The World of Ballroom Dancing

Every season as Dancing with the Stars premieres on television I am transported back to my origins.  My birth parents were Professional Ballroom Dance Instructors at the same studio back in the 1960's, hence why I came to be, and they often partnered for special event competitions. Their attire wasn't as colorful or flashy as the majority of the contestants wear today, however, the simplicity of long and flowing ballroom gowns the women wore back then does hold a certain allure even to this day. For that reason, I especially enjoy watching the stars dance the Waltz and the Quick Step on the show.
After I found my birth mother, she taught me and my husband how to dance as well. And believe me it is not as easy as it looks on Dancing with the Stars!  There are a lot of steps to memorize and practice over and over... What really impressed me about Professional Dance Instructors then and now is the fact that they have to know both male and female steps and be able to switch roles in order to demonstrate and practice with the couple they are teaching. I was having enough trouble with my role!  Like I quoted in my memoir, "I think I missed my calling to be a dancer" because I don't think I'd get very far if I was on Dancing with the Stars.
For my wedding we did dance a Waltz (bit of a spoiler here but you'll have to read my memoir to get all the rest of the wedding details!). In the meantime, another season of Dancing with the Stars is upon us again and I look forward to reliving the glamorous dancing atmosphere which dominated the circumstances of my beginnings.

AdoptLit Book Tour: The Sound of Hope, an Adoptee’s Quest for her Origins

My memoir is being featured in a Virtual Book Tour by Lori Lavender Luz, an adoptive mother and advocate for open adoptions.  She has a great blog, and an upcoming book of her own coming out soon, The Open-Hearted Way to Open Adoption.  Go to her page at her Open Adoption Bloggers  site to sign up to participate in the Book Tour for The Sound of Hope. 

Here is a link to Discussion Questions for my memoir

ReadingGroupGuides is a website that serves as an online community for reading groups.  The books listed has discussion questions, reviews and a synopsis of the story.  There is also a section with Interview Questions and my answers.
Here is the link for the ReadingGroupGuide webpage for The Sound of Hope.

Twin sisters reunited after 70 years apart!!!

I am always a sucker for this kind of story!  As I grew up as an adopted child, I used to wish that I had a twin sister somewhere out there in the world.  It was only after I was reunited with my birth-mother in 1989 when that childhood fantasy was put to rest;  I had no twin, only me!
This is such a nice story and what a happy ending, even if they did have to wait 70 years for it to happen!  Here is the link to read how they were reunited after so long apart.

Open Adoptions today are not always what you think

I just came across this short video clip on Huffington Post about a birth mother who recently entered what she thought was an open adoption which, in spite of her wishes will become a closed adoption next month.  As an adoptee who was denied any information about her own original family this leaves me heartbroken!
Yes, this is the year 2013 and this is still happening!!!
Unfortunately, the current public perception of adoptions are that they are all open and the birth mother receives updates and photos about her child on a regular basis and maybe even a yearly visit. I know many birthmothers who go into an adoption agreement thinking they are going to be "open", only to find out soon after the adoption is finalized that they are at the mercy of the adoptive parents.  The adoptive parents can then choose whether or not to continue with the openness of the adoption.  I know this is true in the state where I live, New Jersey.
I also know that there are many open adoptions that are working out very well and all within the adoption triad are benefiting. However, there are far too many that are not.
I think my memoir should be required reading for every adoptive parent because I clearly depict the harmful consequences caused when you keep your adoptive child in the dark regarding their origins.
Very sad to see that adoption reform has not completely come full circle :(

ForeWord Review of The Sound of Hope

Here is an early review not listed in the links at the bottom of this blog.  It was written by ForeWord Reviews.  They concentrate on books that are independently published.  Click here to read.
Happy New Year!

Thank you for the wonderful Review!

I just wanted to thank my fellow Kindle/Nook readers for waiting patiently for my memoir to be available in this format.  Here is a link to a recent review from a Kindle reader whose comments about my memoir are the very reasons I wrote it in the first place! Thank you all and I am so glad I was able to touch a familiar cord within the adoptee community.

Kindle Review