Volume VIII


Editor - Sherry Gibson

Poetry, articles, and other writing items
www.authorsden.com

Only a Game - Published by Publish America
Find out the latest about my upcoming novel
www.sherrygibson.com

Lwlupus
Support Group for Lupus and other autoimmune disorder-
Group Founder-Sherry Gibson
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LWLupus/


Assistant Editor - Sharon Sanders
Lwlupus Co-founder
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LUPUS AND AUTOIMMUNE AWARENESS


This week's newsletter is going to be a little different. I have started a new project for myself and will tell you all about it and ask for your help. Many of you have received private emails from me about this and I apologize for duplicating that here. If I have already talked to you about this, skip on down to the next subject. I don't want to bore anyone here!

At my website at Authors Den I have posted an article titled, Living With Lupus, my story. In this article I explain the basics about a disease called Lupus. This is not a medical article, it's a very simple description of the disease and then I tell a brief story of my life, living with Lupus. This article is very personal to me, about me.

I wrote this article with the intention of explaining what Lupus is, since in my bio at Authors Den, I talk about Lupus. When I was invited to do my first radio talk show at Authors Den, it was because I'd written two poems about Lupus and those two poems put me to the top of their poetry authors list. This came as a big surprise to me. The radio interview with host, Roger Vizi, talks about Lupus and my life with Lupus. Since that interview I've had several people email me and ask for more details about Lupus. I used this article to answer those questions.

When I posted my article, it received a lot of attention. As an author this was a good thing for me personally. As a person with Lupus, it was a great thing to see so much interest in my article! I knew this was the kind of attention it was going to take to launch an even bigger project. I am now involved in a big project to help advance Lupus Awareness. If I have to live with Lupus, then I am going to make Lupus work for me.

I cannot do a lot to promote Lupus Awareness by myself. So today, I ask each of you that read this letter to go to www.authorsden.com/sherrygibson and read and review Living with Lupus - my story. By doing this you are walking with me in promoting Lupus Awareness. One voice may not be heard, but a mighty force of voices will speak loudly to those that need to listen. As we work together to promote Lupus Awareness, we are working together to see that more funding is available for the much needed research into Lupus and other autoimmune diseases. All you have to do to help me with this project is go to my website and review this one article. I plan to write a book, from a human interest angle about people living with Lupus and other autoimmune disorders. I need visual proof that this subject is of interest to readers! Numbers count here, so please help me if you can. You do not need to sign up to Authors Den to review my article, though you are welcome to do so and might find it to your advantage if you enjoy their site. If you read the article and find it interesting to you, please share it with others who may be interested in finding out more about Lupus or with others with autoimmune disorders that are interested in helping me promote Lupus Awareness. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to bring this subject to you today.

Sherry Gibson
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Special Announcements:

I am pleased to share some news with you. My poem, Repressed Memories, will be appearing in Teen Jellybean! I do not know the date yet, but did receive a request from asking for permission to use this poem. I'll keep you posted on when that issue comes out.

Stories.com sent me an email to let me know that my novel, Only a Game, will be featured in next weeks Horror/Suspense Newsletter. I am very honored that they chose my work to be featured.

Sherry Gibson
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In each Newsletter I like to feature the work of a new writer. To submit an item, article, poetry or whatever, just email it to me at Sherry@sherrygibson.com and it will be considered for publication here. If you send in something be sure to include a little bio with it to tell us a bit about yourself. I am specifically looking for things from those of you that are living with autoimmune disorders or other chronic health problems. Submissions from all readers are taken into consideration here, so don't hesitate to send your submission. If you submit something to be in an email please put "Submission" in the subject line of the email so that I can quickly file it before it gets lost.

This week I have an item submitted by Vicki that I would like to share with you. Her article is listed below:

I have been sick all of my life I just turned 45, I was dx with SLE in 1997, Fm in 2000, Parkinsons in 2002. But in between those dx I was dx with Crones, CFS and a few others that I had almost died in the hospital when I was very young. I believe our Mother had this disease but was never dx properly she died in 1988 age 54. My Father died in 1991 from cancer age 57. All types of cancer runs in my family. I get tested all the time with blood work, so far so good. I did have to have a total hysterectomy. a couple of years ago I had six pg never had one go past the four month of caring it inside of me; the Dr's could not give me any answers nor did they want to find out what was wrong. When I ask for special test they did not do them. I changed insurance and knew a Dr. for several years and ask him to do three different tests for me and he did. He did not think anything would come back and when it did he cried tell me what I had as did the nurse. I'm also a poet, my poetry in on ilovepoetry.com right now I have seventeen on the site. I'm also using my poems to teach others about SLE, FM, and now Parkinsons. I don't know how long I have actually have had SLE but I believe it has been my whole life also the Fm plus all of the other things that the Dr's have said I have had over the years. I know I'm very lucky to still be alive and I try to live each day as best as I can.
I hope you great holiday's.
Sincerely,
Vicki
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Any questions or comments that you would like to pass on to Vicki concerning her article can be emailed to me and I will forward those on to her. This is an interactive newsletter and all comments or discussion are appreciated.
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Next I would like to feature a poem written by Rik Woods. This is a poem dear to my heart and I wanted to post it a few weeks ago, but lost it. So today, I will try again!

Ode to an Ozark Thunderstorm

I married an Ozark thunderstorm

I met her in a rainstorm on a clear and blue sky day
We walked along like a gentle breeze
Her hair like and Ozark sunset, like a fireball
Setting in the sky
Skin the color of a dogwood bloom
I fell in love with an Ozark thunderstorm
Eyes like the leaves of an oak in spring
A kiss like a wild rose
And a heart as full as the Sac-Osage

I fell in love with an Ozark thunderstorm
As pure as the snow falling out on King’s Prairie in December
As gentle as the rain across the silver maples
I married an Ozark thunderstorm
Everything as sweet as sunshine
But when the mood changes and we make
Love, it’s like a like a hurricane in Missouri

I married an Ozark thunderstorm
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Any comments or discussion about the poem by Rik Woods can be emailed to him personally at clistie@novia.net I know he would enjoy hearing from you.
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If you are a writer and are looking for a publishing company that is willing to take a chance on a new, unknown author, check out www.publishamerica You can go to this site and read through the authors message boards to get an idea of what the authors really think concerning Publish America.
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Assistant Editor, Sharon Sanders has again found some other very interesting sites to share with us. I must say that with my busy schedule the past few weeks I'd be lost without this wonderful woman helping me every step of the way. Sharon I send a very big "Thank you" out to you today.

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http://www.facesoflupus.com/
Wonderful collection of photos of everyday people
living with lupus.

http://www.immunesupport.com/
Worlds largest Fibro & CFS site

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http://www.fanstory.com/
Great collection for both authors & readers. Get
feedback, learn and even sell your work.


http://www.writing-world.com/

Writing articles and resources

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EACH OF YOU