Latest Book in Aurora Series is Released

Everything changed on a snowy January day when Julie Ekblad was involved in an auto accident that killed one woman and left Ekblad in a coma for three weeks. At the time, no known therapy was available so she had to research her brain and create her own therapies. Through her subsequent work, she's become an expert on the workings of the brain, and she shares her insights in a new book aimed at elementary and middle school students.

Left in a coma after the accident, it wasn't until the "Blizzard of 1978" in Muncie, Ind., dropped the barometric pressure dramatically that she was able to regain consciousness. Having to learn things all over again gave her the insight that mental performance can improve if someone learns how to use both sides of their brain well. In fact, she transformed from a logical, left-brain thinker to a more creative right-brain thinker. She shares her experiences in storytelling form with Aurora's help.

In "Aurora's Dream," a young girl gets thrown from a car and ends up in a coma for three days. Like Ekblad, once Aurora wakes up she begins the long, slow journey of therapy to retrain her brain. Eventually, she becomes inspired by a colorful bird to process information about her new world with colors. She and her mother get some help from two girls whose own mother was in a coma, and a visit from her dog, Sam, brings back more memories.

Aurora gradually learns more about how the brain works, such as how people learn and what each of the two hemispheres of the brain control. She creates a series of circles and symbols in a picture language she calls circlatin to help her learn new concepts and teach her empty brain to think again. She even discovers "Brainbows," when colors from rainbows can help trigger the neurons in the right brain to imagine solutions to problems.

Dan Ferrulli created the black and white cartoon illustrations for the book, and Susan Bodman created the watercolor artwork depicting Aurora and her animal friends.

Ekblad's work has been featured in Indiana magazines, on public television, at the website for the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives and at Neuroscience 2007 in San Diego, Calif. The mother of two daughters, she initiated the Brainbow Learning Center exhibit at the Munice Children's Museum and has designed what she calls "Exploracranium" kiosks, small exhibits and a traveling brain exhibit with the Jack Rouse Associates of Cincinnati. She has written about the brain for newspapers in Muncie and Indianapolis. She has also written "Brainbow" and "Aurora's Brain," and the next book in the Aurora series will be titled "Aurora's Thoughts."

For additional information, please visit www.aurorasdreambook.com

"Aurora's Dream"
Julie Ekblad with Hanny Kuieck
Dog Ear Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-4575-3596-3 80 pages $24.95 US

Available at Ingram, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and fine bookstores everywhere.

About Dog Ear Publishing, LLC
Dog Ear Publishing offers completely customized self-publishing services for independent authors. We provide cost-effective, fast, and highly profitable services to publish and distribute independently published books. Our book publishing and distribution services reach worldwide. Dog Ear authors retain all rights and complete creative control throughout the entire self-publishing process. Dog Ear Publishing reviews services and other book marketing services are available to connect great content with interested readers. Self-publishing services are available globally at www.dogearpublishing.net and from our offices in Indianapolis.

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