Former New Jersey Resident Carmen Ambrosio to Exhibit at the 2011 Collingswood Book Festival

Sept. 26, 2011 - PRLog -- DUBLIN, OHIO -- The closer you are born and live near the equator, the less chance you have of being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). That has been the accepted view of many medical researchers around the world for several years. First-time author Carmen Ambrosio is a West Indian who has MS. She learned she had the condition while living in New Jersey in 1991, 14 years after she moved to the mainland from the Virgin Islands.

Ambrosio will return to New Jersey on Saturday, October 1 to promote her memoir Life Continues: Facing the Challenges of MS, Menopause & Midlife with Hope, Courage & Humor at the 9th Annual Collingswood Book Festival. She will be in booth #118.

“I’ve been dealing with MS, a condition where ‘the only certainty is uncertainty’, for the past 20 years. When I wake up each morning, I don’t know if I’m going to have what I call a Duct Tape Day or a better-than-most day,” the author explained. “To mirror that unpredictability, I purposely varied the writing style in my memoir. Some chapters are essays. Some are fake news reports. Others are lists. I’ve even included a TV show proposal.”

Many people who have multiple sclerosis and other chronic conditions, their caregivers, relatives and friends may be inspired by Ambrosio’s refusal to relinquish hope even as physical and emotional challenges mount.

When Life Continues won first place in the Ohio Affiliate of the National Federation of Press Women 2011 Communications Contest in the Biography/Autobiography category, the judge wrote, “Ms. Ambrosio is honest and witty, inspirational without being overbearing, and engaging. Her story is told with insight, humor and much wisdom”. Midwest Book Review said Life Continues has “a simple and powerful message for other aging women” and is “very highly recommended”.

Festival goers can purchase a signed trade paperback copy of Life Continues for $14.99. The book (ISBN 9780615388755) also may be ordered at Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, any Barnes & Noble retail store, or most local independent booksellers. The Amazon Kindle Edition of Life Continues sells for $9.99.

Admission to the 2011 Collingswoood Book Festival is free. For additional event information and directions, go to http://www.collingswoodbookfestival.com/index.php. If it rains, the event will be held in the Collingswood High School located at 424 Collings Avenue, across from Knight Park.

About the Author
Carmen Ambrosio was born in St. Thomas, U. S. Virgin Islands. After she earned a B.A. in journalism from Michigan State University, she held corporate positions in marketing communications and sales before switching careers to advertising. Ambrosio later worked for nonprofit agencies in public relations and client programs. For the last four years, she has operated her own business designing and selling merchandise featuring her writing and photography.

Life Continues: Facing the Challenges of MS, Menopause & Midlife with Hope, Courage & Humor is her first book.

She lives with her husband and mighty mutt in Dublin, Ohio.

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AMBROSart is the publisher of Life Continues and an online retailer of Word Hug Tiles. Our intention is to encourage others to celebrate and reflect upon personal experiences throughout the roller coaster journey of life.