Bipolar NDB Media Blog Talk Radio

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ndbmedia/2011/10/28/bipolar-maggie-reese-author-of-runaway-mind Hey check out my interview next week with Host Cliff of NDB Media Blog Talk Radio. He has over 100,000 listeners world wide...tune in next Thursday at 6pmPST or (9pmEST)

BIPOLAR Maggie Reese author of Runaway Mind

www.blogtalkradio.com

Maggie Reese wrote a book about her life dealing with the manic part of bipolar disorder. She started out a success as a runner but then it all fell apart. Ho Oct 27

So the story  behind my first radio interview!  I sent off a book to a Blog Radio guy named Cliff who showed interest in my book and said he might be able to give me an interview if it turned out he liked it!  He read it and loved it.  I didn't hear back for a while which is very typical in all of this kind of work.  It takes time for people to get back....they are busy with life and business!  Anyway I got an e-mail from him and he wanted to do the show.  It was so much fun and not nerve racking at all.  We did a two hour program that included my mom and dad calling in and two close friends.  It was funny my husband Matt was so nervous he had to take Allie to Walmart to go buy an Angry Bird stuffed animal!  Funny!  He then had the World Series game 6 on while the program started.   At the end he gave me tons of hugs and said how proud he was.  My mom and dad called and were all excited too.  FUN!  Cliff or should I say Zeke...radio name) was fantastic.  He also has Bipolar and it was great to connect with him.  He understood me as all fellow bipolar people do.  They just get it.  Which is comforting.  Zeke does mostly baseball type shows so it was really cool that he wanted to do a program on my book.  I hope to fly out to New York to meet him on Tri-City field where he is trying to get an event there for a mental health day.  New York I am there any day of the week.  I like to see what goes on there in my weekly Wall Street Journal.  Fantastic City + Baseball what is not to like!  This may lead to more radio interviews in the future!  Thanks to Zeke for taking that chance on me to tell my story!!  To listen to the show press on the link above.  Maggie

NAMI San Diego Event

I got to the NAMI San Diego group early so I could talk with a few of the members and maybe learn something from ask the doctor.  It was nice to meet some new people.  I didn't gain any new insight from ask the Dr. but I saw how much it helped others so that was a huge plus.  The speech went really well, the Q&A was great, and people got their book at the end.  I even had a girl sing to me at the end of the event which made a couple of tears come out.  Her father had bipolar and she was so touched by my story.  I also had a lady come up to me with an already signed copy of my book.  "Maggie I can't thank you enough for this book.  It has helped me have hope to cling too.  You gave this to my brother when you bought your piano!"  A few weeks ago I had bought a piano from this cool guy named Damion at the Salvation Army.  He and I had gone back and forth on the price of the piano and I got it for half price.  He wanted to know about my background with music.  I told him how I grew up playing and now I needed one in my home to help with a way to release stress because of my bipolar.  Damion said, "Wow that is crazy, my sis has bipolar!"  I told him I would drop off a book for him and I did. It was so amazing that weeks later here was Damion's sister with tears and her hands clutching hard to the book.  Later that month I got the Young Advocate of the Year Award for NAMI San Diego!  Maggie

Kaplan College

I found my way into Kaplan College because my friend Tara knew a friend of hers that went there and really enjoyed my book. Tiffiny gave the book to her instructor who then got in touch with me to come speak to her Psych Nursing students.  They were just about ready to graduate and looked at me with board stares as I began my talk.  I immediately knew if I was going to get the students off their iphones and laptops I had to throw in some crazy stuff to gain their attention.  I first started out with my adventures through Yosemite at 3am rollerblading around the valley floor.  A few heads popped up with curiosity.  Then I threw in the dr. threats, the horse ride in the middle of the night, and the body guard factor from my book.  With that I got the class....even the sleeping guy in the back opened his eyes.  It was fun to make eye contact with each student.  Giving them the insight about what they might see on the job and how my story just may help them out their in the real world.  At the end I had 13 of the 20 students buy a copy.  The teacher said she had never had such a great speaker!  Yes I had won the respect of a bunch of college students and the teacher!  Afterward Tara and I went out for some yummy baked potatoes.  We love to eat out.  It gave us time to recharge, laugh about the guy sleeping in the back that liked me by the end, and then go about our fun San Diego life.  Maggie

Rancho Bernardo Rotary Speech

My mom told me over a year ago that I needed to start speaking!  She said, "Margaret you need to speak for the Rotary Clubs, Lions, ect..."  I was at that point thinking well I would just sell a few books on line and call it a day.  Well mom was right speaking for these groups and it has been such a joy to me.  I love meeting all the members, eating a yummy lunch, and then getting to educate the public on being aware of mental illness.  That it is everywhere and most of the time you can't see it.  Maybe you might see the poor soul lost on the streets but so many of us are just like that person yet we have a home to live in and someone to take care of us.  Yet our minds are the same.  It is been a blessing to speak for these groups....to learn their stories of life, their backgrounds, and some really good advice usually gets tossed out there with a lot of laughs!  Maggie

National Alliance of Mentally Ill San Diego Walk May

This was the first time I had ever been apart of a NAMI Walk.  It was a huge turn out.  About 2 thousands people plus showed up to walk the event.  It was such a neat experience to be able to have a booth there.  It was uplifting but yet sad all at the same time.  I would hear a great story of hope from a parent and then a sad one from someone else who had lost a loved one to mental illness.  I was not feeling well this day physically but I pushed through the event anyway.  I probably shouldn't have done the event with how sick I was.  I ended up getting bronchitis and laying in bed for 6 weeks to get well.  This showed me that while I would like to conquer everything I need to still take care of myself.  I have never  in my life been that sick.  This event led Tara and I to many contacts along with again helping so many families.   If you ever can be apart of a NAMI Walk do it once for everyone knows someone suffering with some kind of mental illness.  Do your part!  Maggie

Warwicks Book Signing in La Jolla

Trying to get in a bookstore is not fun let me tell you!
I found out that if you are a self-published author things look a little bleak....but there are always exceptions to the rules right!  They say to never march into a bookstore with your book.  Well to make a long story short....I did, Warwicks loved it, and they even let me do a book signing there.  I was even able to sell my books out of their bookstore because I sold enough books on the day of my signing.  My big goal is to of coarse get it published by a huge publisher and then go to the New York Best Seller list.  I have always been a big dreamer.  I can't help it.  It is in my blood to go until I cannot go any more.   For a self-published author the average total sales for a book is 150 books then the book dies out.  So far I have crushed that record which remember I like to break records!  I have sold now close to 2000 books since December of 2010 with just in the past 9 months starting to get the word out there!  Warwicks was fun and fancy.  Afterward my assistant/friend Tara and I went out to a cute restaurant named Cody's which overlooks the La Jolla cove.  It was fun to celebrate and smell the salty sea air.  We had got in!  Maggie

National Alliance of Mentally Ill North Coastal Speech

This was a fun speech for NAMI North Coastal in San Diego.  Over 100 people attended that night, a lot of laughs, hugs, tears, and books were sold.  It was one of those nights where we just didn't know what to expect and how my story would touch so many lives.  My assistant Tara got this speech for me by sending out tons of e-mails and staying on top of it.  I have found out that it not only takes e-mails, but sending out books to the proper places, calling, and even hand written letters to get events booked.  Different ways work for all kinds of different people right!  It was mid-July at this time and the weather was hot.  I had a house full of relatives which was a great distraction from being nervous.  I swam all day with the kids and then slicked my hair back for this event.  I call it the swim do!  Do you like it?  I had met Kathy and Bob the Presidents of this chapter from an earlier NAMI Walk that I had done in San Diego.  It was great to see them again and then be talking for their group.  A great night for all!  Maggie