Birthday weekend and 20 chapters...

by Brittany Geragotelis

My totally awesome boyfriend took me away to Ocean City this past weekend to celebrate my upcoming 32nd birthday. I know...32 years old, crazy huh? Sometimes I forget that I'm that old. But still, no stress this year about getting older, because life's pretty good. Living with a guy who's really super, job's going pretty well, I've had more than 1.8 million reads of Life's a Witch so far and have decided to publish it myself in the next couple of months. So as far as where I am at this point in my life....well, I'm pretty darn happy.

And speaking of Life's a Witch...be sure to check out my latest chapter! Things are really heating up in Hadley's life. You won't believe what's going to happen next!

5x5,
B.

It's Celiac Disease Awareness Month—Are you the one?

by Brittany Geragotelis

May is Celiac Disease Awareness Month and in honor of it, I'm hoping to shed some light on one of the most undiagnosed diseases in the world. Celiac Disease is an autoimmune disease that affects one in 133 people. Unfortunately, about 97% of those afflicted with CD go undiagnosed—which means there are a whole lot of people walking around in pain and damaging their bodies because they just haven’t been given the proper information. Here’s what you need to know:

• CD is an inherited genetic disease. This means if someone in your family has it, your chances of also having it increases.

• CD affects men and women, children and adults. This disease doesn’t discriminate.

• CD is one of the most common genetic diseases in the world. This disease affects more people than Crohn’s Disease, Cystic Fibrosis, Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s Disease combined!

• CD is a multi-symptom, multi-system disease activated by eating gluten. When someone with Celiac Disease consumes gluten (wheat, oats, barley, rye), it sets off a reaction where the person’s immune system begins to attack the body. Continued consumption of gluten can result in things as serious as intestinal cancer, Schizophrenia or infertility.

• You can develop CD at any point in your life. Some people are born with symptoms, while for others it’s a stressful event that sparks the disease.

• There is currently no cure for CD. The only course of action for a person with Celiac Disease is for the afflicted to cut ALL gluten out of their diet.

• A blood test is not enough to be diagnosed. If you’re being tested for CD, insist that your doctor perform an endoscopy as well as a blood test. It’s common for the blood test to give out false negatives.

Part of the reason that so many people with Celiac Disease go undiagnosed is because there are a multitude of symptoms, which are often mistaken for other less dangerous conditions such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Here’s a list of possible CD symptoms. If you have any or all of these, you should request that your doctor test you for the disease:

• Bloating, gas or abdominal pain

• Chronic constipation or diarrhea

• Unexplained weight loss or weight gain

• Unexplained anemia

• Behavior changes (depression/irritability)

• Missed menstrual periods

• Tooth discoloration or loss of enamel

But every CD story is different. This is mine:

Back in March of 2006, I went on a business trip and had an allergic reaction to shellfish. My throat started to close up and I panicked. From that day on, I grew extremely ill. Within three weeks, I’d lost over 20 pounds (at my lowest, I weighed a scary 86 pounds); I was throwing up multiple times a day; I’d lost my appetite and felt naseaus round the clock; It felt like there was a lump stuck in my throat; my chest and back hurt constantly; I was light-headed and faint; my hair had started to fall out; I was having panic attacks on a daily basis and I thought that I was dying.

In a month’s time, I went to a total of five doctors to try and find out what was going on (given the sudden onset of symptoms and their severity, I thought I had cancer). None of them had any answers for me until I saw an amazing man named Dr. Harrary. As soon as I told him my symptoms, he said, “I think you have something called Celiac Disease. It’s a disease where your body can’t process gluten which is found in wheat, oats, barley and rye.” When he suggested this as my possible diagnosis, I shot it down saying, “I’ve eaten bread my entire life. That can’t be it.” But despite my disbelief, Dr. Harrary scheduled me for an endoscopy (a procedure where you’re put under anesthesia and they stick a tube down your throat to take pictures and samples of your stomach; this is a very easy procedure and totally painless) and took blood to test for the disease.

Over a week later, I received the call: the tests had confirmed that I had Celiac Disease. Feeling numb over the diagnosis, I barely listened as he explained that there was no cure, that I only had to adhere to a gluten-free diet and it would be like my body was in remission. But I soon learned that cutting out all gluten from your diet is much more difficult than it sounds. It calls for a complete life change. Difficult, but not impossible.

It took some time to get used to my new way of life, and to be honest, for the first six months I only ate Amy’s frozen dinners (she has a lot of gf items) and gf pasta. I wasn’t in the right mindset to dive into gf cooking. But eventually I learned all the ingredients I needed to look out for and started being a little more adventurous with my meals.

Today, I love cooking; I can take just about any recipe and modify it to be safe for me to eat. I’m in a relationship with a non-Celiac guy who has become quite the expert on gf food and doesn’t mind eating that way if it means I stay safe and healthy. And there have been great strides in awareness over the past five years, including better labeling of food allergens and mainstream companies like General Mills who've begun to make whole lines of gf food (Betty Crocker sells gf cookie, brownie, yellow cake and devil’s food cake mixes at almost all grocery stores; Chex has a bunch of gf cereals; and Bisquik has a line as well.), which will help to bring the cost of these specialty foods down drastically.

I can honestly say that I feel healthy today. As soon as I went gluten-free, I was able to gain my weight back and start getting those vitamins back in my body that I’d lost while I was sick. I’m more susceptible to getting other autoimmune diseases because of my condition, but I’m more aware of reactions in my body now and I know not to give up until I find out what’s wrong with me when I do get sick. Being diagnosed with Celiac Disease isn’t the end of the world; with a few lifestyle changes and a little know-how you can feel better in no time.

If you’re suffering from any of the symptoms mentioned above, visit a gastro-specialist who’s dealt with patients who have Celiac Disease before and request they run a blood test and perform an endoscopy. And remember, just because you don’t have all the symptoms or you’re not in enormous amounts of pain, doesn’t mean you’re not doing damage to your body. If you just want to support the cause, please pass this article on to your friends and family, or wear something green in honor of Celiac Disease Awareness Month (green’s the color to support the cause; I even had green extensions put in my hair!) or donate money to Celiac Research here. Together we can spread the word and encourage diagnoses.

*For more information on Celiac Disease, please visit celiac.org.

5x5,

B.

New Interview by fellow Wattpadder...

by Brittany Geragotelis

Hey all!

Happy Monday! Just wanted to let you all know that a fellow Wattpadder recently interviewed me (yes, I was on the OTHER side of the story this time), because of all the success I've had on the site so far. People are really loving Life's a Witch so far, and I'm up to 1.6 million reads! This is an amazing feat in itself, but I also know I still have 6-8 more chapters left to write....so, things are looking up!

Thanks to all of you who have continued to support me over the years!

5x5,
B.

Oh the horror!

by Brittany Geragotelis

Something awful happened on my way to work today. As I was walking down 28th street as per my usual morning routine, a man popped out from behind some bushes (literally. This area is the Garden District) and nearly ran into me with his big bouquet of flowers. Once he saw me, he immediately began to apologize and then launched into a slew of semi-cat calls.

"Oh, I'm sorry beautiful! I didn't mean to run into you, beautiful..."

And then it happened.

"Have a great Mother's Day!"

photo credit: NBC/SNL

What? Seriously? Really? No! But yes, it appears that I've finally reached the age of—GASP!—MOMdom! (Screams, shrieks, cries of disbelief) This realization caught me off-guard considering I often get mistaken for a teenager, and nothing I was wearing could have suggested otherwise. I mean, I was wearing sunglasses, so he couldn't even see my whole face, and it's not like I was rocking mom jeans or have that telling mom pooch that older women sometimes get. So, how then, could this man tell that I'm officially of Mom-age? Did he somehow know that I'm turning 32 in a few weeks? What was it about me that screamed "I'm a Mom, ask me how" to him?

Well, when I got over my initial horror of the situation I tried to look on the bright side...If he was hitting on me, then that at least meant he thought I was a MILF. And hey, that's something, right?

5x5,
B.

Interview with author Lisi Harrison

by Brittany Geragotelis

Hey all! Here's an author I recently had the pleasure of interviewing about her latest book! You may recognize her from her series The Clique and Monster High. Her books are über popular and she's super sweet and funny. Take a look at what she had to say about monsters, fitting in and her latest obsession:

photo courtesy of Lisi Harrison

Name: Lisi Harrison
Hometown: Laguna Beach, CA
Best known for: The Clique series, Monster High and wash-and-go hair
Fave books: The Secret History by Donna Tartt and Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Last book I read: A Visit From The Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Brittany: Most readers recognize you for your book series, The Clique. What made you decide to take a break from that series to write Monster High?
Lisi Harrison: I wanted to make a monster series for Clique fans—the kind I would want to read. Ghouls for glams!
Brittany: And now you’ve published the sequel, The Ghoul Next Door. What can we expect from this much-anticipated follow-up?
Lisi: Each new book in the series will feature a new character’s point of view. This book will have Frankie and Melody, but will also include Cleo. Readers will get to know her now. She’s kind of my Massie [from Clique]. Frankie and Melody both have major crushes and the Rads take a stand against the Normies. Unfortunately, this “stand” conflicts with a Teen Vogue photo shoot Cleo lined up and she’s sooooo not happy about it.
Brittany: What are you hoping readers get from the Monster High series? Is there a deeper meaning behind the storylines?
Lisi: It’s about our desire as human beings to fit in and how we tend to hide the things that make us different instead of celebrating them. It’s also about tolerance and acceptance. Oh, and how we’re all kind of m onsterous in high school.
Brittany: Why monsters as a theme?
Lisi: The monsters’ traits are metaphors for puberty and our physical challenges in high school.

photo credit: Poppy

Brittany: Are you a monster fan yourself?
Lisi: Generally speaking, I’m not a monster fan, which is why I wanted to try and create a monster world that suited my sensibilities. Something more steeped in pop culture, humor and friendship than we usually find in this genre.
Brittany: Deep down, the Monster High series seems to be about understanding people’s differences and being proud of who you are—no matter what that looks like. What tips do you have for teens who feel like they don’t fit in?
Lisi: Your time to shine will come. Some of us are late bloomers—I was. Be patient, keep calm and carry on. In the meantime, find the people who are most like you and embrace them. Quality over quantity. One amazing friend is better than 20 meanies.
Brittany: Do you have any words of advice for other aspiring writers?
Lisi: Don’t let anyone read your work. Their comments will either make you question your talent or fill you with false hope. You’ll know it’s great when you feel a tingle in your stomach.

Brittany: What are you absolutely obsessed with right now?
Lisi: The feather extensions in my hair, my iPad 2 and doing one nice thing for someone every day (two nice things on the weekend).

Check out The Ghoul Next Door, in bookstores now!

5x5,

B.

I've been a bad, bad blogger....

by Brittany Geragotelis

First off, I know I have some serious apologizing to do. My life has gotten crazy insane lately: I've been hot in the middle of writing Life's a Witch, which is coming along nicely, but since I'm publishing it as I go, there's a lot of pressure for me to get things right the first time. I've been having to edit it as I go along, which is new for me, because I usually wait until the end to do this. So, it's taking a lot more of my attention away than usual.

I've also been away the past few weeks on business trips. First, to beautiful Hell-A to do a photo shoot with the beautiful and sassy Francia Raisa from "The Secret Life of the American Teenager." I'd never seen the show before, but when I found out we'd be shooting her for the cover, I gave myself a crash-course in the very popular ABC Family show. At first, I thought it was silly....basically "7th Heaven" only preggers. But the more I watched, the more obsessed I got. So now, I am officially a fan, and meeting Francia (who plays Adrian on the show) was a real treat. She was very sweet, a little sassy (in a good way), and totally up to play dress up. And whereas I've run into some trouble in the past when asking actresses about their personal/love lives (some have basically shut down the interview!), Francia wasn't afraid to dish on this side of herself. You'll have to wait for the feature to read exactly what she said, but it was a great time.

Next, we headed over to Universal Studios for a shoot for our back-to-school fashion with the cast of Blue Crush 2. I'll let you in on a little secret....usually when you go to celebrity shoots, the stars are perfectly nice and professional. We have a great time, but in the end we all know that they're doing a job and we never really connect in a real, meaningful way. Don't get me wrong, with some of the people we've shot, I really would have loved to become friends with them outside the realm of the entertainment world...but it doesn't happen often. This shoot was totally different.

So, the star of the movie is Sasha Jackson, a beautiful blond from the UK. I met her for the first time when she came into the office with my contact at NBC/Universal for the Bring It On movies. Right away, I knew she was different than most actresses. Sasha was HILARIOUS (in an amazingly inappropriate way), she has THE best accent, but can switch to an American accent seamlessly. She's gorgeous, has this teeny-tiny little figure, while not looking like skelatore. In short: the girl is freaking awesome!

But again, I didn't know if this was just her doing her job promoting the film or really just her coming through in the meeting. When we eventually got to the shoot at Universal, I realized that this is just Sasha. She's friendly. She's outgoing. She's real. Sasha will be a total professional when the situation calls for it, but when she gets to know you, she's got a dirty kind of humor and won't censor herself around you. This kind of honesty had us in stitches and to be honest—we all sort of had girl crushes on her. While on set, we goofed around, hung out, talked about dating, our personal lives, dancing around our rooms to loud music and bonded over our mutual love of McDonald's. This time, when we left the shoot (and our new fave starlet) behind, I think we actually had a friend. We're now friends on FB and I have the luxury of getting bits and pieces of her wit and talent on a daily basis. How lucky am I!?!?!

But the awesomeness didn't stop there. Because after we wrapped that shoot, we headed over to Kendall Jenner's house—yes, her ACTUAL house. The one she lives and tapes in! We followed her cheer coach over to their gorgeous house (if only I had the money to get a place like theirs....sigh.), and waited (nervously) in the dining room for Kris, Kylie and Kendall to join us. Our staff were all nervous (I mean, how often do you get to hang out at the Jenner house?) and I was just hoping Kendall and her momager, Kris, would like the cover and her feature. As we waited, we checked out a wall full of black and white family portraits over the years. This was truly amazing; to see how the whole fam changed year after year was really cool. We even saw the infamous half-naked pic of Kourtney when she was preggers! Getting a glimpse into their personal lives off-camera was unbelievable.

We'd set things up so E! would come by to cover the unveiling and waited for everyone to arrive. When all the introductions had been made, we got straight to the interview with E! and then dropped the cloth that was hiding Kendall's first magazine cover EVER! Her reaction was perfect; you could tell that she genuinely loved it and was so excited to be honored for something she loves to do. And Kris was gushing over it (this was a far cry from the nightmares I'd been having for weeks that included Kris finding something she hated about it and threatening to sue me. In actuality, Kris was SO nice and complimentary of the magazine and cheerleading.). You could tell that Kris LOVES her kids and is their number one fan. On another note, you have to respect her for being such a great business-woman. She really took charge during the shoot (but not in a control freak sort of way) and knew what she was doing the whole time. It was very impressive just being around her. Oh, and Kylie was there too....a little bundle of energy and was so excited to talk about how she wanted to join the cheer squad next year. Of course, I offered to shoot her for the magazine when she finally does become a cheerleader. Now if we can only get them to let us shoot at their house.....

To round up this little celebrity update, one of my co-workers went to comic-con last weekend and, knowing that I'm a big Buffy fan, got me autographs of the actresses who play Harmony and Glory. He also got pics of them holding up signs for me! How sweet is that?!?! (And expensive...apparently it costs $35 apiece for the signatures and pics!).

So, again, sorry for being MIA....I'm going to try and be better about this from here on out. I hope all these pics made up for it!

5x5,
B.

It's that time again!

by Brittany Geragotelis

I just uploaded my latest chapter in Life's a Witch and I've gotta tell you...I'm so excited at how popular it's getting! I'm up to 830,000 reads! Can you believe it?!?!?!

So, if you haven't already, please go to Wattpad.com and check it out. Help support an aspiring author!

5x5,
B.