Two Tales of Triumph: Wendy Launius’ and Cara Brookins’ Books to be Released

I’ve very excited to share some news.  Two very strong ladies, Wendy Launius, an aneurysm survivor, and Cara Brookins, a domestic violence victim, have written books about triumph in their lives.  Each shares their story of strength and courage.

I Still ShineI’ve known Wendy Launius since she was a student at Little Elm High School, where I taught in the 90’s.  Wendy and I reconnected some time back, and I enjoyed her posts, and our conversations, about her modeling and upcoming acting gig.

Wendy and I had even been talking about doing a photo shoot when she suffered a Brain Aneurysm. Wendy survived and is fighting to gain her strength and get her life back to as “Normal” as possible. She has plans to get back into modeling, and I don’t doubt that she’ll make it.

If you’ve found the page Survivor and Success Stories: Living a Good Life, By Choiceyou might have read Wendy’s story, the “Readers Digest” condensed version.

Wendy has written a book , I Still Shine, in hopes that her story will provide hope for victims and families of victims.  You can learn more about I Still Shine, and pre-order your copy HERE.

 

Rise_front_miniI’ve come to know Cara Brookins, and her children, a little via Twitter.  Somehow I first connected with her daughter, Hope Brookins (An Event and Meeting Planner) through Tweets, in which Cara became a part of.  Light hearted Twitter-Banter lead, eventually, to my learning the family’s story.

Cara and her children are victims of domestic violence and stalking.  Despite such a background they have moved forward in life.  Needing a place to live Cara decided that they would build a house.  They did just that.  No, they didn’t have one built, they BUILT the house themselves!! (Check out photos HERE)

Cara’s book RISE: How a House Built a Family tells the tale of a family of survivors that built a house to rebuild themselves.  You can learn more about Cara’s book HERE.

These two ladies and their families are living my mantra, “Aside from death, no matter what happens to you, life goes on.  How yours goes depends on you.”  Each lives on as Victor, not willing to live the life victim.  Each could easily use their experiences as a crutch, but instead, they are determined to live life fully, and hopefully motivate others to do so.