Zuni Blue's Blog

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If you haven’t read The Mean Girl Who Never Speaks yet, please stop reading this blog post because I’m going to spoil the story’s ending… Okay, let’s start! The story features Detective Mya Dove. She investigates Libby Smith, a girl at school who never speaks, smiles or plays with others. Mya reveals that Libby acts this way because she has selective mutism.

What is Selective Mutism (SM)?

Selective mutism (SM) — also known as Situational Mutism — means sometimes the person is extremely nervous when they speak. They’re comfortable speaking to some people, like close family or best friends, but are very quiet or silent around others. Selectively mute people do want to speak, but find it extremely hard to do so.

What inspired this selective mutism story?

Writers are told to write about what they know . I know about selective mutism because I am selectively mute. It affects me every day and stops me from doing certain things. For example, I would love to visit schools to share my stories with children, but it’s too scary for me. I tried it once and was treated so nicely by the staff and students, but I struggled so much.

There are others like me out there. It feels good to raise awareness of selective mutism for them. Most people have never heard of SM, even though it affects 1 in 140 children. That’s why this selective mutism story is so important! The sooner SM is diagnosed, the sooner children can get treatment. Unfortunately it’s harder to treat adults like me, but not impossible. By the grace of God, I have hope that one day I’ll speak without fear!

Do you know someone who has selective mutism?

Maybe you do. Here are some SM signs, according to SMIRA (Selective Mutism Information & Research Association) and the NHS (Britain’s healthcare service):

[image error] Speaks freely in some situations but stays silent other times.May be expressionless e.g. not smile.May freeze when they’re expected to speak.Their quietness isn’t explained by another speech problem e.g. stuttering.Avoids eye contact.Their movement is stiff or tense.Uses gestures instead of speaking e.g. shakes their head.Says as few words as possible.They mumble or whisper.Looks nervous in social situations.

Those are common SM signs, but not a complete list.

Can selectively mute people get better?

Yes, we can! There is treatment available, so contact a doctor and/or therapist. The most popular and effective treatment is therapy, particularly Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). CBT reveals the connection between our thoughts, feelings and actions. With treatment, children can get better, so it’s very important to get diagnosed and treated ASAP. It’s not too late for adults like me, but it’s much harder to change because we’ve been socially anxious for so long.

How can you help a selectively mute person?

There are many ways to help us manage our condition. Here are six useful tips:

“Say something!” – Please don’t say this. It puts us on the spot and makes us more nervous about speaking.“It’s okay, you can write something instead of speaking.” – We might send handwritten notes, messages online or emails instead of speaking. Please let us write essays or give written presentations instead of giving speeches. Or you could let us give a speech to only one or two people, ideally people we know.“You’re so quiet!” – Please don’t mention how often we speak. It makes us feel bad about not talking.Please don’t ignore us. It makes us feel invisible and unwanted.“It’s fine, take your time.” – Thanks for being patient with us. We’re trying our best to speak. We appreciate your compassion and understanding.“How can I help you?” – Ask us to write down, email or text ways you could help us. Please don’t do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable, breaks any rules or is against the law.

I wanted to share what inspired The Mean Girl Who Never Speaks, a selective mutism story. The next book I’ll discuss will be The School Pet Who Went Missing. If you want to know what inspired that story, sign up to my mailing list for future updates.

Thanks for reading!

The post A Selective Mutism Story: The Mean Girl Who Never Speaks appeared first on Zuni Blue.

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Those are my author proof copies. That’s why there is a grey bar across the front. I made some changes and then…I published the ebook, paperback and hardback versions of 1500 Writing Prompts for Kids!

This is the first hardback I’ve ever published. It was exciting holding it for the first time. The book cover designer did such a great job. It was hard work, but we got there in the end.

For now, the paperback and hardback versions are only available from Amazon. In a few weeks, the paperback will be available to buy and borrow through other retailers and libraries.

What will I do now?

Now I’ll return to the ten other books I have planned: Five Christian children’s books and five D-Twins reboot stories. The D-Twins books will also have some Christianity in there, but will mostly be action-packed horror stories.

I decided to keep the original D-Twins stories up so people have a choice between the two. The originals are shorter, non-religious and I won’t update their covers or blurbs. I’ll spend that time on new stories instead.

Any other books planned?

A mystery adventure book I wrote years ago. It involves fun exploration and mystery-solving like in The Blue Crocodile. This new book stars Detective Inspector Mya Dove, Officer Libby Smith, Officer Jimmy, Dixon and Daria Davis. I’m looking forward to the next draft of that story…

That’s all for now. Happy New Year!

The post Happy New Book! appeared first on Zuni Blue.

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My latest ebook is out! It’s great for young writers who need ideas. There are 1,500 writing prompts to help you write stories, poems, speeches and more. The paperback and hardback will be released in a few weeks.

You can read the full book description here.

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As a reminder, I challenged myself to publish 11 books by 31st December 2024. Here are the books in the challenge:

D-Twins Rebooted Series: Book 1, Book 2, Book 3, Book 4, Book 5Christian Children’s Book Series: Book 1, Book 2, Book 3, Book 4, Book 5Children’s Non-fiction BookChallenge Update

Since my last update, my grandmother got sicker and sicker and died. It affected me a lot. I fell so far behind with the book challenge that it became impossible. The challenge is over. I won’t start another one. Life is too unpredictable.

Is the mailing list/blog over?

No, but I’m changing what I email/blog about. My messages will be less about publishing updates and more about my stories and characters. I’d like to talk about the true stories behind my books, starting with The Mean Girl Who Never Speaks.

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Has the writing book been cancelled?

My writing prompts for kids book is still coming out. The cover has finally been done. I think it’s the best cover I’ve ever had! As promised, you can have a free copy of the ebook. Mailing list subscribers will have the chance to get all my new ebooks for free! Stay on my mailing list for more info.

Thanks for reading!

Kind regards,

Zuni

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Would you ever go skydiving, bungee jumping or deep sea diving?

I would never go skydiving. I’m already nervous flying on planes, so I’d be even more nervous jumping out of them! Seeing the world from high above would be amazing, but I’d be too terrified to enjoy it.

I wouldn’t try bungee jumping either. When I watch bungee jumping videos, people look so terrified before the jump and scream all the way down.

Deep sea diving doesn’t suit me at all. It’s dangerous and the darkest parts of the ocean look scary. We don’t know what’s down there because so much of the sea has never been explored. Diving in shallow water near the beach would be great fun, though. The ocean is so beautiful and I’d love to swim with small sea creatures like a starfish.

Click here for more frequently asked questions!

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What do you want to be remembered for?

It’s sad, but we all die someday. When I’m gone, I’d like to be remembered for three reasons.

First, I’d like to be remembered for spreading the gospel of Lord Jesus Christ so more people can be saved. Two great gospel verses are Romans 10:9-10 and John 3:16-17.

Second, I’d like to be remembered as a good granddaughter, daughter, sister, and aunt. One day I might be a good mother and grandmother too.

Third, I’d like to be remembered for being a great storyteller with many unforgettable books. I would love readers to enjoy my books for decades, even hundreds of years, to come.

Click here for more frequently asked questions!

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What is your favourite vegetable and fruit?

My favourite vegetable is broccoli. It’s delicious! Its dark green colour is lovely to look at. My second favourite vegetable is sweetcorn because it’s so tasty and sweet. My third favourite vegetable is spinach. I like to make a tasty gravy out of it. Throw in some chicken and rice for a delicious meal!

My favourite fruit is grapes. Just like Detective Mya Dove, I love them! Her favourite grapes are the “green” (white) ones. I prefer juicy, sweet, tasty red grapes. My second favourite fruit is tangerines. Like grapes, they’re sooooo sweet!

Click here for more frequently asked questions!

The post Ask Zuni: What is your favourite vegetable and fruit? appeared first on Zuni Blue.

As a reminder, I challenged myself to publish 11 books by 31st December 2024. Here are the books in the challenge:

D-Twins Rebooted Series: Book 1, Book 2, Book 3, Book 4, Book 5Christian Children’s Book Series: Book 1, Book 2, Book 3, Book 4, Book 5Children’s Non-fiction BookD-Twins Rebooted Series Update

I haven’t touched the D-Twins series at all this year and we’re now in April! I feel like it’s best if I focus on the other books first. I probably won’t get everything done this year. The challenge is looking a bit too hard…

Christian Children’s Book Series Update

I did the third draft of the Christian books. I had plans to do all five books in two weeks, but after finishing the second book, I had a big problem: my eyes. I had double vision! I went to the eye hospital and got checked. Thank God my eyes are okay, but it was a scary experience. What caused my problem? I don’t know but it might have been eye strain.

When I edited the first two Christian books, I was focused on the computer screen for long periods of time. I was so busy trying to meet my editing deadline that I forgot to take care of my eye health. When I edit the next three books, I’ll set reminders to take regular breaks for my eyes. My brain will appreciate the breaks, too.

Children’s Non-fiction Creative Writing Book Update

I made changes to the paperback version. Now there are pictures above each chapter’s heading. I chose black and white pictures. Why? Because it’ll keep the paperback’s price down so it’s more affordable. There are lots of beautiful colourful pictures out there, but colourful pages increase the book’s production cost and the price readers pay.

I still haven’t got the book cover done yet. I have two different cover designers in mind, but I’m not sure which one to choose…

I hope that my next update will include a free copy of my writing prompt ebook. It’ll be offered to everyone on my mailing list, so don’t go anywhere or you’ll miss out…

Thanks for reading!

Happy Easter! Jesus Christ has risen!

Zuni

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