Three big boxes of books arrived at my house this week. It’s been a long time coming, so I was excited, and my cat was thrilled. Maggie loves boxes and thinks we should leave them strewn all over the house.
Writing the sequel to Chasing Eden, my first memoir, took five years. During this time, I survived the pandemic, my husband asked for a divorce, my favorite cat died, my father had a stroke, my mom was given a terminal diagnosis, my ex got remarried, and I started a new cat family.
I also stopped attending my church due to homophobic sermons and began a journey of deconstruction. If I didn’t have the support of friends, I’m not sure what I would’ve done. Whenever someone calls me strong, I say it’s only because of my friends—many who are on social media, that I’ve been able to reimagine my life as a single woman without a family or church.
I’ve also come to peace with the death of my mother. It was my mother’s death that set me free to publish. I never wanted to disappoint her., but once she was gone, I felt relieved and free to be myself.
My first memoir was inspired by Jeanette Walls, who wrote The Glass Castle. I cried to know that I wasn’t alone when I read it. For the first time, I was NOT ashamed for growing up fundamentalist, poor, or moving a lot.
Today, I hope those who read my second memoir and feel shame for not thriving in college or who have had family shun them or put them down for being themselves will realize that they, too, are not alone.
Sometimes, people say things like, “I’ve had it hard—but not as hard as you.” I tell them there are many people who’ve had it worse than me. Growing up and finding our way in this world is difficult on so many levels, and each person’s pain is unique. There is no contest where survivors compete to see who has had the worst life—we are simply sharing our hearts to remind each other that we are not alone.
I hope you get a chance to pick up the new book. It’s in paperback and Kindle and if you have Kindle Unlimited, you can read it for free. I’m not sure if anyone in my immediate family will read my books, so you who do read them mean the world to me.
Also, if you enjoy it, please feel free to leave an honest review on Amazon and Goodreads. As an indie publisher, I can’t emphasize how important those reviews are in helping others find the book.
In case you didn’t notice, all of the chapter titles are 80s songs. It starts in the eighties and that is the decade that really formed my life. So here is the playlist on Spotify.
You did it, my friend❤️
So awesome, Cheri! I love it!