By Theresa Anthony, Author, My 13th Station
Writing this book was almost like giving birth to my son all over again.
With my first book in the hopper and about to be published, I am spending some time reflecting on the process that has taken me a full year to complete. One year ago, I began the prep work for the book. It was an arduous task, digging up all those old emails and texts and printing them off. Dusting off the old journals and reviewing my entries was very time consuming, and emotional too. I got out the old calendars, which for some odd reason I never throw away, and also contacted people I’d hoped would be willing to contribute to the story. All of these efforts would help me resurrect the chronology of events, an important aspect of making my memoir as accurate as it could possibly be.
I began writing the manuscript the first week of August 2018 and by October 23rd I'd completed the first draft—a 350-page tome. Since then, I have been refining and tweaking the book ad nauseam. I have always had a super crazy work ethic, so there you go. I am striving for excellence: “If you’re gonna do it, do it right.”
Now, the manuscript is at the typesetter and the cover art is having finishing touches applied. This is getting real. In just twelve days I will see my first book up for sale on various websites! Wow, it really seems surreal to me. Of course, another big job lies ahead, as the balance of the year will be spent promoting it. That’s okay with me; it will be a pleasure to share my story with others.
The discipline and stamina it took to accomplish this goal while continuing to work a full-time schedule just about did me in. A couple of weeks ago I hit full-on meltdown mode. But now that it is finished, I can honestly say that all the time and effort spent has been well worth it. I have completed a huge life goal in writing this book about those final years of my boy’s life.
I can’t lie; My 13th Station is a tough read. It is heavy. But there is much value in its pages, struggles that readers will relate to—parenting struggles, depression, addiction, hopelessness, spiritual warfare, loss, grief and survival. These are life issues, raw and real. I bet each one of us knows someone, if not ourselves, who suffers from these miseries, who too carry these crosses.
My son was a good guy. He happened to become stricken with some incredibly awful afflictions that wound up ensnaring his hopes and dreams and then torching them. It was simply horrible, as his mom, to watch this young man’s life slowly disintegrate before my eyes, and being totally helpless to do anything to stop it.
Now, on the brink of publishing my labor of love, I understand why some say that writing a book is like birthing a child. It is intimate, intensely painful, and steeped in a sacred kind of love. My book is a nod to my beautiful son, who he was as a person and what he meant to us all. I hope you will find value in our story, a mother and her boy.
My 13th Station - NOW Available on Amazon
If you enjoyed this blog, this one will appeal to you, too: Your Mother I Will Always Be
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