Hi there! I have a little inspiration to share with you today. I love this anonymous quote:
In four super-short sentences and a mere eleven words, that quote describes my current state of being as a writer. Heal. Grow. Help. Yep. Maybe that should’ve been the drastically abbreviated version of my mom, Sue’s story. (For those of you who know me, even a teensy bit, you’ll know that would’ve been impossible. Even after writing nearly 300 pages, I still left a boatload of poignant, painful and humorous stories about Sue on the ‘cutting room floor’.)
This week’s “Peek Inside” provides a literal peek into the interview and promotional process. Authors arrive at this destination after their book is out in the wild and readers are reading…but the promo work has only just begun. 😉 (Cue the Carpenter’s song if you like…I now have it in my brain.)
My publisher, Rick Kaempfer at Eckhartz Press interviewed me about the book and the entire interview is posted on their website. Two of Rick’s questions related to the healing power of writing personal narratives, along with a mention of a best seller in the ‘mommy memoir’ category. I appreciated that Rick asked these two questions – about comparisons between “Surviving Sue” and a blockbuster hit – as well as his thoughtful probe about the difficulty associated with the memoir genre. See below:
Eckhartz Press: When your manuscript arrived at our desk, the book “I’m Glad My Mom Died” by Jennette McCurdy was sitting at the top of the New York Times bestseller list. That book is a very tough look at a mother/daughter relationship just like yours is. For people who have read that book, how is your book similar or different? Give us the elevator pitch.
Vicki: The main difference I see between the two books is the specific intent that I had to bring forward hope, especially in the face of the compounded challenges – not just my mom’s alcoholism but mental illness, elder care themes and support for persons with disabilities. Having hope then helps people do the work to understand their parents as people and shift out of anger into understanding.
When I was wrapping up “Surviving Sue” a friend mentioned McCurdy’s book and I read it, curious to see if there were parallels. Her book was an interesting read, in part because I felt like a voyeur, peeking into her life. Her mother’s aspirations for stardom played out in her ‘stage mom’ behavior and the child star challenges that McCurdy experienced and while it was heartbreaking, it wasn’t entirely relatable for those of us who aren’t in the entertainment industry.
Eckhartz Press: How difficult was it writing such a personal memoir? I’m guessing it was a rather emotional experience.
Vicki: My mom, Sue, died almost eight years ago and it took several years to consider writing her story. From a therapeutic point of view, writing a book when you’re angry or have unfinished business, unresolved pain isn’t a good starting point. I needed to make peace with the darker bits of Sue’s life and my experiences with her in order to write from a place of compassion and truth…but with an intent to offer hope to readers. And most of all, I wrote because our daughter, Delaney asked me to. I’m a believer in inter-generational healing and it was important for me to weave together all the parts and pieces – for her – so that all the dimensions of Sue – the shiny parts, the humor, could come through. Not just the drama-filled moments.
Thank you for your continuing interest in my mom’s story. Your reviews on Amazon and here on the “Surviving Sue” page are precious to me. The feedback loop to a writer is a more important element than I’d ever imagined. Heal. Grow. Help. Thank you for being part of my journey.
-Vicki 😊
Victoria Ponders 
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