What inspired you to write your memoir?
I’ve always been fascinated by memoir. When I started my master’s in Creative Writing at San Francisco State University, the first class I took was Autobiography. We read memoirs and wrote our own short pieces. Something I wrote for that class, a personal essay called “Gypsy,” was my first real piece of writing. It connected emotionally with the whole class, and I felt they saw me differently afterward. Later a few friends in that class started a writing group, and I was invited to join. I was only 22, the youngest by far in the group, so it was a big deal for me!
My memoir is about discovering I had ADD in midlife and my process of getting evaluated and treated, but it’s also a look back at my past as a child in Dublin, where I floundered socially and emotionally for reasons I didn’t understand. It’s also a glimpse into my complicated mother’s life. I am still learning things about my mother’s past even in my mid-forties, mostly from her own diaries.
About your Book:
Novelist Gabriella West is refreshingly candid about her journey towards a diagnosis of ADHD, which started a few years ago when she encouraged her female partner to get a diagnosis. She uncovers a family history of the disorder, looking back at her own mother’s life as a divorced American in Ireland in the 1970s. In “Connecting the Dots” she highlights common symptoms women with inattentive-type ADHD experience, and shows that although getting a diagnosis is not necessarily easy, the relief of finding an explanation for things that previously just seemed “wrong” is enormous and healing.
How did you decide how to publish your book and where is it published through:
I’d already been self-publishing on Smashwords and Amazon KDP for two years, so it was a no-brainer. I love the flexibility of being able to publish shorter pieces.
How do you see writing a Memoir as different from writing other genres of books?
Author Bio:
Gabriella West is the author of two novels, Time of Grace and The Leaving. She was born in California, grew up in Ireland, and has lived in the Bay Area since 1988. She has an MA in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University. Her stories have been anthologized in “Best Women’s Erotica 2004,” “Hot Ticket: Tales of Lesbians, Sex, and Travel” and “Early Embraces.”
Website(s)
Author Home Page Link
Link To Book On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/873796.Gabriella_West
http://twitter.com/gabriellawest
