Welcome to Karen Ingalls; my featured author in the Rave Reviews Book Club ‘Pay it Forward’ for Wednesday.

I am delighted to have the opportunity to promote such a talented and diverse author.

Let’s learn a little more about Karen Ingalls.

Karen Ingalls is the author of two novels and an award winning non-fiction book. She enjoys writing from her home office overlooking a lake in Florida.

Ms. Ingalls’s non-fiction book, Outshine: An Ovarian Cancer Memoir, won first place at the 2012 Indie Excellence Book Awards in the the category of women’s health. It was a top three finalist for the Independent Publisher Book Award of 2012 in the two categories of health and self-help.

The purpose of the book is to provide information about this too often deadly disease, and offer hope and inspiration to women and their families. All proceeds go to ovarian cancer research.

When Karen Ingalls was diagnosed with Stage IIC ovarian cancer, she realized how little she knew about what is called “the silent killer.” As Ingalls began to educate herself she felt overwhelmed by the prevalent negativity of cancer. Lost in the information about drugs, side effects, and statistics, she redirected her energy to focus on the equally overwhelming blessings of life, learning to rejoice in each day and find peace in spirituality. In this memoir, Karen is a calming presence and positive companion, offering a refreshing perspective of hope with the knowledge that “the beauty of the soul, the real me and the real you, outshines the effects of cancer, chemotherapy, and radiation. It is a story of survival and reminds readers that disease is not an absolute, but a challenge to recover.

Take a look at what just one of her many reviewers had to say about “Outshine.”

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This review is from: Outshine: An Ovarian Cancer Memoir (Kindle Edition)

The English language is full of scary words and phrases but for many of us the scariest are these: “You’ve got cancer.”
In her book “Outshine: An Ovarian Cancer Memoir” Karen Ingalls gives us a forthright and inspiring look into the way those three words changed her life and are still changing it.
For those of you who do not know, ovarian cancer is often fatal. It’s aggressive and yet most women don’t discover they have it until it’s almost too late. Even Ingalls, an RN, didn’t realize that she had it. She simply felt she was getting fat when she started unexpectedly putting on weight in her middle 60s. Fortunately for her, she took her concerns to a doctor who actually listened to what she had to say and didn’t make a snap diagnosis. (I speak from experience when I say that. I am a cancer survivor who was told by three doctors initially – none of whom spent more than five minutes with me – that I had nothing to worry about. Unconvinced, I went to a fourth physician who then referred me to an oncologist who checked me into the hospital immediately and demanded to know why I’d waited so long to see a doctor…)
In straightforward terms, Ingalls discusses her fears, the impact those three little words had on her family and friends, her surgery and subsequent treatment and her faith. She not only describes the changes in her life but also gives readers a mini tutorial on ovarian cancer, chemotherapy and what those who are diagnosed can reasonably expect to happen during the process of treating this awful disease. She also offers readers some useful tips on how best to cope with cancer and the aftermath of a diagnosis, though she’s careful to note that these are things that worked for her and might not work for others. She also notes, quite accurately, that if you have been diagnosed you must become your own best advocate. Doing so serves two vitally important purposes: It focuses your attention on your recovery because you are intimately involved in the process and, because of that, it helps you think of yourself not as some helpless victim but as a warrior. That’s so important, in my opinion, because any good doctor will tell you that a positive attitude is essential during the recovery process and, frankly, it’s all but impossible to have a positive attitude if you think of yourself as a helpless victim…
If you have been diagnosed with cancer – any kind of cancer – or know someone who has I think you’d be wise to read this memoir. It’s not very long but don’t let that fool you: This is a powerful and inspiring book and I take my hat off to Karen Ingalls for being brave enough to fight her cancer and equally brave enough to share that fight with us.

This is the second edition where real names and places are used when known. From his early childhood, Murray Clark sought love and acceptance from his father, who was raised as the bastard child of a famous artist. Murray struggled with jealousy toward his younger brothers, and he questioned the morals and values of people around him. As an adult, Murray lived life his way, with years of lying, womanizing, and heavy drinking. Though married four times, did he ever find unconditional love? Would Murray’s high intelligence, his love for his two daughters, and his unique philosophy of life help him rise above his demons?

Here’s what just one reviewer had to say.

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The thing that struck me the most about this biographical novel was the way the author, Karen Ingalls, was able to reflect social changes surrounding the main character, Murray. Ingalls does a great job of putting us into the life of a boy growing up in 1920s California. And from the morals and parenting styles of that era, she adds a new light to universal coming-of-age dramas. Puberty, the opposite sex, and sibling rivalry. This first part of the book reminded me of the brothers’ story in East of Eden, right down to one brother going off to war and even some shockers involving paternity.

As Murray reaches adulthood, we see that he is a very capricious (and somewhat frustrating) protagonist. He can’t seem to stay focused on anything for very long, and that includes wives, mistresses, jobs, entrepreneurial ventures—even his own children are neglected. He’s always envisioning slights or plots against him, and his default reaction to these perceived injustices is to storm away from the problem and ignore it. Still, if you like flawed characters who represent the tumultuous and indulgent decades of the 60s and 70s, you may be very intrigued by Murray. Think Mad Men’s Don Draper.

And it’s interesting to see Murray’s lifestyle come full circle as he reaches his nineties and find himself more and more dependent on healthcare workers and his semi-estranged family.

Augustus Saint-Gaudens was the premier American sculptor from 1880-1920. Though married he fell in love with his model, Davida Johnson Clark and their love affair lasted more than twenty-five years. This fictionalized account will introduce the reader to some of the great art, historical facts, and the moral values of that era.
The author is the great-granddaughter from this union and her purpose in writing the book is to bring recognition to Davida and remove any negative stigma to her. Her grandfather suffered his whole life from being labeled a bastard while growing up and this story is intended to remove that label.
How can a love affair last for such a long period of time? What affect did it have on his career? How did his wife and son cope with their being a second family?
This is a compelling and beautiful love story that has needed to be told.

One of the many🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 reviews for Davida.

  I chose to read this book as it’s unlike what I usually read and I really loved it. The story is based on a true story although, the author had to fill in the blanks. The book starts with Albertina, a young Swedish girl, traveling to the U.S. with her mother after the death of her father. They have family in the U.S. Albertina quickly grows into a beautiful young woman who catches the eye of Augustus Saint-Gaudens. He is an artist and wants to hire her as a model. They become involved in a relationship beyond that of model and artist.
This story is beautifully written and captivated me from start to finish. I can’t say I like Augustus at all. He seemed very emotionally selfish and inconsiderate but financially extravagant. Albertina on the other hand, I really liked. She was a strong woman but I question her taste in men. However, the story takes place soon after the civil war in the U.S. and the country was a very different place then. Part of the beauty in the writing is the feelings the story invoked in me. Only the most talented writers can do that.

Where you can find Karen Ingalls.

 Karen Ingalls on FACEBOOK

Twitter @KIngallsAuthor

Karen’s BLOG

Karen’s author page links to all her books on AMAZON.COM

 It has been a pleasure learning more about this talented author, and her work.

Keep in mind folks ‘Cancer’ is a word … Not a sentence.