Thursday, May 1, 2014

May is Lupus Awareness Month - READ and do your part!

Hi guys!
Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers...the place to be when you're looking for a way to make an impact on the world and you'd most prefer to do it bookishly.  Ready and willing to help you out there!



Today, we're celebrating another book birthday but without the cake and candles.  In lieu of decorations and refreshments, we're going to shine a single spotlight on the fight itself and hope you'll participate by either spreading the word or READING.  The featured fight has lupus in one corner (as May is Lupus Awareness Month) and a fleet of authors in the other.  What IS lupus you might ask?  




Lupus is a chronic, autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the body. Chronic means that the signs and symptoms tend to last longer than six weeks and often for many years.

In lupus, something goes wrong with your immune system, which is the part of the body that fights off viruses, bacteria, and germs ("foreign invaders," like the flu). Normally our immune system produces proteins called antibodies that protect the body from these invaders. Autoimmune means your immune system cannot tell the difference between these foreign invaders and your body’s healthy tissues ("auto" means "self") and creates autoantibodies that attack and destroy healthy tissue....


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Sounds bad, right?
Well, it is....but there are some other simple facts to remember before you go making any fast judgments.


  • Lupus is not contagious...you cannot "catch" lupus from someone or "give" lupus to someone.
  • Lupus is not like or related to cancer. 
  • Lupus is not like or related to HIV or AIDS.
  • Lupus can range from mild to life-threatening and should always be treated by a doctor.
  • ...research estimates that at least 1.5 million Americans have lupus. 
  • More than 16,000 new cases of lupus are reported annually across the country.
  • It is believed that 5 million people throughout the world have a form of lupus.
  • Lupus strikes mostly women of childbearing age (15-44). However, men, children, and teenagers develop lupus, too.
  • Women of color are two to three times more likely to develop lupus than Caucasians.
  • People of all races and ethnic groups can develop lupus.



So you see, it can strike any race, color, background, or lifestyle without regard to who you are or what you do.  As with most diseases, there are those endeavoring to solve the mystery of this ailment but all that research comes at a cost.  That's where today's featured title and book birthday celebrant comes in.  It's a title that aims to provide you with reading fun while generating funds for this worthwhile cause.  Ladies and gents, allow me to introduce today's featured title....



Women of TV have united against lupus! Presenting...


...a special collection of short stories by top women writers from some of your favorite shows, including: Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Family Guy, Person of Interest, Grimm, Battlestar Galactica, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Law & Order: SVU, Star Trek: Voyager, Eureka, Twisted, The 100, Malcolm in the Middle, Millennium, Being Human, The Shield, Castle, Chuck, Gilmore Girls, and Game of Thrones. In this anthology, you'll discover supernatural thrillers, crime mysteries, horror, comedies, and more.


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Praise for Empower: Fight Like A Girl

"Even non-girls will feel empowered by these stories about ordinary, flawed characters finding their own strengths. Highly entertaining and original."
- Lee Goldberg, New York Times bestselling author of The Chase and King City, whose mother lost her hearing to lupus.


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Authors contributing stories to this volume include:


  • Amy Berg
  • Cherry Chevapravatdumrong
  • Akela Cooper
  • Liz Edwards
  • Jane Espenson
  • Shalisha Francis & Nadine Knight
  • Lisa Klink
  • Pang-Ni Landrum
  • Lauren LeFranc
  • Kam Miller
  • Jess Pineda
  • Jennifer Quintenz
  • Lisa Randolph
  • Kay Reindl
  • Kira Snyder
  • Jeane Wong





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    Need another reason to check it out?
    Your wish granted!




    All proceeds from the sales of this title will be donated to the non-profit Lupus Foundation of America to help solve the cruel mystery of lupus.  So help do your part in putting an end to this terrible affliction and gain a new title for your reading list.  I'd call that a win win if I ever saw one....

    Special thanks to author Jennifer Quintenz for the head's up on this release celebration.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title or to pick up a copy to call your own, seek thee out your favorite online retailer.  Also, all facts/info listed in this post were obtained from the Lupus Foundation of America website.  For more information on this condition, feel free to click through the links found within this post.

    Until next time...happy reading!




    2 comments:

    1. An awful condition, thank you for providing this information about Lupus.

      A book I've seen featured on several sites. Though not a big fan of short stories as you know this does however seem an impressive list of authors.

      ReplyDelete
    2. I have a friend that has Lupus. Great post!

      ReplyDelete