of the way for the last 6 weeks, ensuring that the book gets the attention it deserves, and that the message we are trying to convey gets out to those who need to hear it.  Anyone who is looking for media for business, a not-for-profit organisation or for a special project would do well to attend Deborah’s upcoming workshop.  Details at Butterfly Media.

Check out the gallery below for more wonderful photos from the day.  Thank you to everyone for allowing us to take your photos and share them.

If you would like a copy of Parenting A Child On Spectrum click on the book cover and follow the link to the book shop:

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Messenger Spreads Our Message Of Hope For Parents Of Children On The Spectrum

It was so exciting to see The Messenger run an article about Parenting A Child On The Spectrum and about the lighting up of the Victoria Bridge this week.

I am so happy with the support we have received from those in the media who want to help raise awareness of the cause and make a difference.

Click on the magasine below and follow the link to read the pdf version of the article.

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The Messenger May 5 2016

Messenger May 5 Article

If you would like your own copy of Parenting A Child On The Spectrum click on the book cover below:

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Secret Agent Society Huge Success For Children On The Spectrum

When we launched Parenting A Child On The Spectrum on the 2nd April and gathered to watch the Victoria Bridge Light Up Blue for Autism we were very fortunate to be joined by the delightful Dr Renae Beaumont.

Dr Beaumont has become very well-known for her program called Secret Agent Society and I am so excited to share it with you here today.  It looks so exciting and inviting and I wish I was a kid again so that I could join myself.

Check out this video showing how the program works:

On April 30th I will share with you my interview with Dr Beaumont for A League Of Their Own which I know you will love and if you have a child on the spectrum you will gain some valuable insight from.

In the meantime, if you would like your own copy of Parenting A Child On The Spectrum, go here:

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MJL Publications Author Letisha McCaughey Joins AI Team as Columnist

We are so excited for author Letisha McCaughey who is continuing her author journey as a columnist at Autism Intelligence.  You can follow her at this link.

Letisha McCaughey joins the AI team

You can purchase your own copy of Parenting A Child On the Spectrum here:

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Deborah Fay and Trish Springsteen talk with Alan Simms on local radio 99.7fm

Here are some pics from Deb and Trish’s adventures in radio. They started out at 101.5fm in the morning and ended the day at 99.7fm.

We’re all talking about the book and about Autism Awareness and about the formal book launch on the 30th – details of which are HERE

What an adventure we are all having with the launch of Parenting A Child On The Spectrum.

We will post a podcast of the interview as soon as it is available to us.

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If you would like a copy for yourself or for a loved one click on the book below:

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MJL Author Miranda Rawsthorne makes the news in Mackay

Miranda Rawsthorne who contributed to the book Parenting A Child On The Spectrum has made the news in Mackay for her work supporting the local branch of Autism Queensland.

Miranda wrote a beautiful story about her family and about the difference early intervention made to them.

Well done Miranda.

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If you would like a copy of the book Parenting a Child on the Spectrum click here:

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MJL Author Cindy Corrie Makes The News

MJL Author Cindy Corrie is doing amazing things in Redlands where she has been working hard to open The Sycamore School – Autism Friendly Learning.

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Cindy Corrie

Cindy was looking at schooling for her own son when she found herself in the office of Independent Schools and they suggested she start her own school, thinking they would never hear from her again.

Little did they know they were talking to a dynamo with the education and determination to be able to do exactly what they suggested.

“Our current status with opening the school is that we are currently in negotiations with DET around the lease, enabling ASD Learning to continue the accreditation and planning processes necessary for the school to open in 2017,’’ she said. “We are absolutely grateful for the support of Minister D’Ath who has been a wonderful supporter of this service in the Redlands.”

You can read more at the Redland City Bulletin

If you would like a copy of the book click here:

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Click here to order a copy of Parenting A Child On The Spectrum