a little girl called squeaks: It has been a long time since I have posted on my ...

a little girl called squeaks: It has been a long time since I have posted on my ...: It has been a long time since I have posted on my blog, however, the book is still selling and encouraging people there is hope. In our worl...

It has been a long time since I have posted on my blog, however, the book is still selling and encouraging people there is hope. In our world where hope is so badly needed, Laura's story shows everyone that it is never too late to reach out and embrace it. 
With the use of Fentanyl in the street drugs,  many people dying and the cycle of addiction often is generational. 

I recently was at a funeral where a young man died of an overdose. It moved me to tears to hear his story. So many were devastated by his death because he, like so many, are kind and loving people. 
 I loved the way the pastor and those who spoke were so open to why he died calling drugs a demon that held them so tightly it was nearly impossible to get clean. 

NEARLY is the key word. God and others are there if we can in our state of hopelessness have someone to lead us to him. . Whether it is through AA or a close friend they will choose to see the truth of the demon they serve and become healthy and whole once again. 

Hi Everyone,
 Before I begin I would like to thank everyone who has purchased a book. So far we have sold over 1000 and both Laura and I are very encouraged from the comments we have received. One thing I have learned is it is very difficult to have your book placed in big stores such as Costco. Apparently it is common practice to only sell books that are published by someone other than yourself. I wish I had known that sooner, who knows, maybe someone would have published it, either way I know Laura's story has helped others and that was our goal.
We are going to do one last big push for the book, so on June 8th/12 we are asking all you tweeters to tweet your friends and have them tweet theirs about the book. You can hash tag it as story of hope, overcoming alcoholism, poverty hurts children, abuse, or whatever else you think might catch someone's interest and click on the tweet. There are also some url postings that you could cut and past as well. Thanks again for all you have done, and please help up get a million tweets, okay, I am a very positive thinker. Also, watch for our YouTube presentation coming soon.

Watch this once more.

I recently watched the video of Laura again and it reminded me of how her story can help so many of us on various levels.
To the addict, it brings hope.
To those of us that have never lived this life style, it brings understanding.
It reminds all of us every child has a right to live in a world where they are loved and not abused.
It should shake us up in a way that we will become the voice for those children whose voices have been taken away from them
Also, a big thank you to all those who are great Foster Parents, you are a gift.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwe9GR0a9Vk&feature=share

Writer pens moving tale

Writer pens moving tale

Such a Miracle

Hi, you will notice on the twitter side of the blog we were actually on Shaw TV. Sometimes I can't believe where this book has lead us. When we started our goal was to serve God and help others and never dreamed we would get the exposure we have gotten. Laura did a great job at the Princeton's Young Life Women's camp. One thing we all can learn from this book is that when we look at someone, we don't know what or where they've come from. So often we judge when we have no right to do so.

Kirkus New York - Review

 The review from Kirkus arrived today. Here it is:

Life coach and inspirational speaker Maddigan tells Laura Gilbert’s story—an unlikely triumph over abuse, addiction and despair.
Gilbert’s childhood was so bleak that it’s tempting to compare her to one of Charles Dickens’ abused, impoverished urchins; born to an alcoholic, pill-popping mother (father unknown), young Laura—nicknamed Squeaks by one of her mother’s boyfriends—endured her tender years in squalid hotel rooms in the slums of 1960s Vancouver. It was a world of rats and filth, brawls and bacchanals. Her mother existed in a state of stupefaction or rage, leaving Laura unfed, unwashed and unschooled. Often abandoned for days on end, Laura stole to eat and her only companions were street pigeons and a stuffed panda. Occasional rescues by social services—plus the good will of neighbors, a church lady, Laura’s loving grandmother and a girlfriend or two—provided temporary relief and much-needed meals, but never a permanent home, ultimately leaving Laura at her mother’s mercy once more. She soon learned to fight back, at one point stabbing her mother in self-defense.
Neglect and mistreatment planted their seeds, and booze, drugs and men eventually seduced Laura as they had her mother, with predictable results. At 18, Laura shared her mother’s helplessness—“[W]e both felt like our lives were a prison sentence.” As Laura becomes a mother, then a wife, her alcoholism grows acute and her self-destructive nature erupts. The cycle of drinking, regret, shame and drinking again will be familiar to anyone who has battled addictions or witnessed their destructive path through families. Maddigan writes convincingly in Laura’s voice, though at times the language feels too casual and naïve for the more sordid episodes.
And while Laura’s plight is moving, the litany of her misfortunes may exhaust some readers’ sympathies. A careful proofreading would have helped as well. Fortunately the sun finally shines in this dark book that culminates in a series of personal testaments—and a reprise of earlier characters—revealing how an unwanted, troubled girl learned to cherish and heal herself.
A journey from squalor to wholeness, occasionally tiring but ultimately uplifting.
-Kirkus