Blog Stop and Giveaway: Damaged Goods by Alexandra Allred

Today we have a tantalizing guest post from author Alexandra Allred.  I haven’t had a chance to read the book yet, but after reading this post, I’m really looking forward to sinking my teeth into this.  Have a read, and I’ll see you at the bottom for an opportunity to win an e-book copy!

What would you do if you found out that your son’s elementary school was named in a USA Today Special Report as being in the upper 1% as the most toxic elementary school in the United States but the school board could care less?

What would you do if you saw neighbors and school children getting rare cancers and tumors, leukemia and upper respiratory and skin diseases in growing numbers yet the medical community seemed unconcerned?

And what would you do if when you finally spoke out, you were politely told to either be quiet or move?

I started to speak out, testified before the EPA and US Senate, spoke to press, attended protests and finally began writing about the insane world of living in a cement production town where no one wanted to — for financial reasons — acknowledge the growing dangers. I had to move my horse for his safety. I had to endure comments from teachers made to my children. For a brief period, I was known as “that one” – the lone spokesperson for my town about air quality.

One day I was working out in the gym and I heard two women complaining about a proposed annexation law and one of the women pointed to me and said, “Well, let’s get Alex after it! She’ll get ‘em, wont’cha, Alex?”

Several things struck me that day. One, I had no idea what they were talking about. What annexation? Two, I had no idea who they were. But this was becoming a reality for me. People in town knew who I was because I was speaking out so much and it was a little unsettling. And three, is that what people thought? That I had nothing else to do with my time but to just take up random causes?

People were getting sick. My son’s elementary school was considered toxic yet no one really seemed to care. For all my interviews and press conferences, for all my letter writing and phone calls placed, the bottom line was nothing was going to change if no one fully understood what was going on.

So …

I had a choice. I could continue on course, hoping that great reason would prevail? Or:

 

a) Erect a gigantic head of your state’s governor kissing a cement stack and trail it around on a 16 foot flatbed trailer following the governor while he made a tour of the state?

b) Attend an EPA meeting to testify against harmful emissions WHILE having your daughter dressed as a dancing cement stack, thus cracking everyone up so much they had to have an intermission for picture taking (much to the annoyance of the cement people)?

c) Travel to Washington D.C. to meet with your state senator only to be blown off so you arrange a meeting with some senator named Barack Obama, who would then help your son publish his own blog?

d) Write a book about your town, making fun of neighbors and highlighting the travesties of big industry polluting thus ensuring that if the book is a success, you may be run out of town??

or

e) All of the above?

[I have pictures of a, b, c, and d.]

 

Clearly, the answer here is “e”! And with the brave and beautiful women at The Writer’s Coffee Shop Publishing House, this was made possible. It is a perfect fit, as this is the publishing house that brought the world Fifty Shades of Grey. Obviously … they aren’t afraid to stir the pot.

Biography

Alexandra Powe Allred graduated from Texas A&M University with a B.A. in History, saying,”As everyone knows, once you get a degree in history, all you can really do is teach or write. I’m just doing what I can!” As the daughter of a (now retired) U.S. Diplomat, Allred traveled all over the United States and around the world. Her writing career began before graduation with several pieces on bi-lingual education with national education publications.

But the real stories began while living as a youth in Moscow, Russia. Under a communist regime, imagination and the ability to create stories was the very best way to beat boredom (and the freezing cold!). As her career was taking off, Allred embraced her second passion — sports. She trained for and made the U.S. women’s bobsled team in 1994, becoming the ï¬ rst U.S. National Champion. She was named Athlete of the Year by the United States Olympic Committee and garnered much worldwide attention as she was also 4 1/2 months pregnant at the time! Her training regimen was (and is) used by the United States and International Olympic Committees for pregnant athletes. Following her retirement from the sport in 1998, Allred returned to the literary world with The Quiet Storm.

While living in the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, NY, she was able to talk to Olympic and National athletes from all disciplines and share with sports enthusiasts. From there, her career was launched. She did adventure freelance writing for Sports Illustrated, Muscle & Fitness for Her, and Volvo magazines. She held a sports column, worked as an editor for NOW magazines outside Dallas, Texas and began working as a Clean Air advocate, often testifying before the EPA.

Today, she writes (mostly) fiction, teaches kinesiology classes for Navarro Community College while enjoying her family and animals in Texas.

Thanks to Ms. Allred for stopping by with this terrific guest post!  If you don’t win the giveaway, you can purchase the book here:   Damaged Goods

Simply leave a comment on this blog post for your chance to win an e-book copy of Damaged Goods.  You officially have until Tuesday at noon.  Want extra entries?  Tweet this post or like it on Facebook.  New and existing subscribers to my site also get an extra entry.

The plan is to announce the winner on Tuesday evening, but due to the impending “Frankenstorm” threatening to make landing where I live, I may be late in announcing the winner.  Please be sure to leave an email address or Twitter handle so I can contact you if you’re the winner! And… go!