The countdown to the book launch of Along Came A Gardener, my self-help book, is well underway. I can’t believe it’s less than two months until my non-fiction book, part memoir and part self-help, goes on sale on March 15th at all bookseller websites.
In my book, you’ll go back in time as I share how I became a psychotherapist and what I found in those early years that shaped my professional growth.
Along Came A Gardener is filled with inspiring anecdotes and stories from the world of mental health. Because I worked in a variety of mental health settings—a child guidance clinic, a psychiatric ward, a community mental health centre, a cancer clinic, and family and employee assistance agencies (non-profit and for-profit)—I learned much about our shared human pain when it comes to dealing with life’s struggles. I also had my own private practice in Vancouver before moving to Vancouver Island and turning my attention to writing.
Inside these pages, you’ll find inspiration and ways to cope when you’re emotionally stuck. The table of contents includes chapters on addiction, anger management, stress management, and the many faces of depression. There are also chapters that delve into the ongoing debate—is it nature or is it nurture that accounts for our behaviour? What do our genes contribute? How much control do we really have? And chapters on what you can do to put your mind at ease.
A Break After Revisions
After a number of revisions, I started the new year off in Vancouver, a 4 1/2 hour commute by car and ferry from our home on Vancouver Island. Besides visiting friends and family, Robert and I went on New Year’s Day to the Orpheum theatre for the Salute to Vienna concert put on by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. They were led by a conductor from Budapest, Hungary, and the music was enhanced by a tenor, also from Budapest, as well as a soprano from Vienna, Austria, and some ballet dancers.
What a treat! There is nothing like spending a few hours in a gorgeous theatre listening to Strauss beautifully performed. I played violin in the Winnipeg high school orchestra and took it up again several years ago, but I have nowhere near the ability of the violinists in the VSO.
Proofreading
After our Vancouver trip, it was back to proofreading Along Came A Gardener and marking the countdown to the book launch. Though this is my sixth book, I was surprised at how many errors I found after my book had been professionally edited. But in all fairness to my editor, I am a writer who finds it hard to leave a project. I want to make it the best it can be and so I add and I subtract until I’m satisfied with the result.
Self-Reflection
Writing this self-help and inspirational book has been a challenge. Unlike my novels, I couldn’t make fanciful leaps in imagination or take unexpected journeys with my characters. I had to rely on facts, not fancy. And I had to dig deep into my own past. A lot of living has occurred since I began dreaming about writing. So much self-reflection went into this book. I recalled not only some of my clients’ struggles, but also my own, which were not easy to write about. But I thought it was important to give a full account of my journey as a psychotherapist.
I have to say, I’m pleased with the results. I hope readers will be as well. I’m passing on what I learned: both the easy and the hard lessons. What was truly lovely was weaving in some lessons from my garden, too.
Available for Pre-Order Now
Though the paperback is not available for Pre-Order, the ebook is and you can pre-order the ebook now. I love that idea, because if you’re like me, there are many tugs on your time and thoughts so it’s easy to forget to order what you want down the road. And you don’t pay until the book is released, which will be on March 15th.
Place of my Book Launch
If you’ve been following me, you’ll know I’ve been fortunate to have the support of a number of indie bookstores on Vancouver Island. As part of my countdown to the book launch, I’ve been planning visits to a few bookstores to do some book signings. My first stop will be on March 15th at the Mulberry Bush Bookstore in Qualicum Beach. Their customers have been steadily buying Lukia’s Family Saga (historical and biographical fiction) : Sunflowers Under Fire, Lilacs in the Dust Bowl, and Paper Roses on Stony Mountain. In fact, Sunflowers Under Fire was the no. 2 best-seller in their store last year.
Along Came a Gardener is obviously different, but in it, I share some of the lessons my grandmother and parents (featured in my trilogy) passed on to me.
Thanks for Stopping By
It’s always a pleasure connecting with readers, so if you have questions or comments, please let me know. Thanks for visiting my website.
