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Multipassionate professional. Author. Mom.

Multipassionate professional. Author. Mom.Multipassionate professional. Author. Mom.

Listen to Valerie's interview on So...What Else?

Listen to Valerie's interview on So...What Else?

Listen to Valerie's interview on So...What Else?

Listen to Valerie's interview on So...What Else?

Listen to Valerie's interview on So...What Else?

Listen to Valerie's interview on So...What Else?

*Are you the parent of a special needs child or a teen who struggles with mental health? *Are you an adoptive parent or spouse of an alcoholic? *Are you a perfectionist? *Or has life just not been what you've expected? If so, this memoir is for you.

Electronic (Kindle) and paperback book version of Off-Script

EMBRACE THE UNIMAGINABLE TO LIVE AN EXTRAORDINARY LIFE

Off-Script: a mom's journey through adoption, a husband's alcoholism, and special needs parenting, shares the story that provides hope to the hurting.

 

Read for free on KindleUnlimited.
Order online or purchase at
Chaucer's Books.


Read the first chapter 

Watch the promo video 

Published by Recovering Perfectionist Press.

Buy this memoir

FINDING HOPE IN DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES

OFF-SCRIPT: a mom's journey through adoption, a husband's alcoholism, & special needs parenting

Many girls fantasize about their futures: a loving family, dream job, and a house with a white picket fence. These dreams often turn into expectations for “happily ever after.”

For Valerie Cantella, childhood hopes of a soul mate, children, and a fulfilling career turned into a script … written and edited to perfection. But life didn’t follow her plan. No matter how hard she tried.

Over the next twenty years, life unraveled. A lifelong battle with Type 1 diabetes, the unfolding trauma of mental health crises with a special needs adopted daughter, and her husband’s struggle with alcoholism shattered her childhood dreams. And nearly crushed her.

Nearly.

But sometimes, an off-script journey takes you through the unimaginable to where you were meant to be all along—amid hope and healing.


Read the first chapter!

May 22, 2022, Conversation with an Author

In honor of Mother’s Day and Mental Health Awareness Month, the Goleta Library (400 N. Fairview, Goleta, CA) the library will host local author Valerie Cantella for a special event, Conversation with an Author: Thoughts on Motherhood, Mental Health, and moving forward when life goes Off-Script. 


Sunday, May 22 from 3-4 p.m.


In this interview-style program, Valerie will share about the experiences which led her to write Off-Script: a mom’s journey through adoption, a husband’s alcoholism, and special needs parenting. Don't miss this honest and authentic conversation about thought-provoking topics followed by Q&A.

PRAISE FOR THIS INCREDIBLE MEMOIR

"When a child is diagnosed with a developmental or mental illness, the whole family is affected. Parents are often thrown into a world that doesn't make sense and then begins the scramble to learn everything necessary to advocate for their child. I lost and found myself in Valerie's story as I read her book Off Script. As a mother of a child with a serious mental illness, I could relate to her fears, her exhaustion, and her treasured moments of love and happiness. Bravo! This is a must-read for all NAMI families."

Ramona

"For those who've never had a first-hand glimpse at parenting a high-needs child in traumatic personal circumstances, Valerie's raw and vulnerable depiction will be an education. If you're going through something similar, you'll find hope in these pages. If you're walking alongside someone taking this journey, you'll find hope, too, as well as clues for how to help." 

Robynne Elizabeth Miller, author, speaker, teacher, and mother of special needs kids

"Valerie's vulnerability as she shares an authentic look at parenting and marriage behind the white picket fence is inspiring. Her journey is a reminder that when we embrace the challenges and learn to let go, we find strength we never knew we had." 

Rachael Ross Steidl, Founder, YouthWell and ParentClick

"Off-script is a relatable story if your life didn’t go as planned, which I guess is most of us. I have two adult children with RAD and raising them was very challenging. Valerie’s book is authentic, vulnerable, and real life. Her journey of faith is front and center and I appreciated that part of her story. The book is well-written and easy to read. I applaud Valerie for doing the hard work on a hard story and encouraging the rest of us on our own paths."

SW

"With candor and grace Valerie shares the most difficult struggles she faced as a wife and mother, giving permission for parents to openly discuss the challenges of mental Illness and substance abuse. When my parenting journey went “off script" 7 years ago I wish I’d had this book. It’s encouraging and hopeful and honest." Melissa

"Your book is honest, compelling, sad, heartening, tragic, heroic, interesting, and informative, written in a way that leaves you absorbed, wanting to read just one more chapter … at the end of every chapter! You have such an authentic, beautiful writing style that has a way of leaving you feeling lifted by the end of each chapter, regardless of the content in the middle."

Yvonne Sloan, Parent 

"Off-script is a beautifully written book taking the reader through the author's difficult journey with seemingly insurmountable challenges. The descriptive writing transports the reader to the places and the emotions in the moment. The chapters flashing back to childhood and early adulthood are cohesive and provide greater insight into the writers life and struggles. As an Emergency Room RN Case Manager I had a lump in my throat when reading about the too familiar struggles of a patient with mental health issues trying to find appropriate treatment, resources and payment sources. While there is sadness and struggle there are also moments of encouragement and healing. After reading I set the book down and felt hopeful. And blessed."

Kathleen M.

"Off-script is a memoir of searing reconciliation and resilience of a woman who had to find her way back, over, and through rigid expectations and black and white thinking. She shares her journey to an acceptance that while life is messy, heartbreaking, and can feel like it is pounding us into the ground, if we have the willingness to question our ideas and learn to flex and adapt, a much richer existence is possible. When our existence feels excruciating, some people bend and others break; the author shines as an example of an individual who learned to bend, to adapt, and who finally learned to love and forgive herself and others."

Wandering Reader

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