Straight Browsing from the Library: Audley Enough

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.Lesley Whyte Reford & Patricia Lavoie will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

READ THE BLURB

Audley Enough follows Audley's journey through "The Matrix," specifically his mental health. The book describes his adventures into his mania and depression that occurred during the peak employment years of his life, from 27 to 38 years old. It takes one through the spiritual essence of his being, and gives one steps to travel through mania and depression. After reading his book, one comes out stronger with multiple coping tools. The book is about Audley refusing to let his bipolar diagnosis define him, nor stop him from leading a mentally, healthy, and productive life.

READ AN EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT

Thrilled to finally be living his dream, Audley met and fell in love with an accomplished ballet dancer from New York, named Jane, who encouraged him to go to the Big Apple to study at the reputable Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. Here, he took some courses, although never got the opportunity to dance with the company. Although Audley and Jane’s relationship fizzled out, Jane nevertheless remained supportive and encouraged him to pursue his passion in dance. Despite their breakup, Audley stayed in New York and soaked up all that he could from the arts culture of the city. He went to any and all Broadway shows he could and immediately found his calling in the performing arts. He made up his mind that this was the life that he wanted for himself. He’d had a taste of the exciting world of “the stage” and now he was in a single-minded pursuit towards achieving his dream.

What Audley didn’t realize however, was that his breakup with Jane had triggered a depression which he had buried down inside himself and never properly managed. Ignoring his deep emotional despair over the breakup and determined to stay on track towards his goals, Audley returned to Montreal and started teaching at Les Ballets Russes de Montréal. On the rebound from his failed relationship with Jane, he impulsively started dating one of his students, a young woman named Monique. She soon invited him to France to meet her parents, suggesting something quite serious for Audley. On impulse, he irresponsibly borrowed money to get to France. Excited but naive, Audley arrived in France, only to discover that Monique had met someone new in the few months before he arrived. Audley and Monique’s relationship was over. He was too embarrassed to ask for money from home and so, penniless and with nowhere to stay, Audley travelled aimlessly around France, finding refuge wherever he could. Audley, at an incredible low, was emotionally exhausted and had lost all hope. Dismissing his mental state, he hitchhiked from the South of France to Paris and took any jobs he could, including washing dishes and teaching at a dance school in Paris, in order to earn money to get home. In a state of profound desperation, he found any accommodation available to him including a dance school, a university dorm, a park bench, and the apartment of a homosexual pair he had met in his nomadic encounters. After finally scraping by and earning enough money to get back to Canada, Audley returned to Montreal in an extremely delicate emotional state. Hoping to return to New York to study at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, he had applied for a government grant before leaving for France, but now came home to find out that he was unfortunately turned down, pushing his emotional state to an even lower level.

MEET THE SUBJECT OF THE BOOK AND THE AUTHORS

Audley Coley is a mental health coach, a philanthropist, the subject of a book and a Friend of the Bell Let’s Talk campaign. He is often called upon to host forums on mental health awareness and was more recently seen on CBC’s You Can’t Ask That describing his life with bipolar disorder and on Facebook, hosting the live broadcast to the Alianait Arts Festival for the Nunavut community alongside his lovely daughter.

His ability to soar above mental illness is something he credits to many things. His support system: a strong Jamaican, God-fearing, and closely knit family, first. Sports and physical activity come in at a close second. Audley has always been extremely active. He played hockey, soccer and was a dancer/choreographer, most of his life. At the fine age of 62, he can be found at the Atwater Club teaching a class that could put people half his age to shame. Just ask his Yummy Mummies who subscribe to his workouts and carefully crafted playlist. And then, it’s about food for Audley. He perfected his culinary skills working as a chef in Frobisher Bay (Iqaluit) and today, cooking is truly his labour of love. He takes his vitamins (his medication) regularly and frequently visits to Up House, a place where he goes to get centered and to give back to those who once gave to him. The last and perhaps most important box he checks off on his self-care list is REST.

Audley’s objective is to tell his story often so people may recognize themselves, to provide hope for families of those affected, to share a recipe for success that he knows works and to have the opportunity to change someone’s life in the same way that Patty Duke’s openness changed his.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

LESLEY WHYTE REFORD is a seasoned writer who has a passion for communications and storytelling. She obtained her Master’s degree in Public Administration (MPA) from Queen’s University in 1993 and went on to build her career in Corporate Communications and Public Relations in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. As she raised her two sons, Lesley put her career on hold but continued with her writing when time allowed. Engaging in small contract freelance opportunities and volunteer work, Lesley published a centennial book commemorating the Montreal Children’s Hospital’s contribution to the Montreal community titled “100 Years of Stories” in 2004. In 2013, she collaborated with Audley Coley to author “Audley Enough”, an inspiring resource to share his journey with bipolar disorder and help combat the stigma of mental health issues. Lesley is currently a full-time grant writer at One Tree Planted, Inc., a global reforestation non-profit organization.

PATRICIA LAVOIE has been writing and producing feature films and television series for many years including seventeen seasons with Sesame Street (CBC) in Canada where she honed her pre-school expertise. She developed the original concept for and produced the first Heritage Minutes, a multi-million dollar television and cinema project based on anecdotes of Canadian history, as well as many award-winning preschool and family productions for broadcasters such as CBC, Radio-Canada, YTV, Treehouse, Animal Planet, TVOntario, TFO, Télé-Québec, Discovery Channel USA and PBS.

Ms. Lavoie also co-produced several feature length films with international partners in Australia, New Zealand, France, Japan and the USA. Her online game productions were created for PBS, National Geographic, CBC, Radio-Canada and Treehouse. As a broadcaster, Ms. Lavoie also served as interim Director of Yoopa, a multiplatform brand comprised of a television channel, an online community for children and parents and a magazine for parents.

Audley Enough is her third book.

CONNECT WITH AUDLEY COLEY

WEBSITE: http://audleyenoughbook.com)
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/Audley-Coley-105730245370234
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/audleycoley
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/audley_coley,br> GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/147728134-audley-coley
LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/audleycoley/

PURCHASE LINKS AUDLEY ENOUGH

AMAZON.COM: https://amazon.com/dp/022887128X
AMAZON.CA: https://amazon.com/dp/022887128X
INDIGO CHAPTERS: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/audley-enough-a-portrait-of/9780228871286-item.html
BARNES & NOBLE: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/audley-enough-lesley-whyte-reford/1140837677
BOOK DEPOSITORY: https://www.bookdepository.com/Audley-Enough-Lesley-Whyte-Reford-Patricia-Lavoie/9780228871286

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