Book Review: Aspergirls by Rudy Simone

10/10

I was diagnosed with Asperger’s as a teenager, and as a girl and now a young woman with this neurological difference, I’ve found much less information on the female side than the male. Because Hans Asperger studied males only, most of the diagnostic criteria are for males only. Females present some things differently, and because of that, they are under-diagnosed. But there are books like this that focus on the female aspect of Asperger’s, and that gives me hope.

Simone covers many areas in this book that are unique to females. From the focus of special interests to the differences in stimming, the author goes through many divergences between the sexes. One particular topic that runs like a theme within these chapters is the fact that females mirror and hide their differences with much more skill than males. Simone, who has Asperger’s herself, is a great voice for the understudied, and I commend her on her presentation.

This book was one of the first I read after I was diagnosed, and it helped me to see more Asperger’s in myself than any of the male guides. If you’re a female Aspie, the parent of one, or the partner of one, I would say this should be one of the first books that you grab. Recommended to everybody.

If you would like to purchase 9 Ways to Normal, you can find it here.

If you want to see my full reading list, read, currently reading, and want-to-read, visit my Goodreads here.

If you are interested in learning more about my novel ‘9 Ways to Normal’, you can visit my author website here. You can read a sample of my book here.

If you are interested in supporting me on a monthly basis, go to my Patreon here.

God bless!

Asperger’s Meltdowns

As a female Aspie, I have meltdowns. Yes, even at 25. It’s just something that comes with being an an Aspie. Most males grow out of their meltdowns, but female Aspies in general don’t. I certainly haven’t. Everything has been crazy in my life lately, and meltdowns have been happening more and more lately, so I thought I’d talk about it here.

Meltdowns seem to be about silly things to outsiders. If a file messes up, and I start screaming and swearing and crying over it, most people would think I’d lost my mind. It’s no big deal, you think, so why is she acting like this?

A number of factors contribute to my meltdowns. Hunger is a big part of it, but it isn’t the only thing. Being tired is also a factor. But there are tons of other things that I can’t control.

A big part of being an Aspie is that we, as a rule, are much more sensitive to our environments. And because of the way our brains are wired, we can’t process a ton of things at once. In fact, we can’t usually focus on more than one or two things at once. So everything else is distracting.

For example, if I’m having a conversation with somebody and the television is on, the chance that I will be able to follow the entire conversation without being distracted by the tv is slim to none. I can’t block it out. So I switch from the tv to the conversation, not getting the full scope of either.

Now if you (a neurotypical) think about your day, you actually process a ton of information. Just standing in your living room, your brain processes the lighting, the television noise, the temperature of the room, and even more. Just a typical scene.

But put me there.

The lights that are fine for you flicker and hum, and I can see and hear that. That’s two different things assaulting my brain.

The room is a bit too cold, but you’re fine, so you don’t see a reason to adjust the temperature, and that leaves another thing for my brain to bear.

The television is at a reasonable volume, but I can’t shut out the noise, which is even more for me to process.

Now, you’re fine, but my brain is processing all of those different things, plus a ton more. Everything that’s happening slowly builds and builds and gets worse and worse. At that point one of two things will happen: a shutdown or a meltdown.

A shutdown means I can’t react to anything anymore. I can’t process any more, so I just stop taking things in. It’s hard to focus, hard to talk. I just want to go home and be alone.

Thankfully, a meltdown usually happens when I’m at home. My husband helps me to calm down and he understands that I don’t mean what I’m shouting at him.

It might seem silly to a neurotypical, but there is so much more to a meltdown than just the inciting incident. So try to be understanding.

If you would like to purchase 9 Ways to Normal, you can find it here.

If you want to see my full reading list, read, currently reading, and want-to-read, visit my Goodreads here.

If you are interested in learning more about my novel ‘9 Ways to Normal’, you can visit my author website here. You can read a sample of my book here.

If you are interested in supporting me on a monthly basis, go to my Patreon here.

God bless!

Photo from geralt on Pixabay.

9 Ways to Normal is Published!

I’m switching my Monday and Wednesday post themes for this week! Why? Because of the exciting news that my book is now available for purchase!

I’m so excited to announce this, but the process wasn’t as simple as I would have hoped. I had some file issues when I initially tried uploading them to KDP. I had a bad meltdown because of it, which then led to a shutdown.

It’s funny how the smallest things can lead to an Asperger’s meltdown. I haven’t had one in a while, so it was disconcerting. It’s exhausting to have a meltdown. Everything builds to a head, and then my emotions explode. I still don’t understand all of my emotions anyway. But we’ll leave that for out Wednesday post.

But I did it. With my husband’s help, I got the files sorted out, though it took a couple more days than I’d hoped, but it was worth it. The proof looked fine, and I approved it. On Thursday afternoon, I submitted both files for review. The Kindle book was ready by that evening, and the paperback followed a day or so later.

You can buy my Kindle version here.

You can buy my paperback version here.

And remember to review if you read it! Reviews really help indie authors like myself in the Amazon algorithm. And that’s all for now!

9 Ways to Normal Release Date and Cover Reveal

It’s official! 9 Ways to Normal is set to release by July 31! I’m so excited to tell you guys this! The cover is done, the editing is done, and the last few formatting touches will be added this week!

So, here is the cover and blurb for 9 Ways to Normal!

What do you get when you mix two Aspies, an alcoholic, a man with a personality disorder, and a savant with learning disabilities and then throw in a man with bipolar disorder, a schizophrenic, a girl with bulimia, and a person with chronic depression?

Sound like the tagline for a ridiculous joke?

Think again because it’s not a joke.

But what do you get?

9 Ways to Normal

Take a look into the lives of nine characters from a wide spectrum of mental diversity. Each diagnosis is different, each experience is unique, and every one of them could be somebody you know.

And guess what?

You may come to find that every one of them has a normal. It isn’t your normal. It isn’t my normal. But it’s their normal. Because normal has no single definition. Normal is not an objective criterion. The truth is…

Normal is a completely subjective experience.

So let me know what you think of this. Share it with everybody and get excited for my book release! And if you love the cover and want to know more about the designer, go check out Mandi Lynn’s website here.

And that’s the big news! Share it all!

If you want to see my full reading list, read, currently reading, and want-to-read, visit my Goodreads here.

If you are interested in learning more about my novel ‘9 Ways to Normal’, you can visit my author website here. You can read a sample of my book here.

If you are interested in helping me to make my book the best it can be, visit my GoFundMe page here. Even if you can’t donate, share the link on your socials. Spread the word. The sooner we hit the goal, the sooner my book will come out.

If you are interested in supporting me on a monthly basis, go to my Patreon here.

God bless!

Book Review: Beyond the Wall: Personal Experiences with Autism and Asperger Syndrome by Stephen M. Shore

10/10

As a person with Aspergers Syndrome, I enjoyed this look into the life of a man with high-functioning autism. From his childhood onward, Stephen Shore explains some of his differences from other children. His writing is engaging and really draws you in and let’s you understand his thoughts.

It’s interesting to read about another person’s experiences growing up on the spectrum. I enjoyed the look into using music to help improve communication. The brilliance of this man is crucial in spreading the knowledge of autism.

I recommend this to those who have autism or want to learn more about those on the spectrum. Keep in mind that if you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism. Every case is different but that’s what makes us unique!

If you want to see my full reading list, read, currently reading, and want-to-read, visit my Goodreads here.

If you are interested in learning more about my novel ‘9 Ways to Normal’, you can visit my author website here. You can read a sample of my book here.

If you are interested in helping me to make my book the best it can be, visit my GoFundMe page here. Even if you can’t donate, share the link on your socials. Spread the word. The sooner we hit the goal, the sooner my book will come out.

If you are interested in supporting me on a monthly basis, go to my Patreon here.

God bless!

Suicide

I’ve been close. Closer than I’d like. And a big problem is that I think about it almost every day. Sometimes it’s more positive: “I can’t wait to get to Heaven!” More than half the time, it’s more negative: “I can’t do this anymore.”

With my Bipolar Disorder and Aspergers and now possibly seizures, it seems like too much most of the time. I’m so sick sometimes, with blank fits and laughing fits, then my mental illness raises its head, with mania, depression, and mixed episodes that drain me emotionally. The stress has even come into my sleep, with dreams where I scream and cry the whole time. I wake up from those almost-nightmares exhausted.

I want to kill myself a lot. It’s hard to admit this to so many people. It’s hard to say, and it’s hard to hear, I know. I’m so tired. I just want to go home to be with my Lord and my God. I want to see my grandfather again. I want to meet my other family members. I want this pain to stop.

Sometimes it gets really, really dark. Sometimes I consider self-harming, though I don’t like pain and it’s hard for me to even think about it. I haven’t yet, but the darkness isn’t going away. It only gets stronger and stronger, deeper and deeper. Mania doesn’t lift the darkness, it only distorts it. I’m so tired. So very tired.

And most people don’t understand. One of my friends continuously tells me to read the Psalms when I’m depressed. Reading the Bible does help sometimes, but other times I just can’t bring myself to pick it up. I’m so tired of living sometimes. I want to go home. Everything is just so exhausting.

Sometimes I”m happy. Sometimes I can’t imagine ending it all. Most of the time, I just can’t stand it. I have reasons to live, and I realize that most of the time. But as I wrote in my book on mental illness: There’s lots of reasons to want to die while your down there. But when you are down there, you don’t just think of reasons you want to die. You also fail to see a reason to live.

Sometimes, I’ll admit now, I fail to see those reasons. I usually reach out for help, but I might not one time, and one time might be all it takes.

If you’re suffering from suicidal thoughts, please reach out for help. I know it’s hard, but the Suicide Prevention Hotline is reachable at 1-800-273-8255. I just hope that I can keep reaching out. Sometimes, I’m just not sure anymore. 😦