Aspergers, autism, mother's love, thriller

Saving Max: February Barnes & Noble Fiction Book Club

Want to discuss the book with other readers and the author?

We are pleased to announce that Barnes & Noble has selected Saving Max for the monthly Fiction Book Club Discussion this February!

Join readers and Antoinette as we discuss Saving Max on the Barnes & Noble Community online, as well as invite others through Facebook and Twitter.  The discussion will be divided into three main parts, starting with answering some questions about your take on the book and the characters.  Click here to join the conversation now!

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The Pains of Getting Published

Getting published is somewhat like planting a garden, living through summer heat waves when everything dies, and then – miraculously – there is a blessed flood and the fruits of your labors finally surprise and delight you.

I am a debut author, so my experience is very fresh in my mind.  I started writing my novel twelve (yes, twelve) years ago.  I had written all my life, but had never embarked upon writing a novel.  As a former lawyer (you know all lawyers think they can write and have a great novel inside them just waiting to be typed), I learned my craft by writing and re-writing.  And I mean rewriting.  By the time my book, a thriller, was published, I had rewritten the novel twenty-three times.  Thousands of trees lie strewn in the forests from the paper that hit my circular file.  I did learn my craft on that book and am very hopeful that I will never have to suffer the agony and years it took to put that one together.  If it does, I’ll be in Depends by the time the next one is published. Read more »

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Book Signing at Borders in Austin, TX

We had a great time last night at the book signing at Borders in Austin, TX. Thanks to all of my friends who attended the event!

Here is a picture of my son Brendan and I enjoying the company.

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Learning To Let Go

I am the parent of two autistic children, one of whom is Asperger’s, now age 22. The hardest part about my son’s transition into young adulthood was just letting go. As most parents of special needs children, I over-functioned for him – big time.

Not only did I protect him from children who bullied him and doctors and psychiatrists who just didn’t seem to get him, but I did things for him he simply couldn’t do for himself. Read more »

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It’s so good to be home! I’ve spent the past two weekends doing signings in San Antonio and Dallas. Check out the Press section of the website to see a television interview I did on WOAI-TV San Antonio.

It’s so gratifying to meet readers (and potential readers) at these signings and have the opportunity to see you face-to-face. The next signing is in Houston on December 16, particulars to follow. Look forward to seeing you there!

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TV appearance in San Antonio tomorrow on WOAI from 10-11am CST!

I’m excited about appearing on the show tomorrow and talking about SAVING MAX! It will be my first television interview, so cross your fingers for me. (I always imagine things like tripping over the stage or sitting there with my mouth open and nothing coming out – although that’s unlikely because I never seem to keep it shut most of the time!:)

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I’m going to have book signings in San Antonio, Austin, Houston and Dallas in November. Schedule TBA. Hope to see you there!

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A book signing made meaningful

I went to my first book signing in a small town in Texas, where I live, and was so pleased to see so many people there. The most important thing that happened to me was meeting a mother with an Asperger’s son, whom she had brought with her. She hugged me and thanked me for writing the book and her son, who avoided eye contact, still grabbed my hand. Apparently he is only comforted when someone “types” on his chest. I told him I was a writer and a mother and asked if it were all right with him if I “typed” on his chest. I typed away, complete with clicking noises, and he smiled – the first facial expression I had seen him have. His mother hugged me again, thanked me, and we talked about the difficulties in raising these wonderful children. It made my day. I hope every signing offers the opportunity to connect with these mothers and their children. It makes me believe that something I’ve done might actually help someone feel that they are not alone.

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Win an autographed copy of SAVING MAX!

Hi everyone! I am giving away five signed copies of the book. All you have to do to get one is to submit your story about a challenge or challenges you’ve faced in your life as a mother. I know everyone out there has amazing experiences to share and I’ll read them all and select three winners. Let me hear from you!! Antoinette

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Daily Tips for Helping Your Autistic Child

Avoid overwhelming situations

I am often asked, having two autistic sons, what advice I, as a mother, can give from my experience having raised my boys to adulthood. When they were young, these are some of the things I learned:

1. Make a daily schedule. Don’t just make a schedule–write it down, show it to your child and, if at all possible – stick to it. The thing that used to drive my boys into confusion and anger was, for example, if we planned to go to a movie at 2pm and then had to change it to 4pm. Sticking to a plan makes them feel safe. Variation causes intense agitation.

2. Avoid overwhelming situations.  For us, parties, large public gatherings, school plays, a loud movie theater – all had to be considered in advance and a retreat plan put into place in case one or both boys got overwhelmed. One thing I dreaded was taking the boys to Target. Even having repeated many times before we got there that we would not be buying any toys, my son, in particular, would wander to the toy department and come running up to me with a Lego set that cost at least $100 and demand that I buy it for him. When I explained again that it was too expensive and that we were not there to buy toys, he would hit me and throw himself down onto the floor and scream bloody murder.

I had to physically drag him out of the store with every mother watching me and shaking their heads. You could read their thoughts: What kind of mother can’t control her child? He’s obviously spoiled rotten. All she needs to do is discipline him. The looks that accompanied those stares, along with the manager asking us to leave, was a terrible experience. It wrung me out and took my son hours to calm down afterwards. Why did I put myself and my son into that situation? Because I couldn’t leave him at home (no one would babysit him!) and working mothers have to shop sometime for their clothes and just daily necessaries.

I will continue posting tips for moms, but I’m curious–what works well for you?

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Buy the Books

The Tulip Eaters

tulip-3d

Available from these retailers:

  • amazon
  • amazonkindle
  • barnesnoble
  • indiebound
  • Kobo
  • iBookstore Logo

Saving Max

saving-max-3d

Available from these retailers:

  • harlequin
  • amazon
  • barnesnoble
  • indiebound
  • walmart

Discuss



Talk about Saving Max or The Tulip Eaters on Good Reads.

Praise

“Antoinette van Heugten combines the tender, unshakable bond between mother and son with an action-packed, edge-of-your-seat thriller.” — Diane Chamberlain, bestselling author of THE LIES WE TOLD

Scribd

Sample & Readcast The Tulip Eaters and Saving Max on Scribd.

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