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With the Memoir An Addict in the Family - A Mother's Tale of Heartbreak, Courage, and Resilience now available on Amazon, my thoughts turn to other memoir topics I've been gestating this past couple of years.
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Life is full of ups and downs. When we face our challenges, we are forced to confront our limitations and find ways to overcome them. By understanding the downs of life more clearly, we may be able to find solutions and take action to improve our situation, rather than being paralysed by fear.
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I’ve been fortunate in life, especially over the past few years (the subject of my first memoir), to have had opportunities to gain clarity and understanding around my life experiences. This clarity and understanding have given me opportunity for personal growth and a sense of empowerment.
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I love sharing what I’ve learned, how a better understanding of myself and the world around me, and by extension around you too, can help us overcome fear and move forward.
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Crafting my first memoir was a healing and cathartic journey as I revisited the 3-4 years covered in that tale. Learning how deep my son was into the web of addiction, struggling to deal with the justice and rehabilitation systems, and trying to understand why my son was making these choices, took their toll on me and our family.
Documenting my journey gave me an insight into the importance of connecting with those who've got your back, who are willing to sit with you while you pour out your soul, and who are willing to challenge you to take care of yourself first. That memoir is a story of hope for others on a similar journey of loving someone in the throes of substance use. I wonder what theme will come from my next memoirs?
​​On my wish list:
A natural progression from writing memoir may be to host a podcast called An Addict in the Family. Named for my memoir, this will be a space where I discuss social and health issues relating to families and their journeys with addiction. I will interview others with a lived experience of the topic so they can share their stories.
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Other Memoir Works in progress
Untitled as yet, I've scoped the outline for a memoir on my journey to find my great-great-grandmother, Mary Ann. That journey started when I was a pre-schooler and ended, after a fashion, when I visited the land where she lived most of her early life.
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A second memoir topic centres around relationships - my marriages, and the time in between. I'm excited about the prospect of revealing more of myself - to you as a reader, and also to myself. I'm looking forward to seeing what emotions come up for me, and how they are resolved.
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And a third topic in the future memoir genre centres around my reasons for immersing myself in a particular religion, the strengths and challenges of that time, and finally my reasons for finally deciding that any organised religion is not for me.
Memoir
Current Projects
Other Fiction Works in the pipeline
When I published Last Days in Atlantis, I intended it to be first in a trilogy and that desire still sits with me. One day, I know I'll be announcing book Two in the trilogy of the Last Days series. Mari and her people will appear in the Last Days in somewhere in the Mediterranean, and then in the Last Days of Medieval France. If you start to get curious about these in the series, I'd be happy to get a prompt from you! I can promise these stories are developing in the imagination and in my dreams, so I'm just as anxious to bring them to the light of day.
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I have also written the second Beatrice book which is awaiting its illustrator. This little Angel with the one large wing was shown to me as my protector during my three-year travels in the USA. She's as real to me as anyone, and I'd love to have her come to life on the page.
What's nearing completion, though?
I'm delving into writing a cozy
mystery - a genre I love to read.
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The working title is Threads of Trust
In the heart of a small New Zealand city, Mandees Café is a place of second chances. Co-owners of the café, Mandy and Aunty Babs, have created a haven where people from all walks of life come for coffee, comfort, and connection. But beneath the warmth and laughter, secrets brew stronger than the espresso.​​​​​
When Harriet, a kind-hearted café worker with dreams of a brighter future, is found dead under suspicious circumstances, the tight-knit
community is shaken. When Harriet, a kind-hearted café worker with dreams of a brighter future, is found dead under suspicious circumstances, dead under suspicious circumstances, the tight-knit community is shaken. When Harriet, a kind-hearted café worker with dreams of a brighter future, is found dead under suspicious circumstances, the tight-knit community is shaken. Her teenage daughter, Erin, is left reeling, and Mandy can’t help but see echoes of her own troubled past in Harriet’s story.
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As local police dig deeper, Mandy and Aunty Babs uncover clues hidden in plain sight—clues that hint at a dangerous web of deception and betrayal. Could Harriet’s tragic end be tied to one of the cafe regulars?
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In this cozy mystery of secrets, redemption, and the power of community, Mandy and Aunty Babs must navigate fragile threads of trust to uncover the truth and protect the people they love.
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Release date - September 2025 - Pre-orders opening soon​
My publisher is Delahoyde Publishing Co Ltd. My daughter Phoebe Wilby and I set the company up predominantly to publish our own works. We've taken the name for the company from the Delahoyde branch of our family. Click on the logo to go to the Delahoyde Publishing site and read about our ancestor, John Thomas Dullahide (Delahoyde).​