Its release day for The Stranger In My Recliner! I am overwhelmed and filled with gratitude for all of the kind words about Sophie’s story. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart!

People often ask me what they can do to help the homeless, to really help them. The answer to homelessness is homes. My suggestion is to not donate to any organization that does not work towards that goal. I would love it if you would share #sophieschallenge by copying and pasting the following to Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and on your blogs.

 Perform an act of kindness for the homeless or mentally ill, and if it feels good, make it a habit #sophieschallenge #thestrangerinmyrecliner

Start a conversation at dinner on ending homelessness then start the same talk with a stranger. #sophieschallenge #thestrangerinmyrecliner

email local politicians and senator asking how they feel about homes not jails for the homeless #sophieschallenge  #thestrangerinmyrecliner

 The Stranger In My Recliner is now available wherever books are sold!

“When Sophie walked through my front door that night, I could not believe my eyes. She was a frail, filthy, and hunched-over eighty-year-old woman.

What possibly could have happened to her?

Sophie’s story is one of jealous, vindictive siblings, an abusive husband, and a sexual assault that resulted in a pregnancy and a kidnapping. Her children were unforgiving.

 She was left out in the cold by a deceiving judge and then by a group of lost souls that she had devoted her life to serving.

As much as I felt we were getting to know Sophie, and it was starting to feel like she was just another one of our “crazy” relatives, there was still so much that we didn’t know about her.

After more than two years in our home how was it possible that she was still very

much the stranger in my recliner?”

“The Stranger in My Recliner is riveting, a book that captures the reader’s attention not just by

It’s fascinating story, but by the light it shines on society’s ignorance about mental illness.

As I read the book, I kept asking myself, “What would I have done?” and more importantly, “What more can we do for all the other Sophie’s out there?”

The author tells this true, gut-wrenching story directly from her heart, and in doing so brings many issues surrounding mental illness in today’s world out into the open for discussion, examination, and hopefully for some change.”

—Peg DeGrassa Senior Editor, Delco News Network

“After a devastating divorce and while in the hospital for two months with congestive heart failure, I became homeless. My life was changed irrevocably—overnight. Upon my release, I was moved into a shelter. The hospital provided me a ‘protective filing’ with the social security administration, so it only took five months for me to be approved for disability.

If anyone reading this thinks, ‘Gee that will never happen to me, I’ll never become homeless’ they need to think again. Doreen is right. Homelessness can happen to anybody. This book is timely and important.”

—Mary Wallace Violist, Tampa Bay Symphony; Author of the Homeless Chronicles

#sophieschallenge     #homesendhomelessness

Thank you for reading and sharing,

Doreen