Susan Senator

I am trying to get gigs for book groups, book talks and autism group talks.  Below is some of the publicity material for my latest book, my novel Dirt: A Story About Gardening, Mothering, and Other Messy Business.

Susan Senator is a writer, speaker, political activist, wife, and the mother of three boys, the oldest of whom is 22 and is severely autistic. Susan likes to say: “With autism, never say ‘never.’” She is the author of the Exceptional Parent Award-winning Making Peace With Autism:  One Family’s Story of Struggle, Discovery, and Unexpected Gifts, (Trumpeter, 2005), and The Autism Mom’s Survival Guide (For Dads, Too!):  Creating a Balanced and Happy Life While Raising a Child with Autism (Trumpeter, 2010)  Her new novel, Dirt: A Story About Gardening, Mothering, and Other Messy Business (Stellated Books, 2011) features a severely autistic young man as one of the main characters.

Susan has written articles and essays on disability, education, parenting, and living happily, in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Boston Globe, Exceptional Parent Magazine, Family Fun, and Education Week. Susan also teaches English at Suffolk University in Boston and is a popular blogger. Her writings took her to a state dinner at the White House in honor of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and the Special Olympics, in 2006. Susan is available for booktalks, conferences, and workshops. See http://susansenator.com

Here is what some have had to say about Dirt:

“Loved it top to bottom! Senator’s prose makes colors and emotions bloom like rare flowers on the page. A glimpse into the marriage garden, weeds and all, with a story that blossoms before you.”   —Kim Stagliano, author (with foreword by Jenny McCarthy) of All I Can Handle: I’m No Mother Teresa

“Dirt is an honest and moving novel about very real people. Anyone whose own family isn’t perfect (and that’s all of us) will relate to the Grahams’ struggles to hold on to each other when so much threatens to pull them apart. Sometimes you can’t solve all your kids’ problems—sometimes you just have to love them. Senator understands this and she makes us understand it too.”           —Claire LaZebnik, author of Families and Other Nonreturnable Gifts

“Susan Senator’s novel, Dirt is as pleasurable as it is unforgettable. Through vivid characters and seamless prose, Dirt gets to the heart of family and the power of love to pull us through. Dirt is a book you will take with you long after you’ve devoured the last word.”    —Emily Miles Terry, New York Times Bestselling Author, Nesting: It’s a Chick Thing

“Senator gets it all right. The characters breathe, they are all likable, believable people struggling to do the best they can under enormous pressures. It’s a realistic novel: things don’t magically get better, problems don’t disappear, but what does crystallize is the parents’ intention to see each family member as the unique individual he is, and to honor that individuality and the specific needs and issues, rather than focusing on how those individuals revolve around Nick and his needs. One of the better books I’ve read that incorporates autism into its narrative and one I can wholeheartedly recommend.” —Kim Wombles, blogger, Autism Blogs Directory