Meet Author Deborah Slappey-Pitts

Deborah Slappey Pitts
Thanks to my wonderful readers for making Shadow Living…Paintings of Grief and I Feel Okay national best-selling and award-winning books. Grace and peace to all of you. Deborah


Shadow Living..Paintings of Grief and I Feel Okay are available at dslappeypitts.com, bookstores and online venues such as Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Borders, Waldenbooks, Target, and others.

Harobed House
“Edifying the World Thru Worlds”
Post Office Box 9105, Columbus, GA 31908
Dslappeypitts.com
Innisfree54@yahoo.com





Shadow Living…Paintings of Grief (2007)
ISBN: 978-0978789701

Overview
Shadow Living…Paintings of Grief is the enthralling sequel to I Feel Okay, Deborah Slappey Pitts’ debut bestseller. In Shadow Living…Paintings of Grief, Pitts shares her intimate story of grief and survival after husband's death to a silent killer disease, primary amyloidosis.

With God as her refuge and strength, the author emerges from the shadows of grief to live again and to become a beacon of inspiration to others, coupled with an unwavering commitment to help others find their passageway through the murky depths of grief to a place of healing and peace.




What People are Saying About Shadow Living…

Deborah Slappey Pitts, voted "Disilgold Soul Literary Review Magazine YOUnity Guild of America Most Outstanding Book of the Year" for title, Shadow Living, Paintings of Grief which explores a woman's biographical memoir of her account of coping with the sudden death of her young husband, which has gone on to receive numerous reviews from national top reviewers and is now a Barnes & Noble best seller receiving critical acclaim and our pick for an author to watch.


“Shadow Living, the moving autobiographical account by bestselling author Deborah Slappey Pitts, will put at your heart strings as she shares her intimate story of grief and survival following her husband’s death to a silent killer disease. Identifying the perplexing stages of mourning, Pitts helps readers discover the many stages of the grieving process, including how to embrace the light of hope.”
Ghost Extraordinare


“Shadow Living is an excellent story of a survivor, written for survivors.”
William Phenn, Reader Views

“Deborah tells a sad, yet compelling story.”
Cheryl Dunlop, editor and author, FollowMe as I Follow Christ, Complete Idiot’s Guide to the World of Narnia.”


“Shadow Living promises to give readers hope that they too can come face-to-face with and heal from grief.”
D. L. Carpenter, Author, President of Creative Ink


Raw, Honest Emotions on Paper “….SHADOW LIVING: PAINTINGS OF GRIEF, her (Pitts) story begins at her husband’s funeral. She walks us through her many stages of grief. During a time of loss, it’s easy to lose faith. Mrs. Pitts though found refuge in God. And in this book, she tells her passage through the many phases of grief. This metamorphosis is raw emotions on paper, one beautifully told.”
J. Kaye Book Review Blog (jkayeoldner@yahoo.com)

“Imagine living life after the one person you love more than anything else died. Shadow Living chronicles the thoughts and intimate emotions of Deborah Slappey Pitts after the death of her soul mate and husband, Clyde . Pitts offers a detailed account of the range of emotions and how she came to acknowledge and eventually begin to live again. This inspirational story will encourage you to make the most of everyday and celebrate the small things with those you love. Pitts gives words of advice and ideas for planning for the inevitable – death.

Shadow Living is a brilliantly written narrative that offers rich description of emotions experienced by those left in the aftermath of death….”
Deltareviewer, Reviewing for Real Page Turners


SHADOW LIVING: Paintings of Grief by Deborah Slappey Pitts is a vivid description of what it really means to lose a loved one. Clyde Slappey was stricken with primary amyloidosis, a disease of the immune system, and when he was first diagnosed, after months of seeing doctor after doctor, there seemed to be no cure. Clyde and Deborah had been married for twenty-one years when the disease finally took him from her. Even though he was at the Mayo Clinic waiting for a heart transplant, death came to him sooner. This book is Deborah's story of living with the grief of having lost her soul mate. She gives the seven stages of grief: shock, denial, anger, fear, bargaining, depression and acknowledgement.

Her anger was interesting in that she was so angry with Clyde for leaving her and his two sons, Clyde Daryl and Alex Keith. In her deep grief, she felt as if he could have held on longer - at least long enough to get a heart transplant. SHADOW LIVING is a book that would surely help anyone going through the loss of a dearly loved mate. Deborah tells of her sleepless nights, her attempts to hide her deep depression from her friends and loved ones, of finally seeking help for herself and her son, Alex Keith. Her words are emotional and deep and I felt as if I, too, had known Clyde and had witnessed him as a father and husband.
Alice Holman, The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers


Shadow Living: Paintings of Grief by Deborah Slappey Pitts is an honest, inside view of a woman and a family's struggle to get through to the other side when one loses a loved one. Ms. Pitts is harrowingly honest in her portrayal of how she felt when her husband died. The reader could literally feel the emotions and the pain. More importantly, however, the reader could also feel the hope. ….Shadow Living serves as an honest and spiritual guide to those who are going through or will go through the loss of a beloved family member. I recommend this book to all who have loved and lost someone dear to their heart.
Angelia Menchan, APOOO BookClub


About the Author

Deborah Slappey Pitts is the multi-award winning author of Shadow Living…Paintings of Grief and I Feel Okay, a national bestseller which gives a heart-wrenching account of love, loss, and inspiration. A native of Americus, Georgia, Pitts’ mission is to bring awareness to the amyloidosis diseases and the physiological and psychological effects of the grieving process. Pitts has two sons and resides in Columbus, Georgia with husband, Marshall Pitts.

Honors and Awards
2007 YOUnity Guild Best Outstanding Book of the Year
2007 National Best Books Awards Finalist
2008 Reader Views Reviewers Choice Award
2008 Afr'am Fest Literary Award Nominee
Midwest Book Review Perfect 5
Reader Views Perfect “5” Book Review, 2007
RAWSISTAZ Perfect “5” Book Review, TRR Favorite, 2007
YGA 5-STAR, Top 25 HEATLIST Books
Mosaicbooks.com #1 Bestsellers List
Top 50 Black Christian Books National Bestseller List
Amazon.com top best-seller list


Radio and Television Interviews
Sankofa Literary Show, April 2, 2008
Urban Literary Review, March 21, 2008
Ferguson Literary Talk Show, February 12, 2008
Black History Month Internet Radio Talk Show, February 1-3, 18-22, 26-28
WAOK 1380 Powertalk Morning CBS Radio Show, Atlanta, Georgia, 2007
The Book Squad Radio and Podcast, 2007
The Grits Radio Podcast, 2007
The Rockhill Runway Newspaper, Spotlight on Deborah Slappey Pitts, Charlotte, North Carolina,
Inside Scoop Live Interview and Podcast, Internet
WPEE-TV, Noon Television Show, Cordele, Georgia
WTVM-TV, Noon Television Show, Columbus, Georgia
WRBL-TV, Noon Television Show, Columbus, Georgia


Newspapers, Magazines and Press Releases
“Shadow Living…Paintings of Grief,” Mosiac Magazine, 2007
Unmasking the Cloak of Grief and Grieving, P.O.W.E.R. Magazine, May and July 2008
Shadow Living…Paintings of Grief
An Intimate Account of Grieving and Survival, September 2007
Unmasking the Shadowy World of Grief, January 2008
Widow’s Grief Shared in Intimate Story About Learning to Live Again After Loss, February 2008



I Feel Okay (2005)
ISBN: 978-1420806090, Authorhouse, Bloomington, IN

Overview
I Feel Okay is an inspirational story based on true life experiences that Pitts and the Slappey family faced as they dealt with the death of Clyde Slappey—a husband and a father of a rare disease of the immune system known as primary amyloidosis, a disease that affects eight in a million people annually.

What People are Saying About I Feel Okay…

“I Feel Okay is more than a story about a man with a disease. It is a story of life and faith, and how the Slappey family kept the faith against insurmountable odds. It is a story of how strong they were in the face of adversity, yet able to keep a positive mental attitude. I Feel Okay has my highest A+ rating, the book is a, “must read,” in my opinion. It is well written, an exciting read and above all, a lesson in life….”
William Phenn, Readerviews

“I Feel Okay is a story of love, faith, and determination. It’s a touching story that truly shows the meaning of for better or worse, and sickness and in health, that is stated in the marriage vows….”
Eraina B. Tinnin, The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers


Honors and Awards
§ 2007 Infini Best Autobiography Literary Award
§ Booking Matters National Best-selling Nonfiction, 2006
§ Reader Views Perfect “5” Book Review, 2006
§ RAWSISTAZ 4.5 Book Review, 2006
§ Writers Digest International Self-Publishing Award, 2007, Honorable Mention


Newspaper, Magazines, and Press Releases
Fighting Against All Odds, AuthorHouse Publishers
Silent Killer Disease That You Don’t Know About, AuthorHouse Publishers
A Silent Killer Disease Threatens Eight in a Million Annually, PR Web Press Release Newswire
The Rockhill Runway Newspaper, Spotlight on Deborah Slappey Pitts, Charlotte, North Carolina,
Inside Scoop Live Interview and Podcast, Internet
WPEE-TV, Noon Television Show, Cordele, Georgia
Tragedy Followed by Hope,” Thrive Magazine, Columbus, Georgia
“Clyde’s Story,” Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, Columbus, Georgia
“I Feel Okay,” Synovus Connections, Columbus, Georgia
“Local New Author Pens First Book,” The Columbus Times, Columbus, Georgia
“Woman Finally Feels ‘Okay” after Writing Book,” The Albany Herald, Albany, Georgia
“Americus Native Publishes Book on Husband’s Life,” The Americus Times Recorder, Americus, Georgia
“TSYS Team Member is a Best Selling Author,” TSYS Insite, Columbus, Georgia

Thanks to my wonderful readers for making Shadow Living…Paintings of Grief and I Feel Okay national best-selling and award-winning books. Grace and peace to all of you. Deborah