Memoir
Date Published: April 22nd
Publisher: Acorn Publishing
Sarah Vosburgh has often felt misunderstood by her mother, a woman who lived a quintessential suburban life. But when her mother is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, Sarah’s world unravels, and she must confront a disease that will only worsen. As roles reverse between mother and daughter, Sarah faces the guilt of making decisions she hopes are the right ones while also carrying the grief of losing her mom bit by bit everyday. She navigates a labyrinth of health services amid the heartbreaking, and at times darkly humorous, realities of caregiving.
There are the white lies and midnight phone calls, the misbuttoned blouses, and the second slice of chocolate pie that tastes just as good as it did the first time. And then there’s the quiet awe at the persistence of connection even when language falters and names are forgotten.
Can you tell us a little about the process of getting this
book published? How did you come up with the idea and how did you start?
LOL! I never expected or even aspired to be an author – most
of my stories that I tell are part of family or friends’ oral tradition. After
my mother died, I found that stories about her and new details I recalled, woke
me in the night, and were quite insistent. I couldn’t go back to sleep and kept
reviewing them over and over. My sweet and extremely supportive husband
suggested I write down what I was thinking about and attend to it when I woke.
He even got a glass top for my night table, and handed me a sharpie and told me
to write on the table. It worked, I was able to go back to sleep. I was new to
town, and looking for places to meet people, so I ended up at San Diego
Writers, Ink taking a memoir class with Marni Freedman, and Tracy Jean Jones.
There seemed to be a place for my nighttime musings there. The deadlines kept
me focused and the assignment provided inspiration. After a year of writing
five pages a week, every week, I realized I had quite a bit, and some of it
needed augmentation. That’s when COVID locked us all down, and I took that
opportunity to expand and elaborate on the stories I had – then I put them in
chronological order and realized I had quite the volume. Tracy and Marni
encouraged me to go through the editing process, and here I am.
What surprised you most about getting your book published?
The enjoyment I got out of recording the audio book with my
two daughters. It was exhausting, and a LOT of fun. I learned a lot about what
happens when your words are in someone else’s mouth. Letting go of that control
was an eye opener for me.
Tell us a little about what you do when you aren’t writing
I love to read, especially historical fiction, and poetry –
but really anything. I work a day job. I enjoy my pets, my family, and my
friends. The beach is a haven, as is the snow.
As a published author, what would you say was the most
pivotal point of your writing life?
When I was told by those I trust that it was worth
publishing.
Where do you get your best ideas and why do you think that
is?
Life. I wait for inspiration. I don’t have good writing
habits by most writers’ or editors’ standards. Mostly I write poetry not prose
– and I find that moments sneak up on me and then knock on my cranium to get
out in the wee hours of the night.
What is the toughest criticism given to you as an author?
I’m grateful for all criticism – because I’m so new at this
– everything has a nugget of usefulness in it even if I don’t like what is said
there is something to learn – I like criticism to be brutal – it makes me a
better writer.
What has been your best accomplishment as a writer?
Learning that what I’ve written has helped people feel less
alone in this season of life with aging parents.
How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?
Just one – a volume of poetry that grows as we speak.
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