Memoirs – Page 25

My Past Shadows of Fear – Missing Presumed Dead! by Lucy Boutaleb

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What inspired you to write your memoir?
Lucy was prompted to write this book by the sheer worldwide interest in her story that was reported by the world media, including television, radio and newspapers; but what started pen-to-paper, was when a major International features agency approached her, expressing a keen interest in writing her full story; and also when she discovered that an article, in Annabel magazine, brought tears to some people’s eyes.

Lucy went through hell and triumphed in the face of adversity, narrowly missing death and survived to tell a story simply different from what one would expect.

About your Book:

What happened to Lucy Pocklington?

For more than twenty years, no one knew where Lucy Pocklington was hiding or whether she was dead or alive, ever since her father Thomas threw her out of the family home at the tender age of fifteen. The police searched for her high and low by following a trail of clues that only steered them into an endless circle.

As the mystery of the missing …presumed dead…case deepened – the young girl overcame terrible odds and went on to achieve hard-earned victory!

Join Lucy as she tells her amazing, compassionate and close to the bone story of heartbreak, adventure, loss, and struggles or survival, and reaches out to those seeking hope as well as the powers that be through this true account.
In a true stranger-than-fiction story, Lucy writes with open-hearted honesty as it really happened, and after her long disappearance came the extraordinary denouement…

Never been disclosed before – Jimi Hendrix’s last hours!
Princess Margaret & Peter Sellers, plus Paul McCartney & others…

The last chapter entitled: “At Death’s Door” is an experience that no one on this planet would want to encounter…

How did you decide how to publish your book and where is it published through:
Realised that it was easier and simpler to be an indie publisher and publish Kindle & Paperback through Amazon.com after obtaining a huge amount of interest in my story I finaly decided to publish myself.

How do you see writing a Memoir as different from writing other genres of books?
It is different in the sense that you are writing factual and not created work.

Author Bio:
Lucy Ann Boutaleb lives with her husband Bob also an author in Kent, England. After a successful entrepreneurial career in telecommunications and copywriting she turned her attention to writing.

Website(s)
Author Home Page Link
Link To Book On Amazon
Link to Book for sale via other sites

Your Social Media Links
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17289420-true-life-stories?ac=1
http://lfacebook.com/Lucy.Boutaleb

Strictly G.I.: The WWII Letters of Cpl. Wanda M. Renn by Patricia Arnold @arnoldcreative

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What inspired you to write your memoir?
In the early 1980’s, my grandmother gave an old stack of letters she had written in the forties to my mother for safekeeping. Shortly thereafter, she passed away. I knew that she served in the Army during WWII and had met my grandfather there. When I lost my mother from aplastic anemia when she was in her early forties, it was my turn to keep the letters. When I read them, I found them to be very uplifting during a time of sadness for me. It was my opportunity to read about my grandmother’s service in WWII. Eventually, the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps were recognized by the Army. Initially, I decided to transcribe the letters as a family genealogy project. When a search on the Army Archives website yielded a picture of my grandmother at work in North Africa, I knew I had to share her story as a memoir.

About your Book:
Strictly G.I. Letters from a WAAC is a woman’s historical World War II Memoir created from an actual collection of letters and Vmail. Wanda served in the 149th WAAC Post Hq. Co., the first group of Womens Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC) during World War II to be sent overseas. “Strictly G.I.” is a phrase my grandmother used to describe herself. She advanced quickly in the ranks, and shared her proudest moments in the letters, beginning with her initial training in Des Moines to marches before the general in North Africa. She also shares more humorous moments and interesting observations.

Here is a quote from one Vmail:

“We have a radio in our “room” and whenever we get a short wave station from the states, it makes a person stop and think. You don’t know – you can’t possibly know what war really is – in all reality.”

These historical letters have been transcribed in chronological order. Also included are a forward and “postscript” from Wanda’s grandaughter. The letters have never been published until now. The letters document Wanda’s training in 1942 at Fort Des Moines, Iowa to the dispatch of her unit overseas to French North Africa. Wanda’s portrayal of life as a teletypist is lively and descriptive. The letters also record her perspective of the media’s portrayal of the WAACs. Also unfolding in the letters is her concern for her male counterparts, and her growing affection for one special soldier.

How did you decide how to publish your book and where is it published through:
Since I already had a background in graphic design and marketing, I made the decision to publish it under my own company, Marquette Press.

How do you see writing a Memoir as different from writing other genres of books?
Writing a memoir is different from writing other genres of books because you already have a series of events in place prior to writing. In my case, I had several dated letters that I had to put in order. As a memoir author, I made a commitment to research other facts that would help the reader understand my grandmother’s perspective.

Author Bio:
Patricia Arnold has always enjoyed writing and grew up reading books. She was born in Owosso, Michigan and raised in Bancroft, Michigan. She graduated from Owosso High School in 1988. She received her Bachelors Degree in Graphics and Marketing in 2009 from Baker College and her Masters Degree in Computer Science from Davenport University in 2012. Patricia has merged her abilities by producing books that she is able to write, illustrate and design. She has always been known for her imaginative mind, thorough research and engaging characters.

Website(s)
Author Home Page Link
Link To Book On Amazon

Your Social Media Links
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6914252.Patricia_Arnold
https://www.facebook.com/PattiAArnold
http://twitter.com/arnoldcreative
http://pinterest.com/ladyjade70/our-books/

A PAINED LIFE, a chronic pain journey by Carol Jay Levy @leejcaroll

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What inspired you to write your memoir?
I was asked to write by others who suffer from chronic pain. They wanted our story told.

About your Book:
(I never know if this should be considered memoir or autobiography. They seem relatively synonymous to me.)
In 1976 I moved to NYC to be an actress/singer. Instead 6 months after I arrived I felt a pain in my face, The most horrendous, life altering pain, even though it lasted only 20 – 30 seconds.
The pain stopped my life. I became disabled and spent most of my life seeking help, including repeated neurosurgeries and treatments.
Along the way I found horrors and wonders, bad side effects, relief of the pain, return of the pain, more relief of the pain.
Throughout the fight I was mostly on my own with my family refusing to help and friends living far away from me.
This is the story of my fight against and struggle to live with trigeminal neuralgia.

How did you decide how to publish your book and where is it published through:
It was published by Xlibris.
I chose them because, at that time, they were situated in Philadelphia. I was able to go to the offices, without calling first, see the offices and meet with a number of people there. That convinced me they were the right company.
(They are no longer in Phila and do a lot of outsourcing.)
I chose self publishing after sending it out to “traditional” houses. I found what the stereotype says: waiting for months with no response, ‘no thank’s, ‘not for us but I like it” and editors who wrote “I like it” but you need to change (thus and so). I made the changes only to find when I resubmitted the editor was gone and the new one was not interested.
I finally was frustrated enough to say the heck with it and go POD. Part of the decision was because other ‘name’ authors were also doing POD. (And Random House owned 49% or 51% of Xlibris (at the time.)

How do you see writing a Memoir as different from writing other genres of books?
I see it different, not from autobiography, but from others because of the complete personal and intimate nature of the content of the book.

Author Bio:
Carol Jay Levy has been, at various times in her life, an actress/singer, hospital volunteer, emergency room ward clerk, physician’s assistant student and volunteer ambulance attendant.
She has a B.A. in psychology from Temple University and is a certified hypnotherapist and for the last 3+ decades has been a chronic pain patient.
She is also an advocate for Women In Pain Awareness (https://www.facebook.com/groups/111961795481256/permalink/637176579626439/
Facebook group, blogs at The Pained Life, 30 years, and counting.http://apainedlife.blogspot.com/ and is a columnist for National Pain Report.
She is also accredited to the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities member U.N. NGO group, Persons With Disabilities

Website(s)
Link To Book On Amazon
Link to Book on Barnes and Noble
Link to Book for sale via other sites

Your Social Media Links
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1090355.A_Pained_Life
https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Pained-Life-a-chronic-pain-journey/158040957542480
https://twitter.com/leejcaroll

The Way Is a River of Stars: A Buddhist’s Journey Through Northern Spain on the Camino Pilgrim Route by Helen Burns

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What inspired you to write your memoir?
A life changing walk across Spain. How leaving everything behind, choosing to walk alone carrying everything I needed in a small backpack meant my life was instantly pared down to the barest of essentials. It was the simplicity of this along with time and seven hundred and fifty kilometers under my feet that allowed a natural unfolding of reflections about life: what it means to love and to trust.

About your Book:
In a memoir of saints, sages, and swollen ankles, Helen walks across the Catholic heartland of Northern Spain. Her chosen route is the picturesque Camino Way, a Christian pilgrimage revered since medieval times. Ancient towns and villages, each with a distinct culture and cuisine, mark the way.

Memories and miles intertwine, spanning not only the countryside but also her Christian upbringing and later life as a Buddhist. What is it that compels her into the cathedrals and rustic churches she finds during her month-long journey?

‘Just as I walked from Roncesvalles to Santiago de Compostela – a different woman now to the one who began – I also travelled from one religion to another. Perhaps I put on pilgrim boots to better understand the message of each – the verbs of their prayers – what it means to engage with life, the joys of aloneness and the delights of company.’

Through recollections of meditation retreats, monasteries in Burma and encounters with the gilded Saints and Madonnas of Spanish cathedrals, Helen contemplates the heart of two religions, in her quest for deeper meanings that can unite us all.

How did you decide how to publish your book and where is it published through:
My book is self-published through Sentient Books, a local publisher. They were recommended to me by a friend who was correct when she said their attention to detail is outstanding. I will definitely use them again. My book was awarded a residential mentorship with two leading Writers’ centers in Australia: Varuna, Australia’s National Writers’ House and The Northern Rivers Writers’ Center. It was subsequently shortlisted for the Varuna Harper Collins Award.

Why did I choose to self-publish? The publishing industry in Australia is becoming more and more difficult to enter and after several close calls, through to acquisition departments, I decided to self-publish. I have no regrets. Self-publishing is incredibly empowering and the potentials therefore are limitless.

How do you see writing a Memoir as different from writing other genres of books?
Memoirs require a level of honesty that is not necessarily expected in fiction. This was the greatest challenge for me and ultimately, the most rewarding. It is a fine balance between simply recording a journey and exploring the personal. My aim was to not only bring the pilgrimage to life but also, through honest and uncensored investigation, show through the experience of one truths and lessons to be learned that are universal.

Author Bio:

Helen Burns is an Australian writer and serial traveler. Her adventures have been published in National papers and journals. She has had poems and haiku published in The Famous Reporter, Free Xpressions and several Dangerously Poetic Anthologies. An encounter in Iran inspired her prize winning poem at the2007 Byron Bay Writers’ Festival. The following year she was guest poet at Southern Cross University’s International Human Rights and Peace Conference.
The Way is a River of Stars, Helen’s first travel memoir, was awarded a LongLines residency in 2007 then shortlisted for the Varuna Harper Collins award in 2009.

Her second work in progress is another travel narrative this time set in India. Research into the life of an eighth century Tamil poet is in many ways a homecoming four decades after majoring in Hindi and Asian Studies at the Australian National University.

Website(s)
Author Home Page Link
Link To Book On Amazon

Your Social Media Links
http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/20241112-helen-burns
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Way-is-a-River-of-Stars-A-Camino-Pilgrimage/391989520917898
http://pinterest.com/burns0753/el-camino-the-way-is-a-river-of-stars/

The Widow’s Son by Bruce Robb Steinberg

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What inspired you to write your memoir?
My brother (then twelve), sister (then 9), and me (then 8), heard our mother’s screams (she was then 32 and a part-time secretary at an animal hospital) and we ran from our bedrooms that morning only to find our father had died from an aortic aneurysm caused by (we found out later) a horrific truck accident he was in 8 months before. I am the youngest and I wrote The Widow’s Son from my brother’s perspective to better understand his point of view on the experience of being forced into the role, at age 12, as the new man of the house, to help keep us together as our mother struggled financially to keep us in our neighborhood.

About your Book:
Enjoy the music, politics, fashion, televison and movie fare of the 1960s. Did you know that 2 days before the blizzard of 1967 that brought the Midwest to a halt, it was a balmy 65 degrees? Or that Wild Thing by the Troggs kicked the Beatle’s Paperback Writer off the top of the pop charts? Or that Gomer Pyle USMC replaced the Dick Van Dyke Show? These details unique to 1966 and 1967 also include the Apollo 1 disaster, what young men did to avoid the draft and Vietnam, and President Johnson’s conclusion in 1966 that the Vietnam War had been as good as won. All of this incredible history, accurately researched and woven into this incredible story without a seam, presents a historic backdrop for a powerful tale of survival – and the detemination of a neighborhood filled with beloved nuts and bolts who go beyond the call to save a broken family. And it all begins with these words of a child’s lament – When I hear the news I want to jump on the dining room clock and make time go backwards . . .

Based on the real life loss of the author’s father, Bruce Steinberg brings his passionate tale home as told through the eyes of his oldest brother – a child on the cusp of manhood who does not easily take to wearing the crown of New Man of the House.

The moment 12-year-old Jeremy Rosenberg witnesses his father’s death, Jeremy loses the world he assumed would last forever. With a young brother expecting their father to yet come home, a sister blaming herself, and a mother falling toward isolation, Jeremy is sent fatherless into the world just as he enters adolescence. Beautifully and memorably set in mid-1960s Chicago suburbia, The Widow’s Son is launched on a devastating moment. But this tale of misguided efforts and accidental triumphs of children forced into adult emotions creates a humorous, poignant novel. The reader’s laughter and tears are sure to flow together to the last page as Jeremy battles to make his family into a family once again.

How did you decide how to publish your book and where is it published through:
The Widow’s Son won a writing competition at a writers conference in Milwaukee, WI and thereby earned publication with a very small press in hard cover and trade paperback. The print editionc sales did fine for a small press, but I got my rights back in 2002, and the publisher went out of business in 2004. I re-issued The Widow’s Son on my own as an eBook through Amazon.com’s KDP select program in 2011.

How do you see writing a Memoir as different from writing other genres of books?
The research is more painstaking, both in time and commitment as well as on the author’s emotions. Conversations cannot be remembered exactly from long-ago events, but you try to be true to the theme and the reality.

Author Bio:
Bruce Steinberg is an attorney, married with one child, who has written freelance for Chicago-area newspapers and writes a human-insterest column for the monthly print magazine Silent Sports. In addition to The Widow’s Son, Bruce’s other titles include River Ghosts (nom de plume – BR Robb – a Kirkus star review literary mystery in hard cover, large print, and eBook published by Cengage / Thomson-West) which is also an audio book voiced by Emmy-winning actor and writer Craig J. Harris at Cerny American Studios in Chicago. My Occasional Torment (about husbands, of course) (nom de plume Bee Robb, published by Cengage / Thomson West in hard cover, as well as an eBook edition that was a best-seller in Summer / Fall of 2012). Bruce also adapted My Occasional Torment into a stage play which sold out its performances in a 162-seat theater in Naperville, Illinois. Also, An Assassinated Man as an eBook (nom de plume BR Robb).

Website(s)
Link To Book On Amazon
Link to Book on Barnes and Noble

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