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Yes! That’s it! And I Love it!!
No, that’s not me. That’s my mother. She was eighteen years old at the time.
What an exciting time this is. Now that I have a cover and a fresh manuscript back from the proof reader, it’s beginning to feel like my memoir is real. But still, I occasionally have to stop and ask myself if all of this is really happening. Had you asked me 5 years ago if I’d write a memoir and even have it published, I would have said, “You’ve got to be kidding.” But, life is filled with surprises and this is one that I will celebrate for a long time. But this is only the beginning.
Today my words about my book and how I came to write it are over on my blog at She Writes and will be included in today’s She Writes Newsletter, as part of the Behind the Book series. I ended the post with these words saying why this could be an important book for many to read:
“SCATTERING ASHES, A Memoir of Letting Go, is my personal story of caring for my mother while searching for peace within myself and with my abusers. It is also an important story. According to the Family Caregiver Alliance, 43.5 million of adult family caregivers care for someone 50+ years of age. The US Census Bureau reported as of April, 2014, there were 76.4 million baby boomers. Clearly the problem of finding caregivers is growing. As is the need for family members to find ways of handling their own emotional trauma as they care for those who can no longer care for themselves. It is my hope that my story can be of help to those who are intending to care for their elders and/or those who may already be doing so.”
Please go over and read the whole post. You won’t be able to leave a comment unless you are a member, but you can certainly leave one here. I’d love to know what you think.
LOVE LOVE LOVE this cover, Joan! So excited for you!
Thanks so much, Valerie! I love it too.
This is so very excellent. A long, long road (including the amazing life you’ve lived that got you to the point of writing the story!) … preparing you for the next step: sharing your story. I am so pleased for you! Love, leslie
Leslie, Thanks so much for your kind words. And yes it has been a long road, but so worth it.
That is a stunning cover! I’m so excited for you, Joan! And I’m especially eager to read your book.
Becca, Thank you for stopping by and and your kind words. I hope you’ll enjoy it once it’s available.
Congratulations, Joan! Can’t wait to read your book!
Thanks, Candace. It won’t be long now!
Terrific Joan!
Congratulations on many levels
Thanks so much, Val. I appreciate your support.
Joan – This is an utterly, profoundly, stunning cover! I’m absolutely thrilled for YOU!
Laurie, I love the cover too. I think it’s quite elegant. I’m so happy we’re getting our books out there at the same time.
Joan, your cover (yes, it’s stunning!) is a reflection of you as both author and artist. How I would have loved to be a fly on the wall during discussions of your cover content, format, and layout. I see the cycle of seasons, beauty and ashes, freedom and more.
Seriously, you could even write a blog post about it!
Thank you so much, Marian. I have never met the designer of the cover, but she seems to know me. When I first saw the cover, I fell head over heels for it. It says so much for me. Yes I could write a blog about it and maybe I will.
Great cover – beautiful looking woman your mother!
Thank you so much, Linda. Yes she was gorgeous.
The cover is gorgeous and I adore the title. I can’t wait for this most important book to hit the shelves.
Love you.
Sharon
Thanks so much, Sharon. You had a big part in getting it going! Hope all is well with you and Vic.
Joan, what an exciting time in your life. You’ve written a great book and now have this luscious cover to wrap around it. So happy for and with you. I signed up for SheWrites and gave your name as the person who led me there.
Woot for Joan!
Shirley, Thanks for all of your help along the way. It’s been a great trip and I am having the time of my life! I think you’ll like what you’ll find at SheWrites. It’s a great community of writers.
It’s lovely, Joan. Your mom becomes a woman I’d like to know better. And I’ll count on your book to do just that. Thank you too for raising awareness of the job, the responsibility, of caregiving.
Thanks, Janet, for all of your kind words and support. Last year in February, I was at your wonderful home in Chincoteague, with you, Marian, Shirley, and Kathy, still working on rewrites and not knowing that a year later I’d be on my way to publishing. Thanks so much for being there.
Congratulations, Joan. What a beautiful cover and title, and what an important issue.
My mother had Alzheimer’s. She had remarried when I was in my thirties so her husband made the decisions. I didn’t think she needed to be institutionalized so soon, and I disagreed with the Alzheimer’s facility’s recommendation for her husband to leave and not return for a month. She sat by the door with her suitcase for two weeks, weeping and waiting. It seemed cruel and unnecessary. I lived four hours away, so could be with her one day a week. That helped a little, but I always worried about those other six days.
Thanks so much, Elaine, for stopping by with your compliments.
Taking care of our elders is a very important issue, especially as the population of elders grows. We are aging at the same time that our parents are. We need to begin to understand not only what is currently happening in the care-taking realm for their sake, but for our own as well.