Contemporary Authors

• A Few Minor Adjustments: A Memoir of Healing - 2017 Bazi Publishing , San Diego, CA

• Amazon -

  Raised in Venice, California, Cherie longed to travel and experience the way other people lived. After serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Zambia on a water sanitation and health education project, Cherie returned to the United States with an African souvenir she didn’t expect: a mysterious illness. She fell severely ill and almost died, leaving her with symptoms that went undiagnosed for many years. This inspired Cherie to write her memoir, A Few Minor Adjustments, taking the reader on a powerful-but-entertaining journey through her adventures and search for life-saving answers and a diagnosis.

  A graduate of the University of Auckland, New Zealand with an M.A. in Medical and Cultural Anthropology with First Class Honors, Cherie also holds a B.A. in Communications from UCSD and a Certification in Scientific and Technical Writing.

  A Few Minor Adjustments is the winner of both a 2017 San Diego Book Award and a Bookvana Award. It was also featured in the San Diego Annual Memoir Showcase and performed onstage at the Horton Grand Theater. Cherie’s essays, stories, and poems have appeared in publications and events such as: The San Diego Poetry Annual, The San Diego Writers Ink Anthology, Oceanside Literary Art Walk, Wild Lemon Project, Magee Park Poets Anthology, and in the Transform Your Life classes.

  After traveling to more than forty countries, Cherie now lives in San Diego and has been celebrated for her holistic approach to healing, and her willingness to examine her life lessons in her writing.

  Stay connected with Cherie at: CherieKephart.com

• Cherie Kephart Website - https://cheriekephart.com/

  Raised in Venice, California, Cherie longed to travel and experience the way other people lived. After serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Zambia on a water sanitation and health education project, Cherie returned to the United States with an African souvenir she didn’t expect: a mysterious illness. She fell severely ill and almost died, leaving her with symptoms that went undiagnosed for many years. This inspired Cherie to write her memoir, A Few Minor Adjustments: A Memoir of Healing, taking the reader on a powerful but entertaining journey through her adventures and search for life-saving answers.
  A graduate of the University of Auckland, New Zealand with an M.A. in Medical and Cultural Anthropology with First Class Honors, Cherie also holds a B.A. in Communications from UCSD and a Certification in Scientific and Technical Writing. Besides technical writing, she has notable experience as both a ghostwriter and editor.
  A Few Minor Adjustments is the recipient of several awards, including a San Diego Book Award, Bookvana Award, and Independent Publisher Book Award. The book was featured in the San Diego Memoir Showcase and was performed onstage at the Horton Grand theater. Cherie was also acknowledged as a finalist for an Author of Influence Award by The Connected Women of Influence.Her essays, short stories, and poems have appeared in publications and events such as: The San Diego Poetry Annual, The San Diego Writers Ink Anthology, Oceanside Literary Art Walk, Wild Lemon Project, Magee Park Poets Anthology, and in the Transform Your Life classes.
  After traveling to more than forty countries, Cherie lives in San Diego and is passionate about healing the body, mind, and spirit and sharing her experiences to help others. She has been celebrated for her holistic approach to healing and her willingness to examine her life lessons in her writing.

• Michelle Booth - http://www.michellebooth.net/interview-cherie-kephart-author-memoir-minor-adjustments/

  Interview with Cherie Kephart author of memoir A Few Minor Adjustments

  How has your experience as a traveler influenced your personal journey on the road to better health?
  When I traveled, I was forced to open my mind, to pay attention, and to be adventurous. I had to learn to be comfortable with my fear of the unknown. Living in Zambia taught me that. I stayed with a local Zambian family, ate dishes such as boiled millet and fried-caterpillars. I built makeshift wells and latrines near a crocodile-infested river close to the border of politically unstable Zaire. Each day was an adventure, especially when it came to my health. I had giardia, dysentery, a putzi fly infection resulting in maggots in my butt, and almost died from an uncommon case of malaria. Almost dying in Africa was a pivotal point for me. I realized I needed a fierce will to live if I was going to survive. Now all these years later, that has never changed. It’s the one constant that has kept me going.

  What were some of the high and low points of that time when you were struggling to figure out what might be causing your symptoms?
  The worst part was the not knowing why I was so sick, if I would ever heal, or if I was going to die. Every day I woke with the same questions, and each night I went to bed with no answers. It was terrifying. And it went on for years. I saw hundreds of doctors, healers, and therapists: rheumatologists, cardiologists, integrative medicine specialists, neurologists, acupuncturists, naturopaths, and eccentric healers such as a Russian ex-physicist who waved fertile chicken-eggs over my chest to try to reset the rhythm of my heart.
  I came close to committing suicide. But that’s the miraculous part. We don’t realize what we are capable of until we are faced with enormous challenges. I learned to respect my inner strength, to know how much I could endure and how much I could rise above. I kept finding ways to change myself and my situation, like changing my attitude; changing the foods I ate, trying new therapies and treatments, including an exploratory heart procedure. I stayed open and stopped looking back. What a magnificent lesson.

  What impact did others have on your attempts to both live with and diagnose your illness?
  That was one of the most beautiful gifts I’ve ever been given; to see how much people cared and feel their compassion and love. My family and friends never gave up on me. That kept me strong. Without them, I wouldn’t be here. I’m certain of that, especially with regard to my mother and my grandfather. Both of them helped me financially, since I lost the ability to work. They were also there for me emotionally. My boyfriend Alex, the one I dedicated the book to, was amazing. He went to doctor appointments, did research on my health, cared for me while I was bedridden and unable to walk unassisted. I will never forget it. People often tell me how strong I am. I always reply the same way, “I’m only as strong as my support system.” As horrendous as my physical health was, I always had love.

  What do you find the most fascinating about the memoir genre, and how has writing this book helped with your own healing?
  I’ve always been fascinated with memoirs. Reading a memoir, I get to dive deep into someone else’s world, to understand their most intimate struggles and triumphs. I got to know them. It’s like I get to live another life for a little while. I also feel that memoirs connect us, bridging the gaps between different aspects of our humanity.
  Writing a memoir is deeply cathartic. I believe we write a memoir twice. The first time we write it, we write it for ourselves. We write to release emotions and energy surrounding everything we have endured. Then, when it is at the point where we feel clarity around it, we re-write and fine tune it to make it accessible and ready to release to the world. We prepare the story in such a way that enables people to easily come along our inner and outer journeys and gain insights from them. Ernest Hemingway said it best, “Write hard and clear about what hurts.” That’s what I did.
  It’s difficult to explain how writing this memoir contributed to my healing. I certainly don’t think it made the process go any faster. But it made me go deeper into the crevices of pain where I didn’t necessarily want to go. So the healing I’ve experienced is more profound and lasting.

  What would you like readers to remember most about your story?
  We all have pain and suffering, but we all have joy and beauty. It’s really about perspective and choosing each day to show up in a positive way and to have more compassion for each other, and for ourselves. If we don’t understand something, like an undiagnosed illness, then it is our duty as human beings not to turn away, or reject the unknown, but offer compassion, even if it is something we don’t understand. Actually, especially if it’s something we don’t understand.

  What would you say to those who are on a similar path as yours?
  If I could survive all that I have, and it’s a lot for one person to endure, then anyone else can, too. Even when we feel like ending it all, we have to find a reason to live for just one more sunrise and then one more sunset. Because we never know what is around the corner. There were so many times I was ready to end it all. I was barely alive. Now, I look back, and I’m so glad I didn’t give up. As long as we have the will to live, you can heal.

  Are you working on a new book?
  Absolutely! My next projects are companion books to the memoir: The Healing 100 and The Symptoms 100. The Healing 100 is the top one-hundred things I did to heal, and The Symptoms 100 is the top 100 symptoms I had and what helped me. I also have a collection of poetry, Poetry of Peace, which chronicles four stages of life, Seeing the World, Through Darkness, Into the Light, and With Peace. It’s really about the emotional and spiritual aspects of healing. Lastly, I am creating a cookbook filled with allergy-free recipes: The Cookbook for People Who Can’t Eat Anything. I’m excited about these projects since the goal is to provide insight, a touch of humor, and ideas on ways to heal. I believe people can learn from my experiences, be inspired, and have some tools for their own healing journey.

• Book Reviewer Yellow Pages - https://bookrevieweryellowpages.com/cherie-kephart-book-blogger-reviews/

  Author Cherie Kephart Interview About Getting Book Blogger Reviews for “A Few Minor Adjustments”
  Jan 1, 2018

  This interview is part of a series that looks at how authors collaborate with, and benefit from, building relationships with book bloggers.
  Cherie Kephart was having the time of her life traveling around the globe, until she developed a mysterious illness. A Few Minor Adjustments: A Memoir of Healing is Cherie’s story about her search for a diagnosis, the healing journey, and her ultimate success with finding life-saving answers.
  Book category: Biography/Memoir
  Book blogger promotion examples: Just Reviews and Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews
  Author website: CherieKephart.com
  Q: How far in advance of your release date did you start approaching bloggers about reviewing or featuring your book?
  A: I started contacting bloggers and reviewers three months in advance of my book release date.
  Q: Did you have criteria for selecting a blog? What were you looking for?
  Yes I did. My book is non-fiction, a memoir, to be specific. Most bloggers and reviewers tend to focus on fiction. However, the ones that do cover non-fiction are generally responsive and dedicated to the topics they cover. I also looked to determine whether the reviewer was active in the last few months and gave honest and objective reviews. As much as we want reviewers to sing praises about our books, I believe authors want a fair and unbiased review that is intelligent, comprehensive, and helpful for readers.
  Q: Every blogger has a preference for how they are contacted. What process did you follow when approaching bloggers?
  The Book Reviewer Yellow Pages was a great resource for determining how each reviewer and blogger wanted to be contacted. In addition to consulting this resource, I would take the additional step of going to their website and following their guidelines. Oftentimes they post updates on what they are reviewing, their timeframes, and how they prefer to be contacted. If they preferred me to fill out their online form on their website, that is what I did. Otherwise, I wrote a personal email with whatever information was needed, per their submission guidelines.
  Q: Can you share what your process was for contacting bloggers? i.e. recordkeeping habits, what you prepared ahead of time, how much time you invested, etc.
  Contacting reviewers and bloggers is a time intensive process. I kept a log of everyone I contacted, how I contacted them, the dates, and what their responses were. It took a few months to go through the list and to make all the personal connections. Some people choose to do a form mail, but I believe if people are willing to take time out to read and review my book, then I can take the time to find the appropriate reviewers and write them a personal request.
  Q: What tips can you share about the process?
  Be personal when you reach out. Do your homework for each person you contact, and remember they are doing this for free, so be appreciative. Know that a lot of people you contact simply don’t have the time and won’t respond to everyone. It is nothing personal. And only approach those reviewers and bloggers who take your genre of book, otherwise, you are wasting your time and theirs. Besides, it is best to contact those who enjoy the type of book you read, which increases your chances of getting reviewed, and perhaps a more favorable review at that.
  Q: Any happy surprises or unexpected benefits from this experience?
  A: Yes. One blogger loved my book so much that I made it to her top 20 books she has read in 2017. Also, from her promotion of my book I was contacted for a radio interview.
  Q: How was your review or feature promoted by the blogger? And how did you promote it?
  A: Promoted on social media such as twitter and Facebook. They posted their reviews on GoodReads and Amazon as well as their website.

• Aionios Books - http://aioniosbooks.com/blog/interview-with-cherie-kephart-indie-author

  Gerri Santiago
  Saturday, August 26, 2017

  We interviewed Cherie Kephart, author of A Few Minor Adjustments: A Memoir of Healing. AFMA won the 2017 San Diego Book Award for Best Unpublished Memoir and the 2017 Bookvana Award for Autobiography: Female Inspirational/Motivational Book. A scene from AFMA was featured in the San Diego Annual Memoir Showcase and performed on stage at the Horton Grand Theater in Downtown San Diego.

  Aionios Books (AB): Did you always want to be a writer?

  Cherie Kephart (Cherie): No. When I was young, I wanted to be a roller-skating champion! I know, crazy. I blame this outlandish dream on repeatedly watching the movie Xanadu as a kid. Of course, when I realized that wasn’t going to happen, I delved into education and travel, since I had lots of different interests and loved exploration. I worked as a waitress, valet parker, and bartender while in school. I did lots of non-profit work as well, including serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Africa before I finally found my way into writing. I’ve always adored writing and have worked as a technical and scientific writer for many years. Writing a book, however, that’s a different species. I always remind myself though that being a writer is a privilege, and I feel grateful to be doing what I love.

  AB: Why did you decide to write a memoir?

  Cherie: I feel that memoirs connect us, bridging the gaps between different aspects of our humanity. I wanted to be a part of that connection, helping those who need some inspiration, those who are suffering from illness and feel lost, alone, and afraid. I know how it feels. I used to be there. This is my way of reaching people and doing what I can to help.

  AB: How did you come up with the title of your book?

  Cherie: When I was twenty-three, I served as a volunteer in the U.S. Peace Corps in Zambia. When I arrived, the Peace Corps issued all of us volunteers a small booklet called, A Few Minor Adjustments, informing us about the “few, minor adjustments” that we would experience. What a colossal understatement. It was one huge, life-altering roller-coaster of a ride! When I was searching for a title for the book, I realized that healing from a chronic illness is the same: a massive transformation, often understated. Plus, I think the title is funny, and I believe humor heals. It makes me smile whenever I think about it.

  AB: What would you like readers to remember most about your story?

  Cherie: We all have pain and suffering, but we all have joy and beauty. It’s really about perspective and choosing each day to show up in a positive way and to have more compassion for each other, and for ourselves. If we don’t understand something, like an undiagnosed illness, then it is our duty as human beings not to turn away, or reject the unknown, but offer compassion, even if it is something we don’t understand. Especially if it’s something we don’t understand. And also to never give up. No matter how dark life gets, there is always light. If I didn’t believe that, I wouldn’t have survived.

  AB: What was the hardest part of the book to write?

  Cherie: Definitely the sessions with Brenda, the therapist, she helped me work through some of the hardest moments of my life. When I first wrote my memoir, I used a pseudonym since it was too painful to use my real name for those scenes. I choose the name Maya. Once I did that, it felt safe, and I was able to help “Maya” with her cathartic writing journey. When I finished the book, I realized that I needed to own my story, and so, I thanked Maya for her help, and let her go. As much as that experience enabled me to write my memoir, the courage and confidence that I found to use my name was freeing.

  AB: What are you most proud of about the book?

  Cherie: The ending. It’s tough wrapping up a memoir. You can’t just insert a happy, Hollywood ending on it and call it a day. Real life is unkempt, dirty, and raw. And it rarely gets a nice, neat ending. I cut out fourteen chapters from the last part of the book. There was so much more that I endured, but I needed it to be tight, and ultimately uplifting. That’s what I focused on. I love the way it turned out.

  AB: What is the greatest joy of writing a memoir?

  Cherie: Connecting with readers. I’ve already received such heartfelt messages of gratitude and appreciation, about how reading my story has inspired them to never give up. I often well up with tears when I read their kind words. That’s the core reason I wrote this memoir, to help give back in some way. To know that people are positively affected makes it worth all the effort I’ve put into creating it.

  AB: Do you have a favorite line from your book?

  Cherie: There are several! But there is one in particular that makes me smile each time I read it. “You know you’re having a bad week when you call 911, the paramedics come to your house, and one of them notices you’ve rearranged your furniture.” I think about the time it happened, and wow, that is why I love non-fiction; you just can’t make this stuff up.

  AB: If your book was made into a movie, whom would you pick to play the key roles?

  Cherie: I would be honored for Reese Witherspoon to play me. I know she would be the perfect blend of dramatic and adventurous, and she could definitely handle the humor. Each time I think about her portraying me, I get chills. For Alex, I believe Robbie Amell would capture his persona quite well: serious and caring.

  AB: How has the whole writing process changed your life?

  Cherie: It’s been an expansive adventure from day one. It’s the kind of learning that hits you at your core. I’ve not only conquered many unwanted fears, such as sharing my darkest life moments, but I’ve come to appreciate the healing that has transpired because of it. No amount of therapy or treatments can heal like writing does. It has given me a purpose. You know you’re doing the right thing when something is pulling you forward, not pushing you back. Writing is like that for me.

  AB: What would you say to others who are thinking about writing memoir?

  Cherie: It’s an arduous road, but it’s paved with beauty. You have to be prepared for a metamorphosis. It’s not an overnight deal. It takes grit, determination, passion, and love for the written word to make it to the end. And you’ve got to have a real reason to write, a message that you absolutely must share. It needs to be big. It needs to sustain you and the project through the journey. The rewards are there, but most of them cannot be seen, they can only be felt.

  AB: Has any other writer in particular influenced the way you write?

  Cherie: Absolutely. Dalton Trumbo. He wrote Johnny Got His Gun. I read it in high school. It shocked me and started me on my path to more serious reading and writing. It told the ugly truth about war. It didn't hide. I appreciate that. I strive to write in the same way, bold and with raw vulnerability. What I have to say may not always be easy to read, but it has a message.

  AB: What do you think is the most important aspect of healing?

  Cherie: Belief. If you believe you can heal, you can. All the treatments, therapies, medicines, meditations, and remedies in the universe cannot heal you if you don’t believe you can be healed. I’m not talking about hope. Hope is a dream, a wish always far off in the future. Belief is knowing. There is strength in that. Once I started truly believing I could heal and I let go of my fears, whether healing meant living or dying, it all started to shift. It was miraculous and I had the power within me to turn it on. What an amazing realization.

  AB: What was the biggest “Aha” moment?

  Cherie: If I never finished the book, I would have been just fine and moved on with my life. And even If I died from all my health challenges, that would have been okay too. I know it sounds a bit extreme, but that is how healing works. When I gave up attachments, I was freed. I wrote about this pivotal moment in my book. I consistently have to work on this now, since attachments are always creeping in—darn ego. But that’s okay, it reminds me of my humanity. I feel grateful to have the perspective.

  AB: What’s next for you?

  Cherie: My next projects are companion books to the memoir: The Healing 100 and The Symptoms 100. The Healing 100 is the top one-hundred things I did to heal, and The Symptoms 100 is the top 100 symptoms I had and what helped me. I also have a collection of poetry, Poetry of Peace, that’s really about the emotional and spiritual aspects of healing. Lastly, I am creating a cookbook filled with delicious, allergy-free recipes: The Cookbook for People Who Can’t Eat Anything. I’m excited about these projects since the goal is to provide insight, a touch of humor, and ideas on ways to heal.

  To read more about Cherie, please visit CherieKephart.com

A Few Minor Adjustments: A Memoir of Healing

Publishers Weekly. 265.6 (Feb. 5, 2018): p55.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
A Few Minor Adjustments: A Memoir of Healing
Cherie Kephart. Bazi Publishing, $15.95 trade paper (254p) ISBN 978-1-947127-01-2
Kephart's solid debut memoir is a story of gut-wrenching perseverance and determination. Kephart's desire to help the less fortunate led her to a Eeace Corps mission in Zambia in 1994 when she was 23. Within six months, she'd tested positive for malaria, had nearly died, and was forced to return to the U.S. For the next 17 years, she endured a multitude of perplexing symptoms, and despite these debilitating health problems and personal crises, Kephart continued to live her life on her own terms, moving to New Zealand in 1997 and completing a master's degree in anthropology. Kephart's account of her troubled health and the medical community's inability to discover the underlying causes are eye-opening, particularly the attitudes of some of her doctors (one gives Kephart "looks like I'm wasting her time and there's nothing wrong with me"). Her story shines when it focuses on her personal life and relationship with her boyfriend, who remains steadfast. The book falters when the prose veers toward melodrama ("I had no answers for my lost soul. My journal turned on me. Its once kind and hospitable pages were now evil, luring me in to my self-destructive thoughts and malicious mind"). This will resonate with readers who appreciate stories of overcoming adversity. (BookLife)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"A Few Minor Adjustments: A Memoir of Healing." Publishers Weekly, 5 Feb. 2018, p. 55. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A526810435/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=2873ad68. Accessed 10 May 2018.

Gale Document Number: GALE|A526810435

Kephart, Cherie: A FEW MINOR ADJUSTMENTS

Kirkus Reviews. (Sept. 1, 2017):
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Kephart, Cherie A FEW MINOR ADJUSTMENTS Bazi Publishing (Indie Nonfiction) $24.95 9, 7 ISBN: 978-1-947127-00-5
A debut author delivers a detailed account of her mysterious illness. As a 23-year-old Peace Corps volunteer sent to a small village in northern Zambia in 1994, Kephart wanted more than anything to help. She learned to speak Bemba, lived in the small hut of a native family, and helped to dig a communal latrine. Hailing from Southern California, she had never been exposed to poverty and disease at such a high level; the bell of the local church tolled almost daily for someone's death. She had also not been exposed to malaria. Medevacked to Lusaka, the capital, she receives that ominous diagnosis. "I understood then that I would forever carry with me my own personalized African souvenir," she writes. Finding her dreams dashed and enduring a bout of temporary deafness and blindness, she wished for death as the symptoms worsened into uncontrollable muscle spasms. "What a colossal understatement," she says of the Peace Corps training booklet, A Few Minor Adjustments, from which she takes the title of her memoir. Everything in her life had changed. But this is only the beginning of a rich and complicated story, told on each page with clear dialogue and memorable anecdotes. Even after returning to the U.S., fatigue and intense pain nearly stop the normal patterns of a young life--work, relationships, hope for the future. She completes a master's degree during this time, but a glimpse into her journal, excerpted occasionally in the book, reveals her suffering: "I feel trapped in a life, a mind, a vision of confusion and isolation. My heart is drenched with black." Once an active athlete, she struggled with staying comfortable when standing. Fifteen years of specialists (she names them Dr. Agreeable, Dr. Arrogant, Dr. Blank-Stare, Dr. Cookie-Cutter, Dr. Curt, Dr. Zoologically Inclined, etc.) and different treatment plans follow. Long after her time in Africa, the final chapters chart a surprising new diagnosis. Ultimately, this memoir chronicling her persistence should inspire readers and engender sympathy. A tone of humility and a great concern for others mark this well-paced work about an individual's most important asset--health.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Kephart, Cherie: A FEW MINOR ADJUSTMENTS." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Sept. 2017. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A502192161/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=2fb6afa8. Accessed 10 May 2018.

Gale Document Number: GALE|A502192161

• Portland Book Review
  http://portlandbookreview.com/2017/10/minor-adjustments/
  Word count: 374

  A Few Minor Adjustments: A Memoir of Healing by Cherie Kephart
  by Whitney Smyth on October 11, 2017

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  An adventure seeking woman interested in making a difference in the world, Cherie travels to Zambia with the Peace Corps in 1994. Amidst teaching the locals how to build a trench latrine to help decontaminate their water source Cherie comes down with a series of symptoms that the medical team is unable to solve. Her eventual diagnosis of Malaria does not explain all of her symptoms, but she ignores it and keeps stubbornly pushing forward with her life and education. Then in 2004 thing reach critical mass and she is stricken with horrendous pain and a whole new slew of symptoms. What follows is a multi-year odyssey through multiple doctors, tests, treatments – both traditional and non-traditional – and some serious soul searching.
  Publisher: Bazi Publishing
  Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook
  Purchase: Powell’s | Amazon | iBooks
  Cherie’s story is an inspiring one. Despite a number of very terrible events, and some royally terrible bad luck, she fought through her pain – both mental and physical – to make it through to the other side. This is very much a memoir and not a self-help book, and as such shouldn’t be looked at as a guide to figuring out your own elusive ailments, but it does offer hope and inspiration for those stuck with their own undiagnosed diseases. The book is written in first person, and in a completely conversational style that invites readers in along for the ride and easily evokes emotional responses as the story progresses.
  The book’s narrative ends in 2011, and while that may complete the bulk of her journey towards health, some readers may feel the book is a little incomplete since there is no note as to what Cherie’s been up to between 2011-2017, as the book has only just been published September of this year. A short afterword may not have been amiss for those wondering whether or not her health continued to improve over time.
  A Few Minor Adjustments is an engaging memoir whose title greatly understates the struggles the author endured and is well worth the read.