AUTISM AWARENESS/ EXCERPT/ SCORE A COPY: Better Than Bulletproof by Kay Thomas

Annual Autism Awareness Giveaway Hop

April 11th to 17th

Hosted by:

Lindsay @ Just Another Book Addict:

http://justanotherbookaddict.blogspot.com/

Heather @ Fire and Ice Photo:

http://fireandicephoto.blogspot.com/

Pixie @ Page Turners:

http://www.pageturnersblog.com/

Kathy @ I Am A Reader, Not A Writer:

http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com/

For a full list of participants see HERE

April is Autism Awareness Month. To help spread the word about Autism we are hosting a giveaway hop. We have a giveaway for you but before that Delilah would like a minute of your time.

April is Autism Awareness Month. This cause is near and dear to my heart because my oldest son has Autism. Recent statistics show that 1 in 88 children now have Autism, 1 in 54 boys and 1 in 252 girls. When my son was diagnosed over 10 years ago that statistic was about 1 in 150 children.

My husband and I didn't know that our son had Autism early on since we didn't know the signs to look for and it took a while for us to get that diagnosis. He wasn't very verbal as a toddler and had bouts of anger that would have him banging his head on the floor leaving him with huge bumps and bruises. I honestly prayed every day to find some way to help him. And my prayers were answered when we were put in touch with a unit of the local Children's Hospital and then with a local early intervention agency for children. Not only did the hospital help diagnose him properly but the early intervention agency helped him with therapy throughout his early years and got him placed in a special needs preschool. And from there we started our lifetime journey of searching out every resource available for our son to make sure we give him every opportunity to succeed emotionally, socially and educationally.

We have made tremendous strides over the years going all the way from him throwing himself on the sidewalk and banging his head in kindergarten to being able to take elective classes in high school like the new photography class he loves so much. And this would not be possible without the teamwork and devotion over the many years among all of the teachers, school administrators, doctors, therapists, our families, my husband, myself and his younger brother, all working towards the common goal of making sure that our son is a happy, healthy, confident individual.

But that doesn't mean we still don't have our problems. My son looks like every other boy in high school. He has the same short hair cut, wears the same trendy clothes and shoes, carries the same cool phone and backpack, and plays the same video games. But he is not like every boy, he is special. He has certain emotional and educational needs that makes him stand out from the others at times. So instead of being included he is still the boy that sits by himself at lunch and the boy that doesn't really have a friend to go do things with during school events or on the weekends. And frankly, as a parent, it makes my heart ache.

I am a mother, a doctor, a therapist, a teacher, a friend and everything in between to my son. I have held him when he has cried because he hates feeling different than other kids and rejoiced with him when he has had a great day. I have been to every IEP, update and transition meeting and have enough copies of the procedural safeguards to wallpaper every damn house in my neighborhood. I have been to every doctor and therapist visit and should be a pharmacist with all the medication I have had to monitor over the years. And you know what? As difficult as these things can be sometimes I do them with a smile on my face because there isn't anything I wouldn't do to make sure my son gets the help he needs. And that all goes for his amazing father as well who every year helps with a huge fundraiser for awareness of this cause.

Taking care of a special needs child can be emotionally taxing on everyone in the family, especially if you have other siblings that are not special needs children like we do. Taking time out to make sure that you and your spouse take care of yourselves will go a long way in helping to deal with the stress that goes along with the daily struggles. It took us a long time to figure that one out and we still struggle with trying to juggle all the balls sometimes. But I have found that one of the greatest resources for information is the organization Autism Speaks http://www.autismspeaks.org/. ; There is an abundant wealth of information on there for anybody who is looking for help or just wants to learn more about Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorder in general.

I hope that my son, as he now grows to be a young man, will someday feel like he belongs instead of feeling different. I hope that he will find that one friend he can go to the movies with and call when he wants to talk about the latest video game he bought. I hope that he will someday have a girlfriend and get to experience that first crush and that first kiss that we all keep stored away in our lock box of memories. I hope that he will be able to go on to some form of higher education so that he can get a job and be able to live on his own and hopefully get married and start a family of his own someday.

But you know what I hope for most of all? That he one day realizes what a truly amazing person he is. Because no matter what struggles he has had to endure the day before, he still gets up in the morning with a smile on his face, kisses me goodbye as he leaves for the bus, and faces each day with more courage than I will ever hope to have.

Thanks for stopping by today everyone. I'm very excited to share some information on the lovely author Kay Thomas. Not only has Kay released a book with an autistic child being one of the characters, but she has also been kind enough to share a bit of her own experiences with us. I hope you can all make her feel welcome. Jodie xoxo

Better Than Bulletproof

by Kay Thomas

On secret military missions Harlan Jeffries had defied danger; he'd be damned if minding an adorable child--and the boy's stubborn and all-too-sexy aunt--would be his downfall. But when little Adam's mother went missing, Harlan had no choice but to take them both under his own personal protection.

Gina Rodgers knew nothing about mothering or staying alive--but she knew a man with secrets when she saw one. Why then was she drawn to the macho, larger-than-life Harlan? Even as danger bred desire, Gina wondered what he knew about her sister's disappearance. But with the web of murder and conspiracy tightening around them, Harlan was all that stood between them and a killer.

Not only has Better Than Bulletproof received a HOLT Medallion Award of Merit for best first book but it was also a Reader's Crown finalist for Short Romantic Suspense and an RT Reviewer's Choice nominee for best first series romance.

Kay's personal and heartfelt experience with Autism

Eleven years ago my son was diagnosed with autism and we immediately dove into an intensive array of biomedical and traditional therapies for him. He worked hard and responded amazingly well. I will be forever grateful to a multitude of people that I can never repay for giving me back my son. People who worked with him, played with him, prayed for him and for my family. Incredibly generous parents I’ve met through autism groups online but never met in person who shared their hard won knowledge and advice when we got stuck in various stages of treatment. Doctors, teachers, therapists, and friends who gave so much over the years. It’s a very long list.

Even with exceptional treatment, you don’t always get the kind of results we have. It’s been an extraordinarily humbling and overwhelming experience. Today I look at my son when he’s yakking away (a miracle in itself) about something that happened at his high school, and I think about where we were eleven years ago. I’m completely awed.

CHAPTER ONE

Tuesday, late afternoon

What a disaster. And this was one of her good days. Standing outside the Fox and Hound,
Gina Rodgers reached into the bottom of her handbag to fish out car keys and found her snazzy
new cell phone marinating in beer.




Perfect. Her boss’s jealous wife had quite a way with the cold shoulder and a pitcher of beer.
All completely accidental, of course.

Right. And pigs fly.

Happy hour at the North Dallas sports bar was supposed to have been a celebration. Her
celebration, thanks to today’s big win on the PharmaVax Pharmaceuticals account. Finally, Gina the screwup-- nope, not screwup. She didn’t call herself that anymore thanks to hours of therapy. Gina the competent had done something right at Dixon Meyers Advertising. She’d not only done something right, she had done something incredibly right and landed the biggest freaking account the firm had on board.

Nonetheless, she was now covered in beer and heading home early. All because Marci Meyers couldn’t stand the fact that her husband had dated Gina before he’d married her. Despite today’s triumph with PharmaVax, this wasn’t going to work. Marcie’s seething hostility aside, Gina couldn’t last much longer working for Clay Meyers. The man was a weasel.

Perhaps with the pharmaceutical giant’s scalp under her belt, she would be a more desirable
job applicant. Creative directorships in advertising were rare, but not for those who’d landed
Fortune 500 accounts. She’d have to contact a headhunter. Soon.

Her hand closed around the wet phone and a new surge of anger hit. She’d just bought the
electronic wonder yesterday. It took a moment to realize her beer-soaked purchase was now
ringing like mad. She swiped the wet LCD screen on her blouse before answering, but her shirt
was damp too. A missed call icon glowed brightly in the small window.

Great. She hadn’t even mastered voice mail or volume control. No surprise she hadn’t been
able to hear the Mediterranean jingle over the racket in the bar. She flipped open the sticky
headset to answer the phone.

“Gina Rodgers.”

“Gina, this is Harlan Jeffries. A friend of your sister’s. I help out with Adam. Do you know
where Sarah is?” The voice was steady with a deep Southern drawl but had an urgency that Gina
caught immediately. “I’ve been trying to reach you.”

“Sarah? No, I mean I assume she’s at home in Starkville.”

“She’s not.”

Despite the certainty of his tone, she asked, “Are you sure? I mean, you called her house? I
know she gets busy sometimes...with Adam and all.” Sarah’s research work coupled with an
autistic son made for a rather full plate.

Behind Gina, the bar door opened and music poured out, overpowering the man’s next words. She shoved the phone closer to her head. Stuffing a finger in her uncovered ear, she struggled to hear through the static-filled reception.

“I’m here at her house. Adam’s with me.”

“I’m sorry, what is your name again?”

“Harlan Jeffries. I help out with some of Adam’s therapy.” The deep voice held a hint of
impatience now. “Gina, I don’t think you understand. Sarah is missing. She never came home from work last night.”

Gina felt the car keys slip through her fingers and her stomach sink to the pavement. “That’s
not like Sarah.” A stupid thing to say, but the only comment she could manage at the moment.

There was some mistake. Sarah couldn’t be missing. She was the responsible one with the
perfect job and the perfect life. Well, not so much anymore. A divorce and Adam’s diagnosis had combined to make Sarah’s situation anything but perfect.

“Have you contacted the police?” she asked.

“Yes, but there’s a twenty-four hour waiting period for missing persons.”

She and Sarah hadn’t talked much lately. Not since their last visit and subsequent argument at the lake house. Despite Sarah’s good intentions, Gina didn’t want or need her charity anymore.

Wrapped up in her own life and clueless about how to deal with her nephew, Gina had taken
the easy way out. She’d quit calling. The flash of guilt stung. She shook her head as she thought about their last phone call...two months ago.

Pretty pathetic. Still, Sarah would have let her know if something was wrong.

“Um, Harlan, you said you’re a friend of my sister’s. If you know Sarah, you know she
wouldn’t just leave.”

“I agree, but I think it’s going to take more than me saying that to the police. Like maybe a
family member?”

She nodded even though he couldn’t see her response. His reasoning made sense. A relative should be able to put more pressure on law enforcement officials than a friend, or therapist, or whatever this guy was.

The thought of her sister missing was so unbelievable, she was having difficulty wrapping her
mind around the concept. What in the world had happened? The quickest way to find out would mean going to Sarah’s home in Mississippi herself.

If she stopped to think about how she was completely torpedoing her job, she might hesitate.
Hesitation was not an option. Instead, she focused on how her older sister had been there for her-- always. And how she’d never been there in return.

She took a deep breath. “I’ll be there as soon as possible.” Squeezing her eyes shut against the vision of Armageddon she’d just rained down on her career, she waited a beat, then realized her career didn’t matter a damn compared to Sarah.

“Good.”

“Harlan, I have a lot questions.”

“I understand. I’ll answer whatever I can as soon as you get here.” His voice grew fainter on
the wavering connection.

“I don’t know what the flight schedule will be to Starkville from here.” She dug around in her
wet bag for a pen and came up with an indelible marker. “I’m not sure if I can get out tonight or not. Give me your number and I’ll call you when I have arrangements made.”

He rattled off his home and cell numbers as she wrote them on the inside of her wrist. There
was a long pause.

“Umm...is Adam okay?” she asked.

“Yeah, he’s fine right now.” The reception grew worse and the words were garbled, but she
could still understand him. “Thanks, Gina. Your sister...needs you.” A loud, final click echoed in her ear, and he was gone.

Gina closed her phone. His last words were as shocking as the reason for his call. Sarah
needed her. No one had ever said that before. Gina had always been the one in need.

Excerpt from: BETTER THAN BULLETPROOF by Kay Thomas
Copyright © 2009 by Kay Thomas
Permission granted by Harlequin Books S.A. and Harlequin Enterprises Limited. All rights
reserved.

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