Kerri Croake was born in Brooklyn, NY and raised on Staten Island. After a traumatic brain injury, she was diagnosed with drug-resistant epilepsy in her first year of college. She faced multiple challenges including severe memory loss, insomnia, medication side effects, and the stigma that often comes with epilepsy from her peers. Despite these hurdles, she graduated in four years and worked in NYC as a computer system engineer. She is also a veterinary technician and a passionate advocate for epilepsy awareness. This is her third book in what she refers to as “The My Moment” series. Her first book, My Moment of Impact, is an Amazon bestseller. Her second book, My Moment of Madness, was published last year and has also earned attention among her followers. She currently lives in Maryland and New Jersey with her sister, Erin, and their dogs. She skis in the winter and loves to go to the beach in the summer.
Meet Kerri Croake
Kerri was born in Brooklyn and raised on Staten Island. She was diagnosed with epilepsy in her first year of college. After graduation she worked in NYC as an IT systems engineer for ten years.She has an undergraduate degree in US History and is a certified Veterinary Technician. She advocates for persons with epilepsy through fundraising efforts, becoming active in other charities and has found the time to create her own charity, Epilepsy Compassion International (www.navigatingepilepsy.net). Currently, she spends half the year with her family at the Jersey Shore and the other half in Deep Creek, MD with her best friend/sister, Erin. She is a staunch environmentalist, especially regarding marine life and pollution. She skis with her sister, Erin at the ski resort across the street from their home. She also loves the beach and surfing. Her first book, My Moment of Impact, is NOT on the NY Times best seller’s list; however, her work across multiple disciplines broadly addresses the narratives of human experiences with epilepsy.
“If you are born an artist, you have no choice but to fight to stay an artist.” ― Lana Del Rey With her latest album, Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, Lana Del Rey has again proven herself as one of the most crucial and original female musicians of the 21st century. So let this celebrity biography reveal the full story of Elizabeth Woolridge Grant, largely told in Lana’s own words using hundreds of interviews and public statements. We connect the dots between Del Rey’s humble Catholic school beginnings, her teenage troubles with alcoholism, and her earliest unknown recordings as May Jailer/Lizzy Grant. We explore how the ruthless streets of New York City and the noir of Los Angeles struck a chord of nostalgic romance in Lana’s creative mind, seeking retro Hollywood glamour at whatever cost, transforming into the multi-platinum “gangster Nancy Sinatra” superstar we love today. And we illustrate how the accusations of toxic femininity and a fabricated past could never compromise her vision; instead, the opposition provided even stronger material for her unique artistic dedication, selling millions of records across the globe. More importantly, this book delves deep into her music, where Lana Del Rey has always felt the most comfortable sharing personal details. We document her hundreds of unreleased songs, her biggest hits (such as the viral sensation Video Games), her soundtrack contributions (The Great Gatsby, Maleficent, Big Eyes), and her collaboration work with The Weeknd, Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande, and Stevie Nicks. Furthermore, we passionately analyse each of her eight studio albums, including the critically acclaimed Born to Die, Ultraviolence, Honeymoon, and Norman F**king Rockwell!. In doing so, we present a commercially successful career that hides within the darker underbelly of the pop world, just like her cult following prefers it. For dedicated fans only, here is everything there is to know about the real Lana Del Rey.
Meet Jared Woods
Born in South Africa and now homeless as a nomadic something or other, Jared Woods does whatever he wants. He is best known as the former scriptwriter for the YouTube channel Pencilmation, where billions of people have seen his work with scripts surpassing the 100 million mark. He has authored numerous books, including the spiritual philosophy of the “Janthopoyism Bible”, the self-help publication “Heartbreak Sucks!”, the fictional novel “This Is Your Brain On Drugs” and a music journalism guide “The 250 Best Albums of the Decade (2010 – 2019)”. His other creative projects include #legobiscuits (a daily one-panel Instagram comic), composing solo music under the name Coming Down Happy, “singing” for the band Sectlinefor, and producing a film called Definitely Not a Cry For Help which is already partially on YouTube. Jared is the founder of the Janthopoyism religion. Follow Jared on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @legotrip
“The word Epilepsy is derived from the Greek root “lep,” meaning to grab, or seize or take hold of. “Epi” means outside of/next to. So epilepsy is a condition in which one is seized by something outside one’s control. Imagine living with a condition that is always hanging above your head, like the sword of Damacles, not exactly knowing if a seizure will strike, or when. The tree of epilepsy has many branches, including seizures, anxiety, mood symptoms, cognitive symptoms, and psychosocial implications, to name a few.
It is so refreshing and clarifying to hear such a strong and insightful voice as Kerri’s tell her story. It allows us to get a glimpse into the labyrinth of complexity that living with epilepsy is. I have been treating her for nearly two decades. She has a refractory and severe case of epilepsy, but her spirit has been untouched, and, if anything strengthened. Her wit, intellect, emotional maturity, self-transcendence, perserverence, and steady reflection make this a unique work. It is rare to hear from patients themselves when exploring neurological illnesses, as often the illness robs the person of their ability to communicate these complexities with clarity. Not the case with Kerri. This book is one of the best explorations of this illness I have ever seen coming from a patient. Her inborn resources and strengths allow us to walk with her on her journey and get a peak behind the curtains. More important than what it teaches us about epilepsy, we are exposed to a truly remarkable human being, whose fire burns bright, and whose light and heat provide warmth and illumination for all of us. Taking this stroll with Kerri leads not just to a deeper understanding of how epilepsy works in people’s lives, but to be empowered and inspired by her story and her personhood, one that shines in all that she does. It is a rare gift. One example of this soul force in Kerri is the simple fact that she wrote a whole book so beautifully in the face of aphasia (language deficits) she acquired after her epilepsy surgery.
Kerri has been an energizing inspiration in my life as her treating physician. I have no doubt that any reader of this book will also catch that fire.”
Meet Kerri Croake
erri was born in Brooklyn and raised on Staten Island. She was diagnosed with epilepsy in her first year of college. After graduation she worked in NYC as an IT systems engineer for ten years.She has an undergraduate degree in US History and is a certified Veterinary Technician. She advocates for persons with epilepsy through fundraising efforts, becoming active in other charities and has found the time to create her own charity, Epilepsy Compassion International (www.navigatingepilepsy.net). Currently, she spends half the year with her family at the Jersey Shore and the other half in Deep Creek, MD with her best friend/sister, Erin. She is a staunch environmentalist, especially regarding marine life and pollution. She skis with her sister, Erin at the ski resort across the street from their home. She also loves the beach and surfing. Her first book, My Moment of Impact, is NOT on the NY Times best seller’s list; however, her work across multiple disciplines broadly addresses the narratives of human experiences with epilepsy.
In The House on Dogbone St., Julia Duthie takes us on a walk through the tumultuous life she was destined to endure.The feeling of treading on eggshells for the little girl who had no choice but to navigate one of the most dreadful paths that life could offer, displaying her resilience and go-getter attitude no matter what obstacle was thrown her way, is fascinating. We cannot blame her for being naive in some circumstances as the two people meant to protect her were in a world of their own. One, in a depressive trance, while the other was never fully present.
However, from start to end, her story is a lesson for every one of us. Ignorance takes no blame in this journey as Julia made the best of what she had and what she thought to be right. It is the advantage taken by elders and those who camouflaged their real personas that are the actual culprits of a life filled with scars at every turn. How she turned those dents into beautiful blooms is the intrigue of it all. Walk her path through this great rendition to encounter neighbours and teachers who stood in the shadows and shed a slight reflexion of hope toward her direction, never knowing how much it would finally mean to her and what she would eventually become.
Although it is a triumph to be celebrated, the unwelcome demons she collected along the way sometimes threaten to manifest themselves and take her back to a state of defeat. But will she follow suit? Find out in her extraordinary memoir.
Meet Julia Duthie
Julia lives in Surrey with her two children, her partner Kathryn and her Beagle, Brodie. Over the years, she has both built and led numerous businesses, has been an artist and nurtured other artists in the competitive world of the music industry. She has also had the privilege of living and working in the US and India. Given she started her career at a local leisure centre; a job she took in order to use its laundry facilities to wash her own clothes, her origin story is something of an enigma.
– An Amazon Best seller – 5 Star Review from “Readers’ Favorite”
Finding Anna- A True Story
A young man seeking to unravel his past travels throughout the world in search of Anna. The story begins in a hotel in Germany and curiously, the travels lead to one destination: to the very heart of the traveler. Finding Anna:is an interesting and inspiring story that takes place in more than 25 countries
At thirty years old, Vineeth found that his life required examination if he was going to make it extraordinary. He realized that certain moments and the people in his life played pivotal roles in the making of the person that he had become. As he searched for a way to explore these connections, Finding Anna opened the door for him to a new world of constant searching for meaning, in a journey filled with reflection and excitement.
Finding Anna is a story of a simple man with a simple goal: to experience life and appreciate the little things. In this book, he shares the stops on his journey where he links his past to the present in a quest for his identity.
Readers will relate because there is an Anna in everyone’s life, and everyone has a story they want to share. Every story in a life is a journey because they are not the same person at the end of it as they were when it started.
Editorial Review
Reviewed By K.C. Finn for Readers’ Favorite
Finding Anna: An Unusual Journey To Self-Discovery is a work of non-fiction written in the style of a memoir by author Vineeth Vijayghosh. The narrative recounts the epic journey of the author when, at age thirty, he realizes he would like to do more with his life and begins a vast series of travels in order to better understand his own identity. As experiences in other countries and meeting other people reflect him back to his own roots and the pivotal people in his life, so his consciousness grows. In a unique turn of events, the author recounts the many Annas he met in different countries, and how their stories changed him too.
Author Vineeth Vijayghosh presents a truly heartfelt and unique memoir that anyone on a journey of self-discovery will surely be able to relate to and treasure. As a traveler myself, I found it really wonderful to see the author visit places that I have also been to, and even more delightful to be introduced to vistas that I have yet to visit. The noticing of small details of culture and personality in other people’s lives is a true joy of travel, and the author brings that enthusiasm to life with a well-penned and highly relatable narrative style. The personal moments in the memoir are very evocative because we are able to form a deep connection, and the author is generous with details from his personal life and the formation of his own identity so that we may better understand ourselves. Overall, I would recommend Finding Anna: An Unusual Journey To Self-Discovery as an engrossing but also empowering and educational memoir for anyone who feels they have not yet discovered their true identity in this life.
