Gina Rae Mitchell

Cerebral Palsy by Ilana Estelle | Spotlight

Cerebral Palsy: ‘A Story’ Finding the Calm After the Storm

A book blog tour from iRead Book Tours.

Thank you to the author, publisher, & Lauren at iRead for providing me the information for this tour.

Cerebral Palsy: A Story: Finding the Calm After the Storm by Ilana Estelle
Published by RedDoor Publishing on 02/26/2020
Genres: Disability, Educational, Non-fiction, Memoir
Format: Paperback
Pages: 288

Living with cerebral palsy is enormously difficult. But what if you never knew you had it? This is the incredible story of Ilana Estelle. Born the second of premature twins, an hour apart, from a young age Ilana knew she was different, but for all the wrong reasons.

A child of the 1960s, Ilana experienced first-hand the way that disability was, at the time, so often brushed under the carpet, not spoken about. Her constant physical and mental struggles made her feel isolated, alone, frustrated and misunderstood... and it took 46 years for her to find out why.

Part memoir, part motivational guide, this is Ilana's open and honest journey from an angry, confused child, knowing something was wrong, not knowing what was wrong, what her disability was, or that there was a diagnosis—to the "real" her—a courageous woman using her experiences and lessons to create inspiring messages about mental and physical health, resilience and change.

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Purchase Links for Cerebral Palsy by Ilana Estelle

Amazon     Amazon UK     BookShop/IndieBound

Barnes & Noble     BAM       iTunes 

Waterstones     The Book Depository     Chapters/Indigo

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Author Interview

Cerebral Palsy: ‘A Story’ Finding the Calm After the Storm by Ilana Estelle

How would you describe your book?

My book is part memoir, part motivational guide. It is a book of self-discovery not just for me, but hopefully for others too. It is structured as a collection of reflections arranged in chapters around chapter themes.

Some of those chapters unfold my story, while others provide a window on how I have come to terms with my life, events, and circumstances that enable me to move forward with my life. It is a book for anyone who enjoys conversations that go beyond the superficial things in life.

What made you decide to write about your experiences?

Deciding to write about my experiences wasn’t something I consciously thought about when I was growing up but finding out about my disability for the first time at the age of 46 catapulted me into new thinking, as I needed and wanted to find out about my disability and to make sense of my experiences.

I also wanted to create something positive for the first time, so came up with the idea of starting a blog, as soon as I was diagnosed. I wrote my first blog for The CP Diary on the 17th of May 2009, which I have now been running for 11 years, never having missed a blog. It was a safe place for me to be able to talk about how I felt; about my experiences, about my life. Writing about my disability in more detail would come later, in the form of my book.

How does writing your book help you come to terms with your experiences?

Being able to recount and write about my experiences helps me come to terms with my experiences. It helps me understand why things happened in the way they did. It allows me to bring acceptance to what were very difficult times growing up without knowing I had a disability, or what that actually meant. My book brings understanding where I had none, and an acceptance that without my writing, I would never have had.

How will your book help others navigate their own lives?

My writing is universal, which means it relates to everyone, it doesn’t matter what we deal with. I write in a way that brings understanding for others. My book is full of real-life vignettes, which others will be able to relate to. It is a book of hope, positivity, and resilience, for others too.

Have you always wanted to write?

I wasn’t encouraged to think about a career when I was growing up and never thought about writing. My writing has opened up many doors that I couldn’t have imagined as a child; I have also written articles for journals and magazines.

When I found out about my disability, because I knew I had something that I struggled with and needed to find out, I became inspired. I wanted to bring understanding on ‘me’ for the first time. When you have something you are aware of, and you know you struggle, you want to know why you struggle. Being able to write about and talk about my disability has been a hugely positive turning point for me.

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Giveaway!

Enter to win a Mobi for Kindle copy of Cerebral Palsy: ‘A Story’ Finding the Calm After the Storm (3 winners)  (ends June 11)

Cerebral Palsy: ‘A Story’ Finding the Calm After the Storm Book Tour Giveaway

Visit more stops on the tour for extra chances to win.

Cerebral Palsy by Ilana Estelle | Spotlight

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Lisa’s Reading
Rockin’ Book Reviews
Man of la Book – A Bookish Blog
Westveil Publishing
Splashes of Joy
Hall Ways Blog
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Locks, Hooks and Books
She Just Loves Books
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Literary Flits
Leels Loves Books
Book World Reviews
Books for Books
Jazzy Book Reviews
Deborah-Zenha Adams
Books Lattes & Tiaras

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Purchase Cerebral Palsy by Ilana Estelle online from a local book store.

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I also share many of my reviews on the following websites:

• Lovely Audiobook’s Monthly Link-up (Not limited to audiobooks)
• The Inspire Me Monday Link Party
• Inspire Me Monday with Anita Ojeda
• Grammy’s Grid Unlimited Monthly Link Party
• Esme’s Salon Monthly Link-up

Cerebral Palsy by Ilana Estelle