What inspired you to write your memoir?
My mom developed Alzheimers at age 56 and I am fast approaching that age. I didn’t know how long I would be able to remember my journey through motherhood, so when I became an empty nester, I decided there was no time like the present to get it out and down! I published my humorous tales of motherhood in June of 2011 and am about to relaunch the book with a new publisher. “If you are a mom, want to be one, know a mom or have one~ check out my book!”
About your Book:
SYNOPSIS OF THE BOOK
“A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Commencement~
The Heartbreak, Hope and Hilarity of Being a Mom”
With humor and candidness, Ann shares her personal experiences of motherhood by giving glimpses of her journey in the form of short anecdotes that will have you laughing one minute and tearing up the next!
After explaining why she wrote her book and giving her overall impressions of motherhood, she takes you step by step through her own adventures: Her transparency gives you permission to laugh along with her as you recognize yourself in the tales she tells.
Sit back and relax as you hear about her getting “caught in the act”, coping with colic, pushing the fun-meter, breaking her leg, going into premature labor four months early, having her front tooth knocked out and her cornea gouged by her son, being reprimanded by a fifth grader for being pregnant, throwing a curve ball at dinnertime, wrestling with being a wrestling mom, dealing with discipline, facing fears, surviving three seasons of drivers ed., marrying off two of three sons, and ending up uterus-less in Buffalo with a big sigh of contentment and peace. Learn from her mistakes and rejoice with her as she sees God’s hand of blessing in her life and the lives of her boys!
You will appreciate the short stories that can be read in a single, quick sitting and moreover, the humor that she brings to each situation in turn. Hopefully, you will come away with the reminder to not take yourself too seriously and enjoy a good laugh every day. But make sure to have a box of tissues on hand as well. Many of us have “been there and done that!” So, enjoy Ann’s “momeries” and let a friend know about the funny things that can happen on the way to commencement! Come be reminded what an honor and privilege it is to partner with God in the best career out there~ being a mom!
How did you decide how to publish your book and where is it published through:
It was actually, originally published by a small traditional publisher in Maine. However, I am in the process of re-launching it through iUniverse.
They are a self-publishing venue that has been bought by Penguin Books. I am hoping to gain more exposure and perhaps even get picked up by Penguin Books. My small publisher and I didn’t see eye to eye on how to market my book. I wanted to get it out in eBook form on Amazon since
that seems to be the way things are moving.
I have copies of my book from my previous publisher which I own. I will let you know when it is available again through iUniverse/Penguin. If you send me an address, I will send you a copy ~ however, I am waiting for it to be republished /relaunched with a new ISBN and Amazon.com listing. I will complete this form once I get all the necessary information and have a book in hand, as well as all the links you are asking for in this form.
How do you see writing a Memoir as different from writing other genres of books?
It’s a very personal venture. Many people have a hard time being honest, candid and transparent in making their lives public. My three sons were very encouraging every step of the way~ enjoying the finished, very humorous product despite the fact that I left few stones unturned. I have always believed that a good dose of humor can get you through just about anything as one can tell if they read a list of my chapter titles. They include: “Look at the Mess You Made!”, “What? No Instruction Manual?”, “Afternoon Delight…or Not!”, “You Haven’t Lived Until You’ve Experienced Projectile Vomiting”, “Letting Down in Public”, The Vacation from Hell”, “Leftovers for Hubby”, “Your Boss Saw My Dirty Underwear!”, “I Know What You Did!”, “I’m Cold so Put on a Coat!”, “My Face Behind the Sponge and My Butt in a Shopping Cart!”, “Just Wait Until they Hit High School!”, “What Part of ‘No!’ Don’t You Understand?”, “Advice from the Bros: Don’t Drive with Mom”, and “Nobody’s Perfect”. There are 83 chapters of my trials and triumphs as a mom: starting with the moment I found out I was pregnant with first son and realized my OB-Gyn went to my church…to my hysterectomy in the fall of 2010, launching my youngest off to college and facing the dreaded empty nest with bucket list in hand!
Author Bio:
About Author Ann Van De Water
Ann was born in a station wagon in the Dominican Republic to missionary parents and has been going 90 MPH ever since! She lived in Costa Rica, has done missions work herself in Honduras and Zambia, Africa and has traveled to Latin America, the Caribbean and parts of Europe. After graduating from William Smith College in Geneva, New York, she married her college sweetheart, soul mate and best friend, Wesley and together, they have raised their three sons: Scott, Mark, and Ben.
When their sons were in elementary and middle school, Ann choreographed their musicals and accompanied their concerts. She sang with the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus and also choreographed and sang in Sweet Adelines. Teaching Spanish and private piano lessons kept her busy as well as playing and singing for residents in over twenty nursing homes and assisted living centers in her hometown area. In her home church, Ann, along with her husband Wes, has been very active in the music/worship arts, couples/ marriage, children’s Sunday school/ vacation bible school and parenting ministries.
She has really loved being a wife and mother, but Ann also enjoys writing, speaking singing, playing the piano, and painting. She considers it a blessing to have been a stay-at-home mom and is now an empty nester, having sent Ben off to college in 2010. Ann is planning and anticipating a new and exciting season in her life. On Sept. 4th, she became a grandmother to Matthew Ryan and is anxiously awaiting the arrival of grandson #2 in January! She has decided that being a grandmother is the most fun of all!
Ann has made her home outside of Buffalo in Western New York for the last thirty years with her husband Wes and their boys.
Website(s)
Author Home Page Link
Link To Book On Amazon
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