Deborah Nicholson

I apologize that I don't speak German and can only provide information in English for you, but I thank you for your interest in my books.

Deborah Nicholson has always loved the arts. She studied dance for over ten years. She took drama in school, working as playwright, stage manager and director. She studied music for almost 20 years and taught music for ten years. She moved into medical administration but kept up her love of arts by working and volunteering at the Calgary Centre for Performing arts, with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, The Calgary International Children’s Festival, Alberta Theatre Projects and Theatre Calgary. Deborah worked as an usher, bartender, shift supervisor, secretary, receptionist, volunteer coordinator and craft designer for these various organizations.

The culmination of her career at the Centre was as House Manager for Theatre Calgary for several years. Leaving this position, and the longing to still go to the theatre every night, led to the creation of the Kate Carpenter Mystery Series (Severn House). There are currently five novels published in this series, available in eight countries around the world, and widely reviewed. Deborah has also completed a medical mystery/thriller, Mind Games.

To balance her career in the arts, she has continued to work in medical administration with various specialties, such as physiotherapy and rehabilitation, dermatology and cosmetic surgery, general practice and now chronic pain. This interesting field has led to her upcoming series of medical thrillers.

Since being published, Deborah has done several workshops and readings to encourage people who dream of writing to stop dreaming and start writing. She has joined several organizations, very interested in literacy and mentorship.

She has made numerous appearances on The Breakfast Show, Shaw Television and was a featured performed in “The Letters”. Deborah is a member of Mystery Writers Ink, The Alexandra Writers Society, Crime Writers of Canada, The Alberta Writers Guild, and Romance Writers of America. Deborah is a great supporter of charity and volunteerism and donates 10% of all profits of her novels to charity.

In 2009 Deborah wrote The Pain Diaries, a play based on her experience at the Chronic Pain Centre. She spent three years researching the topic, interviewing patients and experts in the field. The play won the CPS Pain Awareness Award in May 2009 and was then work-shopped in December 2009. Two sold-out public readings happened in February 2010, followed by a one week run at the Grand Theatre in Calgary in May 2010. A movie adaptation of The Pain Diaries is currently in production.

Deborah has an extensive backlist, and a couple of new novels, appearing in EBook format coming soon. Stay connected at www.deborahnicholson.com.

Visit our blog at www.stoplyingnowinc.blogspot.com

Arlene Cox

Dr. Arlene Cox has been working in the field of health psychology her entire career. Health psychology is a fascinating field that explores how and why we make choices about our health and how best to promote good health choices.

Dr. Cox spent 10 years working at the Canmore Pain Clinic, a private interdisciplinary program for people with chronic pain. The last five years at the clinic were as the Director. In 2005 she moved to the Calgary Chronic Pain Program, one of the first publicly funded pain programs in Canada. Research and clinical interests include: stage of change for health behaviours, motivation, PTSD and neuroplasticity.

Initially eager to help people change, Dr. Cox has become increasingly aware of the complexity of all health issues and the need to be aware of the whole body/mind. “The people I work with aren’t crazy, it is not ‘all in their head’ and they deserve respect for the choices they have made to survive their world so far.” One of the most difficult challenges folks with chronic pain experience is the struggle with weight gain. Many of the medications used have weight gain as a side effect. Further, clients are no longer as active and their metabolism has slowed, partly due to ongoing stress and sympathetic arousal.

We have learned far more about what doesn’t work over these last two decades. Zero tolerance doesn’t work, telling people to stop doesn’t work, shaming people, threatening people, ordering people around… do not work. What does work? Listening, sharing, respect, exploring connections, focusing on skills, feelings and thoughts and overall being curious … works.