awesome, ms. fob :)

WTG!

Sent by thought transference

Meeee toooo!

I remember her when she was only imaginary...

Don't forget us little people when you are famous!

You're a funny guy, you know that?

I will buy a copy. And not just because I know you.

Hope all goes well for this project in the future, but now you know you can get this far then there's nothing you can't do. Although I expect you know that anyway - we did :)

Congrats, Clod. Will you autograph my Kindle?

I'll autograph yo face!

;)

*POW*

Need suggestions plz...

So my agent (not tired of saying that yet) thinks that the title needs to be more accessible. There's this classic short essay called "Welcome to Holland" that every parent with a special needs kid is familiar with, and large parts of the book are tied into this metaphor of Holland vs. Italy, including the current title. But she thinks everyone outside that tight-knit community will be clueless as to the meaning and might genuinely mistake it for a travel memoir, and that even if I could talk her into it a publisher will definitely insist on changing it. I accept her expertise in this area, but so far we have not been able to come up with a new title that is suitably artsy-slash-intriguing but also refers accurately to the tone of the book. Because there are tons of sappy options out there like "Searching For..." and "Saving..." and crap like that, but it's not a sappy book, it's very much a defiant and funny and irreverent book, and I'd rather a stupid literal title like "How I Did This Thing" than some wistful acceptance bullshit.

As an example, one of my favorite suggestions so far was "Hysterically Impaired," which is actually a direct quote from the book, but it sounds a little too much like mockery without any context. Gotta ride that edge a little safer.

Any ideas?

I like the title of this thread. Says it all. But I'm no marketer.

Something like, Dogs Raising cats?

Mass hysteria!

Wishing upon a star and finding the aurora borealis

Moming the Spectrum... you know it don't come easy.

My kid is a damn nutter/nutcase/

How not to stab your own eyes out

These three simple things will make your child's autism disappear -- but the medical profession doesn't want you to know them!

^ mucho clicks with that last one. I'll take .005 dollars per click as my fee.

Sprite for Breakfast
(... and other things you miss, raising autistic children)

The best title ever for such a book,imo, was 'The Reason I Jump'.

So - maybe think of a behaviour / quirk that says something about the way autism manifests in your kids.

Maybe 'Drawing with Crayons'



Or - Adventures in Autism: one family's extraordinary journey.

The Autism Trail (playing on the idea of a physical journey through difficult medical and educational territory)

Clinics and Coconut Flour

+1 for "My Kid Is A Damn Nutter", catchy and provocative and you can spell out the details in the subtitle.

The Autism spectrum - fighting to find the end of the rainbow

"My Kid Is A Damn Nutter" ...
totally gets my vote. It leave one inquisitive and wanting answers = WIN.
Anything with Autism is great if thats the ONLY group you want to reach.

Where do I preorder my signed copy? (serious)

also voting for MKIADN

Darn Tootin' it's Gluten

There is no cheese in nutville
the mighty Casein has struck out.

in the style of f3

Mama Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Betel Nut

MKIADN is a great title. And classic's right - autism in the main title will get people with a specific interest in autism but might not draw in others.

Heh.

The problem with that title is, most parents of children with autism are not known for having great senses of humor. They're touchy mama bears who are used to everyone misunderstanding and judging them, and if I'm saying my kid is a damn nutter, then I'm saying theirs is too. It might draw in others, but it will decidedly alienate most of the autism population. It's one thing to be funny in context in the book, but that title without context is the equivalent of "All Autistic Kids are Assholes: A Mother's Story."

Anyway, we went with a variation on the original. I don't want to put it here because I don't want this thread to be particularly google-able, but I'm confident you'll see it someday. Three publishers currently reading the manuscript. :thumbsup:

Damn, that's exciting stuff!

I forgot - I was going to post the title of an excellent book I read, written by parents of an autistic child.

"A Real Boy: How Autism Shattered Our Lives - and Made a Family from the Pieces "

A moot point now, and wouldn't have helped you anyway, as it's a very generic title.
Good book though. Made me laugh and loud and cry quite bitterly.

U R SMRT

The last thing you need is to to have book readers come here and hound you, and then you would stop coming around, and we'd miss you.

yay! Good point Clod, I can relate - I still get a little extra touchy about TBI's ...

From ScienceDaily:

Missing Link Found Between Brain and Immune System

How is it possible that "they" missed these vessels before? Surely during the millions of surgeries and autopsies and imaging done over the centuries somebody would have noticed this lymphatic connection?

Didn't 'they' recently find some 'new' bones, too?

In other news, I have a phone call with an interested publisher this morning...

Happening fast, real interest, go go gadget writer!

I just realized I never mentioned this, but a couple months ago we got asked to be part of a documentary on autism recovery. They came and filmed at the house for two days, and got permission to shoot at the kids' school, and everything. The movie itself won't be ready until who-knows-when (it was two years between when the filmmaker first contacted me and when he actually got out here to film, so really, don't hold your breaths,) but along the way the guy is putting together little previews of each family that's been interviewed. He just sent me a link to our clip:





In other news... I officially have a book deal. :) To be released by Da Capo Press in the Spring of 2016.

Wow, Clod. I don't know why, because I like the others here have shared in your trials and successes with your little ones, through your posts -but I felt really choked up watching that.

You guys are awesome. you must be so proud of your kids - they really are gorgeous.

And congrats on the book deal. I cannot think of a nicer person or one more deserving of success.

That's pretty cool! Nice to see you and Mr. Fobble.

We've read the progression over time and your descriptions, but to see the video before and after clips right next to each other is pretty impressive. And that stack of notebooks!

They ARE gorgeous and you guys ARE awesome. Well done.

I saw that, I saw the strawberries touching other stuff. :yesnod:

Thanks, everyone. Your support has meant the world over the years. They will almost certainly send me on a book tour at some point, and I intend to visit as many Dwellar cities as I possibly can. I want a photo with every damn one of you!

I just need to correct you on the last sentence in that clip, "It's beautiful and it's amazing."
Yes.... and no.

What you meant to say (about you and Mr Clod) is "We're beautiful and we're amazing."
Oh and throw the mini-fobs in there too of course, because they are. But because of you.

Thank you always for sharing.

That was wonderful Clod!

Confession: I've watched our video probably a dozen times now, and for the first time in my life it's really hit me--I have the crazy eyes. My whole life people have described me as intense or otherwise over-the-top, which I've accepted but never really understood because the words coming out of my mouth never seemed that wild to me, but I get it now. It's my giant bug eyes.



It turns out I am the Overly Attached Girlfriend:

*chuckles*


You do not have crazy eyes - or indeed bug eyes, giant or otherwise.

They're expressive, yes... bug, no.

Clodfobble, Mr Fobble

I want you to know that *I* appreciate what you're doing as parents, more than you know, more than I can say. You set a great example of loving diligence and I really want you to know that your efforts *are worth it*.

You're the very picture of those who have had greatness thrust upon them. Good job Mom, Good job Dad.

Aw, thanks man. We all do our best, y'know? At least everyone here does.

Looking forward to seeing/meeting you and your bug eyes... lol

Oh hey by the way I have a book cover and you can pre-order it if you're into that kind of thing.

I probably wouldn't notice, I'm used to people being bug-eyed when they interact with me. ;)

WTF? How dare they use lower case for your name. A travesty, an injustice, this shall not stand! http://cellar.org/2015/willy_nilly.gif
How can I name drop, my imaginary(online) friend, famous writer lady from Texas, lower case. :smack:

I just pre-ordered, and I can't wait.

Do Kindle pre-orders help?


Sent by thought transference

That was a touching video. It's obvious that you and Mr. Fob are willing to go to the mat for your kids. It's also amazing to see and hear them in comparison to your description here: http://cellar.org/showpost.php?p=511166&postcount=1

I'm telling my local brick and mortar store to carry it. When you come for the book signing I'll give you a personal tour of the hinterlands.

Awesome!

I admire your preservence. I admire you, actually.