What inspired you to write your memoir?
When my husband of twenty-five years started disappearing for weeks at a time without explanation or apology (stonewalling me at every turn), I hung tight. I loved him. There was too much at stake. So I started writing about it. I poured all my hurt, anger, and confusion onto the page. Articulating my feelings gave me a sense of release and power.
I love what Linda Joy Myers has to say about writing memoir. “It draws on all aspects of who we are, body, mind and soul. We are challenged to dig deep, to remember, and once again inhabit the skin of who we were and what we have learned. Writing memoir is an act of testimony, witnessing, healing. When you write a memoir, you draw upon layers of your consciousness and discover your true nature, your essential self, and are transformed by the process.”
But then came publication. Could I actually lay my life out there for all to see? It took a lot of anguishing, but I finally realized that I had to complete my journey out into the light of day. I had to claim it and set it free.
About your Book:
Rossandra White’s compelling memoir takes the reader from her childhood, early marriage, and motherhood in Zambia, to emigration to the United States at the age of 22. Her story reflects fierce and evolving cultures and the changing landscapes of women’s roles from the turbulent apartheid era of the 1960s to the 21st Century and her newfound independence. This is a story about the power of choice in shaping a woman’s identity and forging a meaningful life.
The story opens when Rossandra finds a cryptic, hastily-written note on the kitchen counter from her American husband. “Gone to Mexico, Adios.” He returns weeks later, offering few details about where he went. This sequence of events has played out before. But this time is different. A subsequent confluence of crises rattles Rossandra’s core, shedding light on the dark elements of their marriage.
In South Africa, land of her birth, Rossandra’s brother, whose physical and mental disabilities have stricken her with a lifetime of guilt, needs her help, and she answers the call. She returns to California where her dog Sweetpea, who for years has served as a vital emotional link between Rossandra and her husband, has begun to succumb to a fatal illness.
How did you decide how to publish your book and where is it published through:
After much research, I decided to go with She Writes Press. The company offers a greater share of the profits, you own the rights to your book and have a greater say in the choice of your book cover. They also have an advertising arrangement.
How do you see writing a Memoir as different from writing other genres of books?
Writing this memoir was a soul searching journey for me, although I found that to be true to a lesser degree with my two YA novels, Monkey’s Wedding and Mine Dances. Whatever the genre, if the book is to have any meaning it will draw from the author’s life and have a universal application.
Author Bio:
Rossandra White, a fourth generation South African, spent the first twenty-two years of her life in Zambia where she ran around barefoot, learned to tell a log from a crocodile, and whistle through her tongue. She emigrated to America, married the American man of her dreams and moved to Laguna Beach, California where she wrote Monkey’s Wedding and Mine Dances, two YA novels based on her childhood.
And then her world fell apart when her marriage unraveled, along with a crisis back home in Africa and the worsening health of her beloved dog. Loveyoubye: Holding Fast, Letting Go, and Then There’s the Dog, her memoir, resulted as a way to heal the past and face the future. She still lives in Laguna Beach, California with her two Staffordshire Bull Terriers with whom she hikes the canyons and fights for space in her bed.
Website(s)
Author Home Page Link
Link To Book On Amazon
Link to Book on Barnes and Noble
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebooks
Twitter
Pinterest
