CO ABODE'S

AUTHOR'S BIOS AND PHOTOS



Carmel Sullivan-Boss: Hi, my name is Carmel. This is me with my son Cooper. I'm a professional artist and early childhood educator and I believe in the idea of community support for families. I was born in County Cork, Ireland and have lived all my adult life here in the United States. I come from a large family of seven children, which may explain why the notion of child-centered education and environment has always been a passion of mine. I support the educational philosophy that teaches parents to honor and respect their children in every interaction. This attitude is reflected in my mission for Co-abode.

Like you, I am a single mom. The idea for Co-abode came out of my own experience of feeling alone and not wanting to raise my son all by myself. After my divorce, I found it hard to deal with the sudden isolation. It was like a vacuum. The idea of finding another single mom-who might feel the way I did-came to mind as I talked to other single moms and found they were dealing with the same issues I was.

I finally took action and decided to get a place big enough for two families. After interviewing 18 single moms. I found the perfect roommate for my son and myself but what about the other 17 single moms who were also looking to house share. As I went down my list, one had a three year old, another one had a two year old, and they lived in the same neighborhood. Why not introduce them to each other. they were all so thankful. While connecting these single moms, it struck me that there should be some reliable resource to help single mothers find each other. That is what we (women in general) like to do. We like to connect with each other. For us single moms in particular, connecting with someone in the same situation can make a huge improvement in our day to day lives. This is how the Co-abode service came to be.

Single moms are the people who could most benefit from a stable emotional and financial system, yet so often we go home with our children to an empty house or apartment. If the idea that 'It takes a village' has any credence, as I firmly believe it does, then connecting moms is a way to make it work. It's really not okay to raise our children alone. We humans are not built that way. We are social creatures, who need to connect with and nurture each other. Single parenting can be lonely and exhausting. It is not easy to have a life outside of work and take care of your children.

Co-abode is an attempt to provide what single moms want. We need to connect. We want to verbalize the loneliness, the fear and frustration. Through sharing our experiences we can educate each other on how to survive a broken marriage, and how to rise to the challenge of caring for our children alone. We can 'lighten our load' by helping each other out, by pooling our resources and providing each other with an understanding ear.



Erica Miner: Violinist turned author Erica Miner has had a multi-faceted career as an award-winning screenwriter, author and poet. A native of Detroit, she studied music at Boston University and the New England Conservatory of Music. After experiencing a variety of highs and lows in her quest to forge a musical career in New York City, Erica won the coveted position of violinist with the Metropolitan Opera Company. Performing in this high-pressured milieu while raising her two children on her own, Erica felt gratified, confident that she had reached the pinnacle of her field.

But one day her life became even more challenging, when as a result of a car accident she was no longer able to perform on the violin. Searching for a new artistic outlet, she drew upon her lifelong love of writing to give her inspiration. She studied screenwriting with famed script gurus Linda Seger and Ken Rotcop, as well as poetry, winning a number of awards in both categories.

Eventually Erica set out to write about her life as a musician and single mother and published her first novel, Travels With My Lovers, winner of the Fiction Prize in the 2003 Direct from the Author Book Awards. Drawing from her experiences and adventures traveling solo in Europe with and without her children, Erica penned her novel with a dual goal: first, to entertain; and second, to speak to all generations of women, past, present and future, and encourage them to express their emotional freedom. She has now completed the screenplay adaptation of her novel.

In addition Erica has developed a number of seminars and lectures related to writing in general and Travels With My Lovers in particular. These range in subject from "Journaling as a Life-Altering Experience" and "The Art of Self Re- Invention" to "Relationships and the Single Mom." Highly rated on her recent lecture tour with Celebrity Cruise Lines, Erica has been booked for two more series in coming months.

Erica has just completed her second novel, Murder In The Pit, a suspense thriller about assassination and intrigue at the Metropolitan Opera. Presently she is hard at work on her semi-autobiographical novel series, tailor-made for "baby boomers," which chronicles the life journey of a young girl from her adolescence during the politically and socially volatile '60s through the transition into the New Millennium. You can find out more about Erica at her website.




Lori Hughes: More Info Coming Soon




Sage Knight, RScP is a licensed spiritual counselor and Director of the Agape Women's Ministry. Sage is also trained in yoga, wholistic massage and cranio-sacral therapy and is the owner of Generations Of Women fine jewelry company, as well the author of the "Belly Power" article series. Walking a journey of excellent self-care as a practical path to giving from the overflow, Sage passionately supports all women who are willing to own their power to transform the world with love and grace. To find out more about Sage, please visit her website at: http://www.generationsofwomen.com.





Sibylla Nash (More Info Coming Soon)




SUZANNE ROCK STIERLE: Suzanne was a single mom for 7 years while attending school and running a nonprofit organization. Her passion for learning led her to the study of successful relationships, parenting, communication techniques and creating rituals that celebrate the passages of women’s lives.

She is the executive director of Young Women Encircle, a nonprofit organization that offers empowerment training program for teenage girls. http://www.YoungWomenEncircle.org She is a certified trainer of "The Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument," a cutting edge thinking & learning styles technology that provides insight and depth of understanding about how people think and make decisions. She is also trained in ‘Non Violent Communication’, a technique that reduces conflict and connects people to a life giving interaction that focuses on meeting the needs of all the individuals involved in the conflict.

She is the author of the upcoming book, “Everyday Milestones, A Woman’s Guide to Reinventing Transition & Celebrating Change” For more information about her work you can check out her website at http://www.SuzanneRockS.com.






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