Today we talk about A Mother’s Survival Guide to Cancer and Other Catastrophes, a book by Kathy Baron published with our publishing house Europe Books.
Europe Books had the pleasure of interviewing the author, Kathy Baron, to get to know her better, what was the moment that led her to the writing of her book A Mother’s Survival Guide to Cancer and Other Catastrophes, as well as what Writing means to her.
Below you can find our interview. Take a seat and enjoy your reading!!!
- What was the moment that led you to the writing of your personal story?
The moment that led me to writing this very personal story was the monumental loss of my youngest son, Logan to a rare and very aggressive cancer. While Logan was receiving treatment, he and I would spend a lot of our time dreaming – dreaming and hoping. We had so much hope that he would beat the disease and we would also dream of life after recovery. I had always wanted to write a book and I had hoped that my book would have a happy ending and Logan would fully recover. Sadly, life often dictates how dreams and hope end and although my story is inspirational, it is not the happy ending that we all longed and hoped for. Losing my beloved son was the moment that sparked me to tell our story and also to showcase the incredible strength, bravery and spirt that Logan showed throughout his journey. Prior to writing my book and after losing Logan, I would write letters to Logan – expressing my feelings and my emptiness after his loss and soon it became evident that I had so much to share, that I could in fact write a book.
- What sensations did you feel by ‘reading’ your life on the pages of your book?
It is hard to put into words the sensations I felt when I read through my life’s story. Seeing for the first time, my life in black and white – I felt so many new emotions and sensations. On receiving my books, it felt surreal, this had been a dream for so many years and here it was – my book published. I felt elated and sad at the same time. Reading the pages of my book, I felt the emotions of the time, the yearning I had felt as a teenager. Reading the part of boy meets girl, I felt that thrill of your young love and that joy of knowing that I had connected with my soulmate. The pages renewed my joy of giving birth and raising my children and being a mother and wife. The happies of days that were heavy with sleep deprivation but days that were happy and seemingly endless. While re-reading my wordy account of losing my son, the sensations were crushing as I was thrust back in time to those bleak days and to the now, knowing that I will never again hold my son and tell him how much I love him.
- What are the messages you want to send out with your book?
My hope is that my book will provide inspiration to others and will also convey a message that through life’s greatest challenges, love will pull you through. My other hope is that all new parents will receive the message that parenting should always be an important priority, children should always come first. I want others to know that despite all the trials and tribulations that occur in life and all the ups and downs, you can overcome hurdles with strength and determination. I hope that my message is conveyed that children are one of life’s greatest gifts and they should be treasured and valued and never be made to feel anything less that important. Through my book, my desire is that the readers will question and analyse their thoughts and their lives and they will make decisions that are right for them and their personal happiness. Always willing to fight against generational evils. In essence my message is simple with love, courage and hope peaks of the most daunting of mountains can be scaled and there will be days when the amazing views can be appreciated.
- What does Writing mean to you?
Words and the writing of phrases and thoughts has always been my great escape. Writing provides me with the incredible ability to make sense of the craziness of the world. It literally soothes my soul and renews my hope in situations that seem often overwhelming and daunting. I remember writing from a very young age, it was the creating of childlike stories that offered me an escape from my strange childhood. When I was not writing my thoughts down on paper, I would create fictitious stories in my mind, tales that I could fall into and where I could dream of a family that I had always longed for. Writing is food for my soul and immense comfort for my bruised heart. The words flow from a guarded vault in my soul and when faced with enormous sadness or adversity. Carefully constructed words directly from my heart provide me with the comfort I need to make sense and analyse the situation. To me, writing offers a beautiful escape, it allows me to seek solace and to make sense of my surrounds and the places I find myself in. Writing gives me strength to face the world around me.
- Are you planning to write more books? Can you tell us more about it?
I am definitely planning another book. In fact, I have so many books that are trapped in my head, I need to find the some to get them all onto paper. At present, I am working on a new book which gives an inert object a voice. Many years ago, we received a bench from a friend and this bench was a throwback to era that we, as South Africans lived through. I often wondered what stories the bench could tell and what bizarre tales it had borne witness to. I then decided to give the bench a voice and through the eyes of the bench, the reader will be invited into a strange time in our country’s history. Since the bench has no alliances, it can give the point of view of all South Africans and my hope is the reader will be able to identify with the characters in the book. Often tales of a bygone era are stranger than fiction and through my upcoming book, I hope we all can find time to appreciate how far we have come and how much we have overcome!
Europe Books thanks the author, Kathy Baron, once again for taking the time and answering our questions. We are really pleased to have walked alongside her on the editorial path that led to the publication of her book A Mother’s Survival Guide to Cancer and Other Catastrophes. We wish her the best of luck for her future works.
To you, my readers, may this book inspire you and give you strength and resilience facing the challenges life offers you every day, from the smallest to the largest, up to the truly gigantic ones. Remember not to ever give up, keep loving your life and allow the people closest to you to help you overcoming super difficult situations. Cultivate what makes you happy, without taking anything for granted!
So, my dear reader, all I have to say is to enjoy your reading!
Your editor!