#WednesdayWordswithFriends Welcomes Lynne Podrat!

Good Morning Friends!

We're heading out to camp for a few days so I'm not going to take up too much of your time. Instead, I'll introduce new-to-me-and-our-blog author, Lynne Podrat whose memoir, Listen to Me is on tour with Premier Virtual Author Book Tours! Take it away Lynne....

If I were a Vegetable.

One of the most interesting questions I have been asked during an interview was, “If you were a vegetable, what would you be?” Hm… really good question, I thought. Not having hours to work this through, I went with my first instinct, my favorite vegetable, potatoes. I love potatoes, mashed especially, baked, fried, crisped, really makes no difference. Of course, this is in direct conflict with my healthy life style and eating habits. Meaning, no carbohydrates from pasta, breads or potatoes. My carbohydrate intake comes from eggplant, zucchini, the many different squashes, the occasional sweet potato, and weekend cocktail.

 

So, how do I reconcile that a vegetable I love, but only eat on very rare occasion possibly represent my core being? Elementary, my dears, elementary. I do not have to eat myself to be perfectly represented in spirit. The Potato offers a variety of shape and color, my skin tone changes with the seasons, versatile in texture and flexibility, I power walk and run, dragon boat or paddleboard, and have softer skin with lotion, great in so many food recipes and drink recipes as it is used to make vodka, but never loses its own identity or flavor

Of course, I stole that question to use as an ice-breaker for a zoom chat I was hosting.

Lynne Podrat graduated from the Pennsylvania State University and then spent fifteen years in the Fashion Industry as an Assistant Buyer and Department Manager with Bloomingdales Department Store before returning to school to receive her educational degrees from Arcadia University and Gynedd Mercy.

A retired educator and Administrator from the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania School District, she taught English, literature, composition and history in elementary and secondary schools.

She has secretly been a writer and poet her whole life, but has only recently chosen to share those talents with the world. Lynne now lives with her husband in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, spending winters dragon boating where her heart races and summers hiking the Rockies in Vail, Colorado where her heart sings. Connect with her on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Lynne's book, Listen To Me: How My Down Syndrome Brother Saved My Life is a memoir written to honor her youngest brother’s influence over her life, the good, the bad, and the ugly of living with a Down Syndrome sibling. It tells the story of the children in her family, despite their parents’ frailties, remaining committed to each other through life’s many changes and separations. "Who I am today is directly related to the who I needed to become," Lynne says.

Listen To Me ~ Review by Gracie

A powerful read about the love of family and finding yourself through helping others. 

When Lynne Podrat was 13 years old, her mother gave birth to a baby brother. Already having one younger brother, Lynne was familiar with the process but found herself very surprised to meet her new brother, Bruce and discover that he had down syndrome. 

Lynne immediately found herself loving her little brother, and took it upon herself to stop her parents from giving his care over to the state so that he could be placed in a group home. For the rest of his life, Bruce and Lynne shared a special bond that changed and enriched both of them and gave them a sense of family. 

Over the course of college, marriages, divorces, children and retirement, Lynne continued to care for Bruce, constantly finding herself learning new things from him even as she struggled to continue to teach him things that many of us would consider basic, like reading and writing. 

In her book, 'Listen To Me: How My Down Syndrome Brother Saved My Life,' Lynne creates what is sort of a tribute to the life of her younger brother, who unfortunately died from cancer in 2020. Writing about the life of Bruce, Lynne makes the reader feel as if we knew him ourselves, as so many people in his community seemed to. 

Bruce seemed like he was a really great person, and, after reading this book, you feel glad to have gotten to know him. 

This is a short read, but well worth picking up, as it contains a special wisdom that only someone who has been through the things that the author has can offer. A memoir that is touching, funny and irreverent, 'Listen To Me,' is a one-of-a-kind read that will leave you feeling uplifted. 

Buy Listen To Me by Lynne Podrat at Amazon, Barnes&Noble, or IndieBound

Follow the tour and enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance to win 1 of 3 print copies! (US only).

Tour Schedule:

Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus Mar 14 Kickoff & Interview

Dee Amazon Mar 17 Review

Andy K. Amazon Mar 21 Review

Becky Life as Rog Mar 22 Review

Gracie-Pamela S Thibodeaux Blog Mar 23 Guest Review & Guest Post

Gud Reader Storeybook Reviews Mar 24 Guest Review & Excerpt

Vicki I’d Rather Be At The Beach Mar 25 Review & Excerpt

Am Goodreads Mar 29 Review

Laura Lee Celticlady’s Reviews Mar 30 Guest Review & Guest Post

Jas International Book Promotion Mar 31 Review

Lu Ann Rockin’ Book Reviews April 1 Review & Guest Post

Lynelle Inspire to Read April 4 Review & Excerpt

Linda Lu Goodreads April 6 Review

Bee Book Pleasures April 8 Review & Interview

Katy Goodreads April 11 Review

Betty Toots Book Reviews April 12 Review

Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus April 13 Review

Suzie My Tangled Skeins Book Reviews April 14 Review

Hope you enjoyed today's post and that you'll drop by weekly for more Wednesday Words with Friends and Saturday Spotlights!

Until next time take care and God bless.

PamT