Teresa LeYung Ryan

I Use Dreams to Show Character Growth in My Novels

admin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 03:45:29 +0000

In an interview with Connie Martinson http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8uw51nrstA&feature=PlayList&p=39831ED1778A99A7&index=0&playnext=1 Pat Conroy http://www.patconroy.com (author of The Prince of Tides, The Great Santini, South of Broad, and many other spellbinding novels) said that not only does he remember his dreams but also he weaves his dreams into his stories.

I was pleased to hear that because I too use dreams to show character growth in my novels. Interpreting dreams and understanding personal dream-symbols enriches my life and my writing. Thank you, talented Angie Choi author of My Dreams: A Simple Guide to Dream Interpretation http://alivehypnosis.com/mydreams.htm , for teaching me a most valuable skill.

Sincerely,
Teresa LeYung Ryan
author of Love Made of Heart

To comment on any of my columns (blog posts), just click on the blue title bar of the post, fill in the boxes and press “submit.” Please click here for my blog’s most current post http://lovemadeofheart.com/blog/

As an author and community spirit, Teresa LeYung Ryan speaks out for public libraries, honors immigrant-stories, advocates compassion for mental illness, and helps survivors of violence find their own voices through writing.

http://lovemadeofheart.com

August is Happiness Happens Month

admin — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 17:10:25 +0000

August is Happiness Happens Month.

I write about modern courageous women unbeknownst to themselves—my favorite archetype.

This month I celebrate two friends Olga Malyj and Yolande Barial (both August Happiness babies) who embody that archetype.

I met Olga Malyj through work when we were both in our early twenties. Her work ethics, kindness, and resourcefulness compelled me to intentionally seek her out as friend and role model. For about six months Olga joined the writing-critique group I was with (Evelyn Miche, Theresa Stephenson and I wanted to bring back our number to 4 when Cat moved back East). During that time Olga fictionalized stories about her mother as a young woman in the Ukraine. I was mesmerized by the authentic details Olga used.

Fast forward . . . Even though Olga has chosen other outlets to express her creativity, her ability to use language in verbal and written communications is stronger than ever.

Olga Malyj is Consultant/Owner at Malyj Consulting. Her forte is in Business Development where she helps business owners effectively manage multi-cultural staffs, projects, global virtual teams, and strategic partnerships. http://www.linkedin.com/in/olgamalyj

In her community, she is an advocate for public libraries and schools.

*** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ***

A want ad (to work at the regional park district) brought Yolande Barial into my life. She was about to become a mom for the first time and I subbed for her when she was on maternity leave. That was 15 years ago. Yolande speaks and practices her words-of-wisdom. One of my favorite Yolande-ism is “Do your job. Go home.”

That’s a helpful reminder for many of us who work part-time or full-time at our homes. Writing, researching, promoting, networking, mentoring—that’s a lot of work (sometimes thankless work)—we need to take breaks for the simple pleasures in our home lives.

A week ago I was at Yolande’s & Monica’s joint birthday party where I witnessed Yolande’s latest rendition of her profound poem DIVA. Brava!

Yolande Barial is the founder of Your Words Project: Speaking on Purpose which seeks to enrich the lives of sisters of all ages and ethnicities through spoken word and other forms of creative expression. http://yolandebarial.wordpress.com/about/ YWP encourages girls and women to value each others individuality and nurture and honor that individuality.

This month I celebrate my 2 dear friends (and my darling sister whose birthday was pre-August).
Sincerely,
Teresa LeYung Ryan
author of Love Made of Heart

Happy Birthday, 19th Amendment; Thank You, Suffragettes!

admin — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 03:07:33 +0000

Photo: University of Louisville

“Happy Birthday, 19th Amendment (And thanks to Harry T. Burn’s mom)”

August 18, 2010 — Andrew Malcolm

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Today is the 90th anniversary the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, the one that gave women the right to vote after a full century of organization, agitation and marching.

On this date in 1920 the Tennessee General Assembly became the 36th state to ratify the amendment, thus making it official.

To read the full article/post . . . http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2010/08/19th-amendment-constitution.html

* * * *

Happy Birthday, 19th Amendment; Thank You, Suffragettes and the men who walked the walk of equality with them!

The Nineteenth Amendment (Amendment XIX) to the United States Constitution prohibits each state and the federal government from denying any citizen the right to vote based on that citizen’s sex. It was ratified on August 18, 1920.

Did you know that the Women’s National Book Association http://www.wnba-books.org/ was established in 1917, before women-citizens in America even had the right to vote?

I am so proud to be a member of WNBA. I think my mother and grandmother would be proud too. If you’re in the San Francisco Bay Area on Sunday Sept 12, 2010, 2:00-5:00pm, come by the San Francisco Public Library-Main Branch…

http://wnba-sfchapter.org/

ZEN AND THE ART OF THE BOOK DEAL

Publishing Panel: Sunday, Sept. 12, 2010 • 2-5 p.m.

San Francisco Public Library-Main Branch

Latino Hispanic Community Room, Lower Level, 100 Larkin Street, San Francisco, CA 94102.

FREE TO THE PUBLIC

Women’s National Book Association – San Francisco Chapter brings you the latest news in the publishing industry from the following insiders:

JENNIFER JOSEPH – publisher and editor of Manic D Press
PETER BEREN – literary agent and publishing consultant
BRIDGET KINSELLA – Breaking Books & navigating the publishing landscape
GEORGIA HUGHES – editorial director of New World Library
Moderator: Mary Knippel, immediate past president, WNBA-SF Chapter
September is National Literacy Month. Join our panel of experts as they share the newest insights into the publishing industry.
Participate in our Great Book Give Away. See you there!
http://wnba-sfchapter.org/

Sincerely,

Teresa LeYung Ryan

Teresa LeYung Ryan, creator of Build Your Name, Beat the Game: Be Happily Published, helps fiction and non-fiction writers identify their mission statements to attract agents, publishers, and readers/fans. Teresa uses her acclaimed novel Love Made of Heart to help survivors of violence find their own voices through writing. http://WritingCoachTeresa.com offers resources for writers.

How a Book Gets to be in a Special Collection at the Boston Public Library

admin — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 05:29:14 +0000

How a Book Gets to be in a Special Collection at the Boston Public Library

I’m a member of Women’s National Book Association–San Francisco Chapter.

When Laurie Beckelman was national president of Women’s National Book Association, she coordinated with the Boston Public Library to create a WNBA Collection. Thank you, Laurie! Thank you, everyone at the Boston Public Library!

My dear sister was in Boston and guess what she did? She visited the Central Branch of the Boston Public Library and took photos of my novel Love Made of Heart proudly shelved. Thanks, Sis!

Sincerely,

Teresa LeYung Ryan

Chinese American author who writes for and about modern courageous women unbeknownst to themselves.

As an author I use my novel Love Made of Heart to encourage adult-children of mentally-ill parents to speak openly about the stigmas that their parents suffer.
Love Made of Heart is:
• recommended by the California School Library Association and the California Reading Association
• used in Advanced Composition English-as-a-Second-Language classes
• archived at the San Francisco History Center

Love Made of Heart is in 97 public libraries (84 branches in the United States, 2 branches in the United Kingdom , 9 branches in New Zeland; 1 branch in Austrialia, 1 branch in Singapore).

http://www.worldcat.org/isbn/0758202172

How do I Self Publish? Is It Difficult? Is it Costly?

admin — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 15:36:37 +0000

Hi Teresa,

Thought you may be interested in this self-publishing article in the Sac Bee. Ken Umbach is in the article and gives great advice!

Margie Yee Webb

Thanks, Margie! What a helpful article by Allen Pierleoni at The Sacramento Bee. . . which answers the questions “How do I self publish? Is it difficult? Is it costly?” beautifully.

After you read the article, please check out these organizations

Bay Area Independent Publishers Association (BAIPA) http://www.baipa.org/

Northern California Publishers & Authors (NCPA) http://www.norcalpa.org/

California Writers Club 18 branches in California http://calwriters.org/

Women’s National Book Association http://www.wnba-books.org/

http://wnba-sfchapter.org/

ZEN AND THE ART OF THE BOOK DEAL

Publishing Panel: Sunday, Sept. 12, 2010 • 2-5 p.m.

San Francisco Main Public Library

Details: http://wnba-sfchapter.org/

Sincerely,

Writing Career Coach Teresa LeYung Ryan

http://WritingCoachTeresa.com

*****

http://www.sacbee.com/2010/08/09/2945533/self-publishing-gets-easier-with.html

Self-publishing gets easier with online tools

By Allen Pierleoni
apierleoni@sacbee.com

Published: Monday, Aug. 9, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 1D

Last Modified: Monday, Aug. 9, 2010 – 1:09 pm

You, too, can be an author.

In print and online, self-published authors have never had so many choices of where and how to place their memoirs, novels, cookbooks, essays and poetry.

Among those there to help them is Bob Young, co-founder of the giant online publishing company Lulu. Young says “the new publishing model” will not be dependent on best-sellers – the lifeblood of traditional publishing – but on niche publications.

“Our most successful authors generally fit into specialized knowledge-based categories,” said Lulu spokesman Jonathan Cox. “They write about business, economics, computers, the Internet, art.”

Among the major players accommodating aspiring writers – in a few cases, established authors as well, such as John Edgar Wideman (”Briefs”) – are Amazon (CreateSpace and Digital Text Platform), Author Solutions (parent company of AuthorHouse, Xlibris and iUniverse), Barnes & Noble (PubIt!), Apple (iBookstore), Lulu, Smashwords, Scribd and Fastpencil.

Profits from sales are split between publisher and author, with publishers getting 20 percent to 30 percent and writers getting 70 percent to 80 percent.

Self-published authors can choose to have their finished products as e-books downloadable to a variety of e-readers (including Amazon’s Kindle and Apple’s iPad), other mobile devices and PCs, or in traditional book form, or both.

They’re doing so in viral numbers. Last year, 764,448 self-published titles appeared – an increase of 181 percent from 2008. That compares with 289,729 titles from traditional publishing houses, according to the R.R. Bowker Co., which compiles bibliographic data.

Ideal for untested writers; not great for literary stars

E-books account for an estimated 5 percent to 10 percent of all U.S. book sales, according to book industry consultants, but within five years they could account for up to 25 percent.

On Friday, Dorchester Publishing announced that it will abandon its traditional print publishing business in favor of “an e-book/print-on-demand model.”

The decision came after sales of its mass-market paperbacks, its specialty, fell by 25 percent last year and have been even worse in 2010.

Jim Milliot, co-editorial director of Publishers Weekly, said the self-publishing movement “isn’t making any of the big publishers nervous, but they’re certainly watching it.”

“If they have a fear, it’s that one of their large-name authors will go out on his or her own,” Milliot said. “But what keeps the big authors tied to their houses is big advances. You’re not going to see a John Grisham go running to Smashwords.”

As e-readers, e-books and e-bookstores become more ingrained in our culture, the digital self-publishing model gets the most buzz.

Usually, the digital model works in conjunction with print on demand, in which a paper book isn’t physically printed until it’s been presold. That’s a double whammy for an author – an e-book and a paper version of the same title.

Start typing

How does a writer turn an electronic manuscript into an e-book? The process is simple.At www.barnesandnoble/pubit, for instance, the directions for the digital self-publishing template advise: “Set up your account (with us), then start loading files and cover art for … your e-books. PubIt! converts digital files to ePub format, the most widely accepted format for e-reader and mobile devices. … Now millions of readers can buy your e-books” through online bookstores.

Kenneth Umbach of Citrus Heights uses Lulu as a publishing platform for paper and digital books.

Through his Umbach Consulting and Publishing, he has produced his own titles (a collection of columns from the weekly newspaper Senior Spectrum, and a how-to-publish handbook) and those of others. Sales have been “modest,” he said.

Probably his company’s biggest seller was “Capitol Crimes,” a collection of mystery stories by members of the Sacramento chapter of Sisters in Crime, published partly as a fundraiser.

Umbach advises aspiring self-publishers to be aware of add-on services for sale by tech publishers, from editing to promotional packages.

“Hire someone with expertise in laying out your book, and have a set of competent eyes editing it,” he said.

Publishing is just one step

One of the conceits of self-publishing is that it democratizes the process, allowing anyone to put a book in the marketplace and name his or her price. There is no longer the need for an agent, an editor or a monolithic publishing house.The nature of success changes, too.

“For successful authors, writing the book is the beginning,” said Cox of Lulu. “They maintain blogs, speak at conferences, stay active in online forums that potential readers are likely to visit.”

“Success is different for every author,” he added. “Some just want to share an idea with the world, so they give away their books or sell them at cost. Others want to build a personal brand. Many want to make money.”

Lulu has paid “millions of dollars in royalties to our authors,” Cox said. “Some earn a couple of dollars over the lifetime of their books. Others earn thousands of dollars every year. We have one author who has earned more than $196,000″ from a technical book.

“The market is broad and diverse,” said Amazon spokeswoman Sarah Gelman. “We think that our Digital Text Platform makes it possible for authors and publishers to offer more titles, at better prices, to Kindle customers. We also think this will allow more authors to make a living at their craft.”

Milliot of Publishers Weekly cautions: “For a new author with no established audience, the chances of succeeding are not very high.”

Some find fame

But there are success stories.Unable to break into traditional publishing, Boyd Morrison placed “The Ark” on Amazon’s Kindle bookstore. Sales were so great that Simon & Schuster – one of the publishers that had rejected the thriller – bought it and printed it in hardback.

Frustrated by publishers who turned down her novel “A Scattered Life,” Karen McQuestion published it online. The e-book sold nearly 40,000 copies and now McQuestion has a movie option.

J.A. Konrath says he’ll make $100,000 this year from Kindle sales of his thriller “Whiskey Sour.” That despite book critics calling the title “formulaic” and “cliché-ridden.”

Which brings up the issue of quality. If anybody can publish anything, how good will most of it be?

“In the ‘old days,’ after 30 rejection letters, you’d stick the manuscript in a drawer,” said Milliot. “Today you send it to (an online publisher). By far the lion’s share of self-published material – both print or digital – would never be published (in a traditional way) because, frankly, it’s not professional grade. That said, there is some good stuff out there.”

Laura Miller, co-founder of the online magazine Salon.com, took self- publishing to task from the perspective of a former book editor who worked in the mainstream New York publishing industry.

In a brutal yet telling essay for Salon.com, she wrote in part, “Civilians … can talk as much trash as they want about the supposedly low standards of traditional publishing. They haven’t seen the vast majority of what didn’t get published. Believe me, if you have, it’s enough to make your blood run cold, thinking about (it) being introduced into the general population.”

Call The Bee’s Allen Pierleoni, (916) 321-1128

http://www.sacbee.com/2010/08/09/2945533/self-publishing-gets-easier-with.html

Who Is Mrs. Nussbaum?

admin — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 03:31:51 +0000

In 2003 when my editor at Kensington Publishing Corp. New York told me that they were going to release the trade paperback edition of my novel Love Made of Heart (hard cover edition had been published in October 2002), I asked if I could add an “Author’s Note to Reader” and he said “Yes.”

To the readers who have read/are reading from the hard cover edition, here is the Author’s Note to Reader:

Thank you for letting me share Ruby Lin’s story with you. Many readers have asked what the characters in the novel have done for me. My answer is this: I’ve learned that behind every face is a compelling story.

Please remember me as a writer who says YES! to compassion for mental illness and NO! to domestic violence and child abuse.

Who is Mrs. Nussbaum? She lives in all our hearts. Just as we have the “child within,” we also have the “wise elder within.” May you always embrace your compelling story and allow your Mrs. Nussbaum to embrace you.

Sincerely,

Teresa LeYung Ryan

author of Love Made of Heart

http://LoveMadeOfHeart.com

Mentally Disabled Adult, Children & Adolescent, Sexual Assault or Battery

admin — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 19:01:24 +0000

Mentally Disabled Adult, Children & Adolescent, Sexual Assault or Battery

This is Post #4 to follow-up on my three posts published on July 25 & 27, 2010

Re: what happened to my cousin July 22/July 23, 2010

Thursday August 5, 2010 a Victim’s Advocate at Community Violence Solutions “CVS” http://www.cvsolutions.org/ called me to offer help.

I gained nuggets from our conversation:

The Victim’s Advocate at CVS said the police ought to have escorted my cousin (because of her mental capacity of a ten-year-old or younger) to a “Children’s Interview Center” that night. The Children and Adolescent Sexual Abuse Resource Center (CASARC) is an agency in the San Francisco Department of Public Health http://www.sfghf.net/programs/casarc.html For Contra Costa County, CA, there is: The Children’s Interview Center of Contra Costa, a program of Community Violence Solutions http://www.cvsolutions.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=55&Itemid=70
San Francisco Women Against Rape SFWAR http://www.sfwar.org/resources.html I looked at their website; they show pamphlets in many languages; http://www.sfwar.org/programs.html lists their programs

* * * * *

Resources for Caregivers from the National Alliance on Mental Illness NAMI
Full list at http://www.namisf.org/support.html (for families & friends in San Francisco)

NAMI-SF SUPPORT GROUPS
For Family Members Caregivers and Friends Only

1010 Gough, San Francisco
2nd Wednesday at 6:30
Contact Vicki Evans at 415-661-5208
SF General Hospital
7th Floor Room 7 M 30
Tuesdays, 5:15 – 6:45 p.m.
Call Susanne Killing at 415-558-5900

New Family Support Group at Kaiser Hospital, French Campus, 4141 Geary Boulevard, San Francisco on the second Saturday of each month 10:30-Noon.
Contact Pam Polos at 650-862-2886
Sibling & Adult Children Network
Call Mary Gullekson at 415-474-7010 for information
Bilingual & Monolingual Support Groups
Chinese Families Mental Health Alliance. Ed Koo 415-352-2047

* * * * *

Perhaps these nuggets are to help everyone gain awareness, get resources, and further promote advocacy for the mentally disabled community. Law enforcement personnel need more education. We all need more education and resources to better help those who cannot speak for themselves.

My cousin’s siblings are focusing on their sister’s well-being and I am 100% supportive of their efforts.

I’ll be writing to BringChange2Mind.org (the not-for-profit organization created by Glenn Close, CABF the Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation , Fountain House, and Garen and Shari Staglin of IMHRO International Mental Health Research Organization).

http://www.bringchange2mind.org/

Sincerely,

Teresa LeYung Ryan

http://lovemadeofheart.com/blog/

Writers, Go & Enjoy a Day in Wine Country at Redwood Writers 2010 Conference!

admin — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 08:20:31 +0000

Writers, Go & Enjoy a Day in Wine Country at Redwood Writers 2010 Conference

Saturday, October 30th, 7:30 am – 6:30 pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdmhXqDaYTA

Redwood Writers, a branch of the California Writers Club, is producing its second annual writing conference, set in the beautiful city of Santa Rosa, CA.

Pre-conference Poetry Evening, Friday, October 29th

Flamingo Hotel and Resort, 2777 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, CA

Theme: Celebration of the Written Word

This one-day conference will feature agents, editors, and writers from all genres. They will offer their insights and experiences in the craft of writing at beginning through advanced levels, as well as the encouragement of fellow writers in a relaxed and friendly, wine-country setting.

Saturday Conference – All Day – October 30, 2010 7:30 am to 6:30 pm

7:30 – 8:15 am – Check-in

8:30 – 9:15 am – Morning Keynote Address by Elisa Southard

9:30 – 4:15 pm – Twelve Sessions available (including “Build Your Name, Beat the Game: Be Happily Published” with Writing Career Coach & Author Teresa LeYung Ryan at 9:30-10:30am)

12:30 – 1:15 pm – Luncheon Keynote Address by Sheldon Siegel

Recognition: Winners of the Prose contest

5:00 – 6:30 pm – Networking Session, hosted by your CWC – Redwood Branch Board

If you would like to enter the conference contests, go to http://redwoodwriters.org/redwood-conference/ then click on Poetry Contes t and Prose Contest pages for fees and entry forms to be sent snail mail. The poetry contest is open to the public. The prose contest is open to conference registrants only. All contest entries and fees must be sent via snail mail to: P.O. Box 4687, Santa Rosa, CA 95402

Special thanks go to Marlene Cullen, Tricia McWhorter, Elizabeth Beechwood, Kate Farrell, and Redwood Writers http://redwoodwriters.org/redwood-conference/

Sincerely,

Teresa LeYung Ryan

To comment on any of my columns (blog posts), just click on the blue title bar of the post, fill in the boxes and press “submit.” Please click here for my blog http://lovemadeofheart.com/blog/

Thank You to Everyone Who Made the Festival a Celebration of Literature

admin — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 01:54:44 +0000

Sunday August 1, 2010

I’m organizing photos from yesterday’s Northern California Storybook & Literature Festival.

Women's National Book Association members Margie Yee Webb, Mary E. Knippel, B. Lynn Goodwin, Sarbjit Rai, Teresa LeYung Ryan

I had a good time on the panel with other fiction authors. Gail, thank you for moderating. Nathan, thank you for taking photos. Delightful audience.

authors Jeff Carlson, Laurel Anne Hill, Tanya Egan Gibson, Teresa LeYung Ryan, Jack L. Parker with Library Specialist Gail McGrath & Library Advocate Nathan

author Teresa LeYung Ryan thanks Jamie Finley who orchestrated the storybook & literature festival

Authors Susan Osborn & Margie Yee Webb cheer for the Friends of the Roseville Library

Also I presented “Transform Your Personal Experiences Into Potent Stories” Thank you to the participant-writers. Here are some comments from them:

I asked: What did you value most about the workshop?

“Verbalizing what my readers will learn from my story.”

“Good comments & tools from Teresa for moving forward.”
“Handouts so organized.”

Your next steps with your stories?

“Bring my stories out and start again—with your ideas for tools”
“Find a publisher.”
“Re-read my favorite novel & mark it up. Thank you, Teresa!”

My colleagues (Catharine Bramkamp, Laurel Anne Hill, Antoinette May, Susan M. Osborn) also presented their writing workshops.

Special thanks to Jamie Finley, Dena Grover, Gail McGrath, Lynn Brown and everyone at Roseville Libraries, Margie Yee Webb and colleagues at California Writers Club, Mary Knippel & Sarbjit Rai & fellow members of Women’s National Book Association, bookseller James Van Eaton of Winston Smith Books, friends old and new, readers and writers, and everyone who made the festival a celebration of literature.

Teresa LeYung Ryan, Mary E. Knippel, Margie Yee Webb advocate for public libraries.

http://www.roseville.ca.us/library/

3 branches in Roseville, CA

Maidu Library & Maidu Community Center

Martha Riley Community Library

Downtown Library

Gail McGrath (Library Specialist) holding Teresa's novel Love Made of Heart, Bob Quinlan author of Earn It: Empower Yourself for Love, and Margie Yee Webb author of Cat Mulan

Sincerely,

Teresa LeYung Ryan

“To comment on any of my columns (blog posts), just click on the color title-bar of the post, fill in the boxes and press ’submit.’ Thank you.”

http://lovemadeofheart.com/blog/

Mentally Disabled & Being a Non-consentable Person

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 06:34:20 +0000

Mentally Disabled & Being a Non-consentable Person

This is Post #3 to follow-up on my two posts published on July 25 & 27, 2010

My cousin’s brother is one of the primary advocates for my cousin. My cousin’s sister (who lives a thousand miles away) is another primary advocate.

This is the email I received today Tuesday, July 27, 2010 from my cousin’s brother (San Francisco):

“I just got off the phone with Detective ____ from Alameda County Sheriff’s department.

He told me that he will be handling the case. First thing he will do is to contact BART for the video. I already told him it’s from Contra Costa County (not Alameda County).

He mentioned that other than Sis’s mental capacity, there is no crime because she went willingly and based on Sis’s statements, the suspect stopped when asked to.

I told him that the SFGH examiner said Sis is a non-consentable person, meaning her “yes” answers do not qualify as consent. This is similar to a child consenting for sex. It still does not qualify as a real “yes”.

He will contact me after investigating.

I asked for a case number but he has not generated one yet because it is not yet determined how this will be handled.”

* * *

We are not going to give up on our family member or our community. The man in the car who stopped my cousin (between late night July 22 and early morning of July 23) asked her “Do you need help?” and she said “Yes.” His not calling the police but taking her to his home, sexually battering her, and keeping her there until morning is helping ???

My cousins are brave and I am going to continue to support their efforts. I am contacting NAMI http://www.nami.org , Community Violence Solutions http://www.cvsolutions.org/ and other agencies.

Sincerely,

Teresa LeYung Ryan

http://lovemadeofheart.com/blog/

From the National Alliance on Mental Illness NAMI’s website, I found the “How You Can Help” page http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?section=Take_Action :

Contact Your Representatives

It is important that you contact your state and national representatives to ensure they are working for people with mental illness.

A list of current legislation impacting mental health is available along with an easy way to contact your representative with just a few clicks of a mouse.

(For California http://www.ca.gov http://www.senate.ca.gov/ http://www.assembly.ca.gov/)

Issues and Legislation http://capwiz.com/nami/issues/

The NAMI Newsroom http://www.nami.org/template.cfm?section=press_room the place for reporters, advocates and other media professionals. NAMI’s communications services team is available around-the-clock to news media for:

Expert analysis on a wide range of issues related to severe mental illnesses or brain disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder/manic-depression, major depression, and anxiety disorders.
Current data on research, treatments, rates of prevalence
Interviews with national spokespersons and technical experts
Access to persons with serious mental illness and their families who are willing to share personal stories with the media
Comment on breaking news

Christine Armstrong, Media Relations Associate
Colonial Place Three
2107 Wilson Blvd., Suite 300
Arlington, VA 22201-3042
Telephone: (703) 524-7600 · FAX: (703) 516-7238 ·
Email: christinea@nami.org