Blurb for Confessions of an
Imperfect Caregiver
What happens when you are called upon to care for an elderly
family member or friend, and you have no idea how to do it? Caring for a loved
one can be a scary, exhausting and rewarding situation—and with an aging
baby-boom population, it’s one that an increasing number of Americans find
themselves facing.
Confessions of an
Imperfect Caregiver, a new book by Bobbi Carducci, is an honest, uplifting
account of the author’s experiences in caring for her father-in-law, who
suffered from schizophrenia, age-related dementia, and a host of other health
issues
Bobbi Carducci was an in-home caregiver for her
father-in-law, Rodger, for seven years. During that time, Carducci learned to
navigate the health care system and support Rodger through the challenges of
schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease, age-related dementia, dysphagia, C.O.P.D.,
and congestive heart failure. By sharing her experiences, she hopes to help
those now caring for loved ones at home.
SNIPPET #2
Just then the
little teddy bear I hoped would cheer him up sailed through the doorway of his
hospital room.
Susie, his day
nurse, came out a moment later and scooped it up. “He didn’t mean that,” she
said, walking over and putting a hand on my shoulder.
“I know,” I answered, surprised by the hurt
his angry words had caused. “He’s been through a lot in the last year.”
Bobbi Carducci is a former senior
staff writer for the Purcellville Gazette, a small Washington, D.C. area
newspaper. Her short stories appear in the Chicken Soup for the Soul and Cup of
Comfort Anthologies as well is in print and online magazines.
Bobbi’s book for young readers,
Storee Wryter Gets a Dog, received both a Mom’s Choice Award for and a Living
Now Award for Excellence. It was also named A Best Dog Book for Young Readers
by Cesar Milan, The Dog Whisperer.
For three years she wrote a monthly
book review column for About Families Publications before resigning to
concentrate on writing Confessions of an Imperfect Caregiver and her blog, The Imperfect
Caregiver. Bobbi also writes monthly posts on
caregiving for AgingCare.com
and The
Caregiver Space.
Bobbi serves on the Board of
Directors of Pennwriters, a national writers group with over 400 members, a
position she had held for eleven years. In 2014 she received the Pennwriters
Meritorious Service Award in recognition of her continuing support of the
organization. She was the luncheon keynote speaker at the Pennwriters Annual
Conference in 2013. She serves as a judge for the annual Benjamin Franklin Book
Awards.
In her capacity as Founder and Executive Director of the Young Voices Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) educational nonprofit established to mentor young writers, she created he Young Voices Awards honoring books that Inspire, Mentor and/or Educate Readers of all ages. www.youngvoicesfoundation.org and www.youngvoicesawards.com
PERSONAL INFORMATION:
Bobbi Carducci lives in Round Hill, Virginia with her husband, Michael. When not writing, Bobbi enjoys the company of her family and friends, frequently inviting them to join her for a glass of wine and storytelling on the deck of her home overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains. You may contact her directly via email at bcarducci@comcast.net
In her capacity as Founder and Executive Director of the Young Voices Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) educational nonprofit established to mentor young writers, she created he Young Voices Awards honoring books that Inspire, Mentor and/or Educate Readers of all ages. www.youngvoicesfoundation.org and www.youngvoicesawards.com
PERSONAL INFORMATION:
Bobbi Carducci lives in Round Hill, Virginia with her husband, Michael. When not writing, Bobbi enjoys the company of her family and friends, frequently inviting them to join her for a glass of wine and storytelling on the deck of her home overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains. You may contact her directly via email at bcarducci@comcast.net
The Interview:
What inspired you to write?
My love of reading. Ever since letters came together to form
words on the page I’ve been hooked on reading. Then I started paying attention
to how the stories were crafted. I didn’t realize what I was doing at first, I
was very young when I wrote my first story on a rainy summer afternoon. For a
long while I stared at a blank piece of paper wondering how I could come up
with enough words to make a story. And
then it happened. I began to see it come to life in my imagination and the
words came. They still do if I’m quiet
and let my thoughts go where they please.
Tell me a little about your book
Confessions of an Imperfect Caregiver is the true story of
my father-in-law, Rodger, and me. I’d known him for 15 years as my odd yet
sweet father-in-law. When my mother-in-law died and everyone asked, “What’s
going to happen to Rodger?” my husband and I already knew the answer, he was
coming to live with us. I believed he would thrive in our peaceful, loving
home. I had no clue that he was far more ill than anyone knew and that for the
next seven years I would do everything I could to save him from himself while
he would do all he could to prove he didn’t need me and I was crazy. Mental
illness, dementia, Parkinson’s disease and more were eating away at a once brilliant
and remarkable man. Confessions of an Imperfect Caregiver is the story of a
family dealing with one of the fastest growing and most difficult situations of
our day. That of the family caregiver. When I heard from many other caregivers
that they wished someone would write a book portraying what it’s really like, I
knew I would tell our story.
Who has been your greatest writing inspiration?
Author Joshilyn Jackson. When I read her book, Gods in
Alabama, I was awed by her voice and the brilliant way she brings her
characters to life. If anyone ever compared my writing to hers I would be
thrilled.
Now a little more about you: If you were stranded on a
desert island, what three items would you bring (excluding family, laptop, or
writing utensils)?
A crank operated radio. A fishing pole. A machete. I could
listen to music and the news, eat, and have a very useful tool with which to
help me craft shelter and defend myself if need be. I could always write my stories in the sand
with my finger and start anew every morning.
We find out the world is going to end tomorrow. How do you
live your last day?
I’d start the day with prayer for all of us. Spend some very
sensuous moments with my husband. Cuddle with my children and grandchildren as
we share memories of our life together. Eat as much ice cream as I want. Drink a bit. Laugh and cry a lot. Dance to
the music. Panic, I’m sure. Pray some
more and hope that whatever happens it doesn’t hurt.
If we were to make a movie of your life. Who would play the
part of you?
I think Diane Keaton would be an excellent choice. She
portrays women who are vulnerable and strong. She’s feisty and attractive. I
would love to have her as a next door neighbor so we could get into mischief
together. I can see her caring for Rodger as I did. Making it up as she went
along.
Tell us 5 random things about yourself.
1. Enthralled by
TV doctors I told everyone I would be a brain surgeon when I grew up. When I
couldn’t bring myself to cut up a frog in biology class I decided to become a
writer instead and found a much better way to get inside other people’s heads.
2. My husband is a
musician and I love going into bars and telling the people at the door, “I’m
with the drummer.”
3. I’m generally a
nice person but if you get between me and ice cream I will push you out of the
way.
4. I want to go
sky diving.
5. I often got
into trouble in school for creating cartoon characters out the numbers down the
side of my spelling test while waiting for the teacher to call out the next
word. It seemed like it took forever and I was bored. Sister Mary Joseph did
not understand.
What are the three places you have always wanted to visit
but have not yet?
I want to go everywhere but the three on the top of my list
now are:
1. Montana – I
want to see Big Sky Country. It looks so raw and beautiful in the pictures and
films I’ve seen. I think I’d feel the presence of ancient story tellers there.
2. Switzerland
–I’m drawn to a vision of towering mountains, crisp, clear air and towering
trees. Also, the chocolate. Can’t forget the chocolate.
3. Greece –
Ancient culture, wonderful food, ouzo.
Boisterous, dancing people. It too calls to me.
Okay, crystal ball time. Where do you see yourself in 5-10
years?
My hope it to be In front of my keyboard writing another
book or on a book tour with stops in fabulous cities and small towns where
readers will line up for signed copies of my books. I will also take time to go to the book
signings of my writer friends and tell everyone I know them. My husband will
travel with me so we can always be together.
Bobbi Carducci's
website:
Barnes & Noble:
Links to where book is sold
Paperback, Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0985936770/?tag=penandpublish-20
Kindle, Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LTA7JZE/?tag=penandpublish-20
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/458220
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Hi everyone, Bobbi Carducci here. I hope you enjoyed the interview and that you will tell your friends and family about Confessions of an Imperfect Caregiver. People caring for loved ones need to know they are not alone and family members of caregivers need to see how difficult it is to the hardest job we can ever love.
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