D'Ann Renner's DANCING FROM THE SHADOWS

Author D'Ann Renner & Dancing from the Shadows

published by Ambassador International 2012

In her own unique way of writing, D'Ann brought forth a truly wonderful tale. From the first page I was captured and pulled into a story that gave me a heart-rendering and intimate look inside life with a special needs child. To make it even more potent, D'Ann Renner shows, not just tells about, life with an adopted special needs child. From laughter to tears and back again, this book is more than just a story...it's a look into true family love.

The title, to me, is most profound. Life with a special needs can be hard, at most times frustrating. It can feel as though you are living in the shadow of the world, but it doesn't necessarily have to be that way. Her portrait of the heartache, the joy, and the wonder of life is an eyeopener to a world most cannot even imagine, and it is a definite must read.

Read below for a more intimate look inside D'Ann Renner's writing career and why she wrote Dancing from the Shadows.

"I’ve always enjoyed writing, and dreamed that someday I’d write a book. Time passes, life gets away from you. I had a successful career in marketing, then quit to raise our two children. Our son has autism, and as I went through the adventure of raising him, people told me repeatedly I should write a book. I always said I was too busy living the life to stop and write about it.

But then I kept hearing about murder/suicides in the autism community. Parents with no hope would decide it was their only viable option. I was appalled. Autism is hard, sure, but it doesn’t need to be a death sentence! It can also be a gift. So I wrote “Dancing From the Shadows” a fictionalized composite of life in the special needs world. In it , I try to showcase the pain, laughter, and growth opportunities provided by our unique children.

My biggest fear is that my writing won’t touch anyone. My goal is to bring praise to my Lord Jesus Christ by encouraging people, making them laugh, making them think. If I can’t do that, why bother writing?

I have learned it’s more fun to write a book than to promote it! I’m the master of ceremonies at an autism conference this week. That will be a fun way to promote the book, but I feel uneasy about constantly tooting my own horn. I realize as I write this that I’ve been supposed to be posting book reviews on my author facebook page every week, and I haven’t done it lately. My last blog post is at least ten days old and I haven’t sent any queries on speaking engagements this week. Bad, bad author!

My next project is a “cozy” mystery. The book, currently titled “Grandi Needs Killing,” features two of the characters from “Dancing From the Shadows.” While this book touches on special needs (one of the suspects has autism and another has Asperger’s Syndrome, it’s a lighter read in the classic whodunit style. The rough draft should be complete in a few months, then, if I follow the pattern I did with “Dancing”, I’ll spend at least another year re-writing it!

Thanks for the opportunity to share!" 

Connect more with D'Ann Renner at www.dannrenner.com
Follow her on Twitter @DAnnRenner
And on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Dannrennerauthor