# The Only Life There Is, a novel about living and loving in spite of autism



## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

All Sarah and Evan Davis have ever wanted was a child, but after two dangerous miscarriages, they face a childless future which seems unbearable. Against her doctor's advice, Sarah allows herself to get pregnant one last time. Evan fears the pregnancy will kill her. Instead she gives birth to a son, Kade. He is a perfect child until she and Evan start seeing the signs of autism which begin to shut down their dreams one by one. Evan and Sarah struggle with the thought of never having a normal life until the unthinkable happens. Kade drowns, leaving Evan and Sarah to face a normal life once again, but that life is broken and scarred. It will take a miracle for their marriage to come through the dark passage of grief ahead.











_--- created Kindle ebook link_


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## Lynn McNamee (Jan 8, 2009)

Got my copy.

Thanks!


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

Thanks, Red.  I hope you enjoy.


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## Tangiegirl (Dec 21, 2008)

Sampled.  Thanks!

ETA:  Bought it


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

I hope you enjoy the sample.


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## luvkin (Sep 25, 2009)

I just ordered your book; anything to do with autism interests me as I have a friend with 2 autistic children and she is the most vocal advocate for these wonderful kids!


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

Thank you for the order.  I have an autistic daughter, and so some of this book was based on my experiences in trying to understand her behavior.  I'm also a teacher and so I see a lot of parents who struggle with accepting this disorder.  I wish your friend well, too.  Her children are lucky because parents are the greatest resource children, autistic or otherwise, can have.


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

I've just released The Only Life There Is in print for your non-Kindle friends.

Thanks


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

A new review for The Only Life by state autism consultant is posted on my website:  www.mariarachelhooley.com.  Here's a slice of that review.

"...a realistic portrayal of the struggles that parents face with autism and their autistic child."
                                              ---Cynthia Hagans, Autism Consultant (Lawton Public Schools)


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

As the parent of a child on the autism spectrum, one of my goals with this book is to give readers an idea of how an autistic child behaves.  In this case, I created a child who would be labeled with classic autism due to a speech delay, fixations, and impaired social abilities.  My second aim with this novel is to also demonstrate how autism affects the family.  I've met and worked with numerous parents of autistic children, and I don't think there is a single one who doesn't think from time to time how great it would be to have a 'normal' life.  In order to have that normal life, you can't have an autistic child in the picture.  This novel also examines how parents must deal with the loss of a child and an abrupt return to a 'normal' life.


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

Here's the new blurb for The Only Life There Is

All Sarah and Evan Davis ever wanted was a child, but after two dangerous miscarriages, they face an unbearable—and uncertain—future. Evan tries to console her, but Sarah refuses to be swayed. Against doctor's advice, Sarah allows herself to get pregnant, and this time gives birth to a beautiful boy, Kade. At long last, both Sarah and Evan believe their lives are complete, at least until their son is diagnosed with autism, something neither of them expected—a change that leads to an even harsher reality: sometimes love, no matter how hard, must be enough.


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

I've set up a Facebook fan page for The Only Life There Is at http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/The-Only-Life-There-Is/117681494932860. Feel free to come over and take a peek.


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

Currently Amazon has The Only Life There Is on sale for .79.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I'm going to put the 'rules reminder' in this thread too. . . .we don't want anyone to have to look to far to find it 

We invite you to use your book cover as your avatar and have links to your book and website in your signature. Be sure to read the fine print below. Don't forget to bookmark this thread so you can update it. Although self-promotion is limited to the Book Bazaar, most of our authors have found the best way to promote their books is to be as active throughout KindleBoards as time allows. This is your target audience--book lovers with Kindles!

Thanks for being part of KindleBoards! Feel free to PM us if you have any questions.

Betsy & Ann
Book Bazaar Moderators

_The fine print:
Please add to your existing book thread when you have news about your book rather than start a new one, it helps the members who are trying to follow you. You may have a separate thread for each of your books. We recommend you bookmark your post so that you can find it in the future.  You may respond to all posts, but if there have been no member posts, we ask that you wait a week before "bumping" the thread by posting back-to-back posts of your own. And we ask that Amazon reviews not be repeated here as they are easy to find at your book link. Also, full reviews from other sites should not be posted here, but you may post a short blurb and a link to the full review instead. All this, and more, is included in our Forum Decorum. From time to time our site rules may change; be sure to check Forum Decorum (http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,36.0.html) for the current guidelines and rules. _


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

I am the featured author over at Kolina Topel's blog. Stop in and leave a comment. You could win the omnibus edition of Sojourner. http://www.kolinatopel.blogspot.com/


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

The Only Life is still discounted to .79.


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## meljackson (Nov 19, 2008)

Thanks! Just one-clicked.

Melissa


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

Melissa,  I hope you enjoy it!  As a parent of a child on the autism spectrum, I had built-in research.


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

Just my weekly promotion for The Only Life There Is.


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

As the parent of daughter on the autism spectrum and an author of a novel that deals with the impact of autism, I thought I'd share a website with a CDC website that might shock you. [/SIZE]]http://www.autismspeaks.org/donate/we_need_answers.php


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

The Only Life is still on sale.


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

Just my weekly promotion for The Only Life There Is.  Have a great weekend!


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

I've changed the price of the The Only life to 2.99 but Amazon currently has it on sale for 1.00.  I'm not sure how long that will last so if you are interested in the novel, you might want to get it soon.


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

Just my weekly promotion for The Only  Life There Is.  Have a great week!


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

Here is a snippet from The Only Life There Is

    He turned toward her, scrutinizing her features.  “I want a baby, too, Sarah.  But more than that, I want you.”
    She nodded.  “You’re right.  I know.  Whether I should’ve gotten pregnant or not, I am.  And we have to deal with it.  I can’t abort this baby and go on like it never happened.  But no matter what, this will be the last time, I promise.”  She reached for his hand, and her smaller fingers barely covered his. 
    “I’ve heard that before.”  His voice sounded rough, as though it had been abraded by sand paper.
    “I mean it.  This is the last go round.”  She leaned against the seat and watched as he turned into their driveway.  “Maybe this will go better.  Maybe it won’t.  But I’ll have my tubes tied either way.”
    He let the engine idle, staring straight ahead until Sarah wondered where he’d gone and how to get him back.  “Did you hear me?  I said I’d get my tubes tied after this.”
    “Yeah,” he began carefully.  “I heard you.”
    “Well, say something,” she urged.
    In a lighter, playful moment, he would’ve said, “All right.  Something.”  But this, this was not that moment, and laughter did not touch his eyes.  Instead when he finally killed the engine and turned to her, she found his expression haunting.  “I’m afraid.”
    She squeezed his hand and took a deep breath.  “That makes two of us.”


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## Braveart (Aug 20, 2010)

I Will read this one in a heartbeat!!
Shirley B Nichols


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

I hope you enjoy it, Shirley!


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## wayneacp (Aug 31, 2010)

Wow...this really hits home.  My wife and I are proud parents of 12 year old triplets - two of whom are autistic.

Ten years ago, we lived in a home with a pool in the backyard.  We installed childproof fences around the perimeter of the pool. One day, my wife and I went to a party and left the kids at home with our nanny and a babysitter.  They were all playing in the backyard (on the other side of the fence from the pool). About 30 minutes into it, our nanny asks about Tyler, one of our sons, and they begin looking around the yard and the house.  Afer looking everywhere, she looked into the pool, and on the shallow end, Tyler was in the pool, balancing on his toes, with his face towards the sky, with only his nose above the surface of the water.

Our nanny screamed and jumped into the water and he was fine.  Apparently, he had managed to climb a 5 foot high retaining wall and climb back down into the pool area and walk into the shallow end of the pool. If he had walked to the other side of the pool, which was 9 feet deep, it would have over...

The ironic thing, is that Tyler is the triplet who isn't autistic.

Anyways, I will get your book. I'm sure I'll be able to identify with much of it.  I've read that while the divorce rate of Americans is nearly 50%, but that with families of autistic children it's closer to 80%. I can't even imagine what the rate is for families with two autistic children! Well, we're going on 18 years together and still going strong.

Thanks for sharing this book with us.


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

Wayne,

Oh wow.  I am so glad that Tyler is okay, and I know that having one child on the spectrum is tough.  I can't imagine two.  You both are definitely fortunate to have each other because sometimes the parents really are the only ones who can understand.  It's one of those you-had-to-be-there things.

Part of the reason I wrote this book is that most people don't understand what autism is.  It's rarely "Rain Man" and every kid is different.  Some days when I used to get up, I would think "I wish I had a normal life."  Then I realized that would mean my daughter would no longer be with me.  That changed everything for me, hence the idea for the novel.  Now I know that no matter how hard things are, if my daughter, Taylor, is with me, it's going to be okay.

I do hope you find something meaningful in the book, and I wish you the best of luck with your sons.  God has definitely blessed them.


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

For those of you who have read some of my novels, I have set up a poll about your favorite male character. You can vote at http://mhooley18.wordpress.com/.


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

Just my weekly promotion for The Only Life There Is.  Have a great weekend!


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

Right now Amazon has The Only Life There Is on sale for 2.39.  Have a great week!


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

I'm giving away two print copies of one of my novels. Enter at http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/6034-silent-scream. Have a great week!


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

I've tweaked the cover for The Only Life There Is. Here's what it looks like.


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

If you know of anyone who has been touched by autism, this book might just make a great gift.


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

Just my weekly promotion for The Only Life There Is.  If you'd like to learn more about living with someone who has autism, this might be a book for you.  Some of the experiences are based on raising my own child and working with autistic children in her class.

Have an awesome week!


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

One of the questions I usually get about The Only Life There Is is what does having an autistic child mean.  First off, autism is a spectrum disorder, meaning that the symptoms can be anywhere from mild to very profound.  For a parent with a child diagnosed with classic autism, like Kade, there are some huge impacts.  Autism affects three areas of a person's life.  First, as with Kade, there is a significant impact in speech.  Some autistic individuals never speak.  Second, individuals with autism have profound problems dealing with people.  They are much more comfortable with things and usually do not understand how to 'function' and 'fit in' with others.  Last, autistic individuals have a tendency to need to stick to rituals and scheduling.  They cannot be spontaneous the way most people can.


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## Joel Arnold (May 3, 2010)

Not sure how I missed this one - sounds very interesting. I have a child with what would be considered classic autism (he's 8-yrs old now) and although we want _him_ to have as 'normal' a life as possible, I can't imagine him not being around just the way he is. I'll definitely check your book out.


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

Joel,

I somehow missed your post.  One of the things I can tell you that made a huge difference with Taylor was diet and supplements.  It really brought her out of her shell.  If you haven't tried those two and would like some input, please let me know.

And thank you so much for checking out the novel.  Hopefully you have or will enjoy it.


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

If you enjoy emotional fiction, this novel might be something you would like.


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

There's still time to win a copy of one of my novels. Enter at http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/10056-her-only-hope.


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## David M. Baum (Apr 21, 2011)

I'm putting this on my wish list, for my wife. 
We have some really tough moments with our son and ourselves, even though he is on the 'lighter' side of the spectrum, and we love him to death.


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

I totally relate to what you are saying, David.  My daughter is also on the 'lighter' side, and it can be really tough.  I do hope if either of you get a chance to read the novel, you find something worthwhile in it.


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

Here's the newest cover for The Only Life There Is.


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

Just my weekly promotion for The Only Life There Is.  Have a good one!


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

I have a new interview up at http://unputdownablebookies.blogspot.com/2011/07/author-interview-maria-rachel-hooley.html.

Have a great week!


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

Were you aware that autism is heritable?  One of the points of the novel is not just about how autism affects the parent-child dynamic of a family, but also the affects of autism on a couple.


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

If you like emotional fiction, this might be a solid read for you.  Have a great week!


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

Here's my new cover from Claudia at Phatpuppy Art.


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