[nfb-talk] Fw: blind author

[Laura Eaves]

Subject: [ReadingClub4TheBlind] Blind Author Writes Vampire Novel

 
> PR Newswire
> Saturday, April 14, 2007
>
> Blind Author Writes Vampire Novel
>
> By Jeanne Willard
>
> ORMOND BEACH, Fla., April 14 /PRNewswire/ -- When Valerie Hoffman was
a
> 19-year-old college freshman, she fell asleep in her dorm bed and 
> awoke
the
> next morning unable to see. She never regained her sight.
> Fast forward almost 25 years later and Hoffman, 43, chatted with fans 
> and signed copies of her first novel Jan. 20, 2007 at Barnes & Noble 
> bookstore in Daytona Beach.
> Although Hoffman's book, "Vampire Royalty: The Rebellion," is fiction, 
> the story of her life makes a good read.
> The Ormond Beach resident is the oldest of seven children. Both her 
> parents were blind; her father lost his vision at the age of 15, her
mother
> as a toddler.
> It's not clear if there's a direct hereditary connection between her 
> parents' blindness and her own retinal detachments, but all of her
siblings
> are sighted, said Hoffman.
> Waking up to a world of darkness was terrifying, she said. There was a 
> lot of screaming and hysteria on her part.
> Whisked away to rehabilitation for six months, she relearned how to do 
> everything -- eating, dressing, and cooking, Braille -- and received a 
> guide dog.
> After a brief marriage and a move to Florida, she completed her 
> associate degree at Broward Community College, but then hit a brick 
> wall when it came to pursuing a higher degree.
> "Merely because I couldn't find my way to get to the school," Hoffman 
> said, recalling her frustration at the lack of public transportation 
> to a four-year college.
> A news article regarding her plight brought volunteers who offered to 
> drive her to school.
> Relying on others for transportation was only one of many obstacles
she
> faced, including ordering special textbooks on tape and securing
volunteers
> to read test questions and research materials aloud.
> "What everyone else could do in one step took me two to three steps,"
> Hoffman said. It was extremely time-consuming and stressful, she said.
> Hoffman earned her bachelor's and master's degree in social work and 
> went on to earn a doctorate in pastoral counseling in 1997.
> Currently a psychotherapist with practices in Ormond Beach and Daytona 
> Beach, she married her second husband, Norm, in 1997.
> Hoffman said her drive and motivation could be traced to her
childhood.
> "I grew up very poor, in a crime-ridden section of New York," she 
> said,
and
> realized that an education would help her escape that fate.
> Although she's enjoyed a successful professional career, she has
always
> been interested in writing. Special computer equipment allows her to 
> hear what she types.
> Hoffman describes her vampire novel as a mixture of intrigue, politics 
> and romance set in Washington, D.C.
> A fan of classic horror films as a child, she was drawn to the myths 
> surrounding vampires, such as their power to mesmerize humans and live 
> forever.
> "They're sexy, seductive and charismatic," said Hoffman.
> "Who wouldn't want to be like Tom Cruise?," she said, referring to his
> 1994 movie, "Interview with the Vampire: Vampire Chronicles."
> Reading novels such as hers is a way for people to identify with their 
> darker side, without actually engaging in it, Hoffman said.
> According to one of the books reviewers, "'Vampire Royalty: The 
> Rebellion' grabs you by the throat, but more importantly, it grabs you 
> by the heart."
> Vampire Royalty: The Rebellion is available at: Amazon.com, Barnes & 
> Noble, and VampireRoyalty.com.
>
> SOURCE Hometown News
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