And here it is: the cover of my new novel!

Release date:

May 1st!

bp Magazine Review

Where are the Cocoa Puffs? A Family’s Journey Through Bipolar Disorder

By Karen Winters Schwartz (Goodman Beck Publishing, 2010)

Reviewed by Kelsey Osgood

It’s a parent’s nightmare: a teenage daughter, once a well-adjusted, academic achiever, suddenly begins to fray at the edges. Despite everyone’s best efforts, she tumbles down the wormhole into bipolar disorder, bringing her parents and the rest of the family along for the ride.

Where Are the Cocoa Puffs? A Family’s Journey Through Bipolar Disorder, the debut novel of Karen Winters Schwartz, tracks the Benson family as their eldest child, 18- year-old Amanda, is diagnosed and struggles with euphoric hallucinations, crippling depressions, suicidal thoughts, a nostalgia for mania, and eventually, a hospitalization. The story is in some ways unbelievably tidy, the most obvious example being Ryan, the instantly devoted, endlessly patient boyfriend. But what Schwartz does so well is give each character ample space and time to express how the illness has affected him or her. The most interesting dilemma is that of Jerry Benson, Amanda’s father, also a psychiatrist. Throughout the story, he wrestles with his psychiatric rationale and his emotional paternal instincts. His decisions are often questionable, but this is a forgiving book and a gentle writer, one who makes sure each character is seen as both flawed and beautiful, or in a word: human.

Sneak Preview of Interior Layout for Reis's Pieces!

Check out the awesome formatting and chapter headings my publisher has come up with for Reis's Pieces!

Sneak Preview From My New Novel

My new novel: Reis's Pieces: Love, Loss, and Schizophrenia will be released in May! We are busy with the final edits! As with Where Are the Cocoa Puffs?: A Family's Journey Through Bipolar Disorder, I thought I'd share a few excerpts now and then.

Reis settled into the leather chair and sighed at the doctor. “I feel like I’m being tested.”

“Tested?” asked Dr. Benson.

“Well, more like a child, really…or a criminal. Like my life isn’t my own.”

Dr. Benson frowned, then nodded and waited.

“It’s like, now that I’m part of this system, there’s no way out. So many people looking after my welfare.... It’s rather insulting.” Reis stood up and began to pace. “It’s not like I committed a crime against society. I’m not a criminal.” He stopped and appealed to Dr. Benson. “Why do I feel like I’m trapped? No longer able to man my own life?”

Dr. Benson leaned forward, rested an elbow on his knee, and placed his chin in his hand. “Reis, the system’s there for you. As you said, to look after your welfare. As long as you’re not a danger to yourself or anyone else, you’re free to walk away.”

Reis sat back down in the chair and ran his fingers through his hair. He tried to stop the gasp of sorrow that escaped from his mouth, but he just couldn’t. He rubbed his fingers into his eyes and looked at Dr. Benson. “But don’t you see? Don’t you understand? I have nowhere to go.”

My Favorite Cocoa Puffs Cookie Recipe!

As Promised: Something to do with all those boxes of Cocoa Puffs purchased at the NAMI SE Minnesota dinner!

Cocoa Puff Cookies

By Moe! Larry! Cheese! on April 05, 2005

2 Reviews

• 
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Total Time: 9 mins
• Servings: 24

About This Recipe

"Comes from "Favorite Fixins from Fafnir Folks" cookbook. Cooking times may vary."

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup Karo syrup
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 1/2 cups peanut butter
• 4 cups Cocoa Puffs cereal

Directions

1. In a large pot; bring to a boil the sugar, syrup and honey.
2. Boil until sugar is almost melted.
3. Stir in peanut butter and then the Coco Puffs.
4. Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper and let cool. Store in a air-tight container.

   
   

   I spread them in a glass casserole and then cut them in squares once set. Thanks to all from NAMI SE Minnesota!

   
   
   

NAMI Advocate Review

NAMI Bookshelf

Where are the Cocoa Puffs?: A Family’s Journey Through Bipolar Disorder
Karen Winters Schwartz
Goodman Beck Publishing (2010)

Where are the Cocoa Puffs? illustrates how a well-crafted piece of fiction can be effective at explaining the experience of mental illness. The story unfolds like the chronology of an earthquake, with 18-year-old Amanda at the epicenter and those close to her being shaken to varying degrees by the development of her illness. Just like in documentary photographs of a quake or a storm, what communicates the hugeness of the event are snapshots of the details: a troubling conversation in which Amanda plans to cure blindness and deafness; a trip with the extended family; the breakdown on the cereal aisle because there are no Cocoa Puffs; mother Carol’s tears in a restaurant that reminds her of happier times or Amanda’s younger sister acting out with the wrong guy. Bipolar disorder shows itself to be a storm that peaks and levels and rages again, but that is best communicated by daily events like meals or a mundane activity cut short by a phone call signaling the beginning of a new stage of crisis.

One of the most gripping themes in Cocoa Puffs is watching Amanda’s father, a psychiatrist, slowly recognize and come to terms with his daughter’s illness. The reader sees events such as the first suicidal conversation and the first hospitalization through the eyes of someone who has experienced them many times before—but not like this. In one moving scene, Jerry receives a prescription from his daughter’s psychiatrist and finds himself lingering, knowing that this is all the doctor can give him, but wishing the other man could just give him some reassurance about his daughter’s illness.

Another interesting element in the book is Amanda’s relationship with her boyfriend, Ryan. Older, long-haired, not currently in school, he is not what her parents ideally want for her in a partner. But over time, he becomes a powerful support to both Amanda and the rest of the family. Like the NAMI Family-to-Family class that helps Carol, Ryan shows how sometimes families find healing outside the family. When the reader is inside Ryan’s head, it’s like a moment of calm. All the worries, anger and projections from the minds of the rest of the family stop, and we can just appreciate what he loves about Amanda, even as we see his own struggle to understand her illness.

Unlike its title, the book is not always sweet—sex, strong language and drugs are all part of this slice of life. In keeping with the naturalistic tone, the book’s resolution is a glimmer of normalcy. After many months of painful ups and downs, mother and daughter finally meet in the middle for a regular conversation. “Wow,” the family says together. Readers with all degrees of familiarity with mental illness may very well find themselves saying the same at the end of the book.

Reviewed by Kim Puchir

To order: http://www.amazon.com/Where-Are-Cocoa-Puffs-Disorder/dp/0979875560/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314195032&sr=8-1

New Release of a Wonderful Cookbook!

I'm very excited to announce the official release of my mother, Dot's, cookbook! In honor of her upcoming eightieth birthday, her original book, The Old Caterer's Favorite Hors d'oeuvres has been updated and published by Bryce Cullen Publishing. Copies of this beautiful addition can be easily ordered from Barnes & Noble or Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1935752081/ref=cm_cr_thx_view

This cookbook is a result of over half a century of Dot Winters entertaining others and is quite possibly (definitely) one of the most comprehensive hors d'oeuvre cookbooks ever assembled! Filled with amazing recipes, laced with wise personal commentary and seasoned social advice, The Old Caterer's Hors d'oeuvres is more than a cookbook—it's a way of life.

You can also "Like" The Old Caterer's Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Old-Caterers-Favorite-Hors-doeuvres/194759750584100

Please pass this news along to others in support of a lifetime of great eating, entertaining and cooking!