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Susan Brady Carr

@susancarr720

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✍️ Author & Editor
📚 Reader & Library Supporter
🤍 Wrote an honest, empathetic guide for late-stage dementia caregiving
⬇️ Get your copy below

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Just read this in an email from John Grisham.

(Why, yes, we are indeed in each other's contacts.)

𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘳, 𝘈 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘛𝘰 𝘒𝘪𝘭𝘭, 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴, 𝘢 𝘵𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘶𝘯𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵-𝘶𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘶𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴. 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭, 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦.

The part that caught my eye the most?

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘶𝘯𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵-𝘶𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦.

This is currently me. My first book, 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘋𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢 𝘕𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘯𝘥, will be published in 12 days, with me as the small, unknown author and Java & Ink as the small, unknown publisher. I, too, don't have much money for promotion or anything else.

But I think my book still has a chance.

Here's what I know about my reader: They're not discovering this book because it showed up on a recommended list.

They're finding it because they typed something into a search bar at midnight. Or a social worker handed them a Post-it note. Or a friend who had been through the same season said, "Here, you need to read this."

One reader who found me after a post I wrote about the book described what she found inside it, and graciously allowed me to share her words. Thank you, Sarah Zimmerman.

The right people will read this book, and not because of any of my attempts at marketing. They'll read it because they need it. Which is why I wrote it in the first place. by @susancarr720

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6 months ago

Seeing a review like this reminds me why I thought this book needed to be written and why I should write it.

A reader named Lynn shared that she's an only child who just had to make the incredibly heavy decision to bring hospice in for her mother after a 10-year battle with dementia. She ended her review by saying, "I only hope and pray that I made the right decision at this time."

If you've ever been the primary decision-maker for a parent's medical care, you know that exact feeling. The constant second-guessing is exhausting, and it can feel isolating, which, being an only child, you already feel.

Lynn, I wish I could respond to you personally. To let you know that choosing dignity, comfort, and peace for your mom will always be the right choice. You're doing the best you can while lovingly walking your mom home. May you feel peace through the next part of this journey and hope for what is on the other side of it for yourself.

If you or someone you know is trying to figure out what to do as a family member reaches the final stages of dementia, I hope that 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘋𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢 𝘕𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘯𝘥 can offer some guidance.

It's available on Amazon in eBook and paperback, link in bio. by @susancarr720

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4 months ago

For the past few years, as the owner of Java and Ink, my focus has been on marketing copywriting for wealth advisory firms, construction, financial services, interior design, homeschool education, and occasionally editing a 30k-word manuscript.

My latest project is a departure from that focus.

I spent close to three years caring for my mother through her journey with dementia and then almost two weeks, "walking her home." Her time within the active-dying phase lasted longer than I've ever experienced sitting at the bedside of four other family members at the end of their journey.

And during those two weeks, I found a gap in the information available to families and caregivers, including little to explain the physical reasons a body might hold on long after the mind has faded. Many end-of-life resources just do not explain the physical reality of what can happen when someone who has dementia is actively dying.

So, I used my background as a writer to provide an honest, empathetic, and sometimes pretty blunt guide for those walking along the same path.

𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘋𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢 𝘕𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘯𝘥: 𝘈 𝘎𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 is now available for pre-order.

Amazon Kindle link in bio.

#dementia #dementiacaregiver #caregiver #javaandink by @susancarr720

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6 months ago

I don't know what's worse -- the martyrdom or the fridge being worried about his cheese.

This was one of the BEST books I've read this year. I can not believe how much I weeped during the second half.

The human plot was outstanding and even suspenseful. The appliance plot and performances were Oscar worthy. I can't even talk about the storyline without giving too much away.

If you want a short book that will make you think about the present, the future, the relationships we share, the conflict among all of that, and the feelings of a Roomba, then this book is for you.

Truly amazing. by @susancarr720

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a day ago

I learned something new today...

The number 9 has digital root persistence. This means that when you multiply 9 by any number, the resulting digits in that new number always add up to 9. So, 9x5=45, and then 4+5=9. It's what's considered in mathematics to be a self-returning property, and in spirituality, links the number itself to the concept of wholeness.

That pretty much sums up the 9 years I've spent loving John Carr.

On October 13, 2017, we saw each other for the first time in over 25 years, and we've been together ever since. It's not always been a bed full of daisies (since those, not roses, are the flowers he brought me that day) because relationships don't work that way, same as life.

We've been through anguish and joy, grief and celebration, loss and new life, hurt and healing.

And through it all, steadfast love, deep compassion, and unquestionable devotion have been the hallmark characters of our relationship. "I choose you." It's the motto.

There is no one I would rather celebrate a second first date with every year on this day. Because the second chance we were blessed with has become a wholeness in life that is unimaginable even in the storybooks of love. by @susancarr720

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5 days ago

by @susancarr720

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5 days ago

I'm a child of the 80s. Which means I remember watching "Who Shot J.R.?" and wondering whodunit. (Probably shouldn't have been watching the primetime soap opera"Dallas" at 5 years old, but so it goes.

So, I've been a fan of cliffhangers ever since, especially in book series. But, this one disappoints, unless ALL the lingering questions will be answered in a third book of the series.

I was so hoping to find out what "he" did and how "she" was involved, but nope, still left with no way to move ahead, only to have all the new questions swimming around in my mind.

But, like the first book from Stone's Throw, I really enjoyed the plot, the description of the settings, and the spookiness of the town's fall festival. The introduction of the new characters went very well, with each of them contributing to the mystery.

I'm hoping for another book to be released soon, so I'll know what in the world has really been going on! by @susancarr720

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6 days ago

Fellow indie authors!!

Do you know about Amazon Attribution? If you sell your book on Amazon, it might be worth looking into.

I sold a paperback copy of my book yesterday. And I have no idea where the buyer came from.

I've been running an ad on Amazon, boosting a post on Instagram, and posting on LinkedIn, with each of those directing to the same book page URL on Amazon. But Amazon's reports can't tell me which one gets credit for the sale, and Instagram can't see Amazon sales at all.

Then I read about Amazon Attribution. It's free, and it's housed within the Amazon Ads console under Measurement & Reporting.

I created one tagged link per channel that I'm posting on about my book. Instagram has one, LI has its own, my website does too; you get the picture. So when someone clicks and buys, the sale is then reported under the channel that sent them to the book purchase page.

I just set mine up today, so no results if I actually did it correctly. If you're an indie author whose book is on Amazon and you're spending time or money on promoting your book, it's worth a look at the Ads console to see if you can do this for accurate reporting and targeting.

I put the steps below in the comments. by @susancarr720

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6 days ago

Thanks @zeitgeistpublishing for the gifted e-book! We're really enjoying our "friendly" competition. So far, I'm losing to my husband in the history round, of all categories, my favorite 🧐🧐

@drew_basile has created a really fun book where you have three facts, two are truth, one is a lie, and players have to guess the lie. There are 12 rounds with categories like arts, technology, sports, and law and order. And the facts really make you think!!!

This would be a great game for a party, a road trip, or even as a solo player looking for some extra knowledge. Highly recommend! by @susancarr720

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8 days ago

It took me less than 30 seconds to search my local library's catalog for the next book in the Stone's Throw Mystery series. And I was so excited that @ocls had it readily available for download on Hoopla!

Any story that's set in a state or national park has my attention. Add in a murder mystery, and I'm hooked!

The main character, Maudy, is someone I'd want to have a regular coffee meet-up with, and her pal Eli's spaghetti recipe should be added to the acknowledgements! All of the characters are really well-written and developed, especially Martin Short. That guy is the BEST.

The story is really well-developed and the descriptions of the park, the town of Stone's Throw, and The Den especially make me wish this was a real place on the map.

TBH, at the end, I was not a "happy camper" because I wanted something different to happen. But when I finished reading the "last" chapter, literal jaw-dropping moment. And I'm sure I'll be staying up late tonight to read as much as I can of "Tunnel Vision"!

A full ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ for this one!! by @susancarr720

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9 days ago

Thanks for the gifted ebook @zeitgeistpublishing

We've already tried some of the recipes created by @the.healthyepicurean and they are FANTASTIC
– Spinach Dill Omelet Cups (these were seriously perfect-omelet texture!!)
– Blueberry Flaxseed Pancakes (yep, pancakes in the air fryer)
– Mini Turkey Meat Loaves (moist and so tasty!!)

Not only are the recipes great, but Julie also provides education about why a diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods is so vital for health and longevity. She shares the differences between the types of air fryers, how to properly use one (needed that!), and she even throws in some tips about keeping cooking more cost-effective!

A lot out there right now tells people to "do this, do that" without regard for how complicated they make recipes, instructions, and lifestyle change so hard to follow.

Julie's cookbook cuts out the complication of healthy cooking and offers recipes even a pre-teen could make.

This will be one of the cookbooks to sit on my kitchen counter as soon as it releases at the end of October! Thank you for writing it, Julie! by @susancarr720

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10 days ago

Thanks @ocls for having this book I've heard so much about available on Libby! I can't wait to read it aloud to my Roomba named Sherman! by @susancarr720

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10 days ago