Author Q&A with Anna Gray
Why did you write this book?
I had reached a point in my life where I felt I had something important to share with others. I felt my story would help others who had experiences that were similar to mine and I wanted to help them and let them know they weren’t alone. I also felt that it would be a really healing experience for me to finally write about my life and the things that had happened. I hoped it would be a cathartic and transformational journey for me, and I wasn’t disappointed!!
What surprised you the most as you researched or wrote it?
I was surprised by a lot of things. Firstly, how profoundly healing it was to finally express all my deepest thoughts and emotions, it was a roller coaster for me at times. Also, I was surprised how actually writing about my life helped me to join the dots together and see everything I had been through from a wider lens.
I was also pleasantly surprised by the learning and wisdom I found I had gained through the years as I wrote reflective chapters and was very hopeful that it would touch others’ hearts and uplift them.
On a practical note, I was surprised by how much work it actually takes to write a book, it’s really not as simple as sitting down and writing and then it’s done on the first try. There’s so much along the way that takes time and attention to get right, but it’s worth it.
Did writing this book change your life in any way?
Oh indeed it did! I felt that I had achieved something special in my life and something I could be really proud of. That feeling filtered through to other areas of my life too and had an overall positive impact on myself and my relationships with others.
I learned a lot about the writing process which added to my skill base and my passion for writing in general, meaning that I now help other new writers with their books. I found something I was really good at and can now use it to give others a helping hand.
Doing radio and TV interviews was new to me, so I really grew in confidence once I was able to talk about myself so openly.
What do you hope will come from others reading it?
I really hope that other people are inspired by my story, the main reason I wrote it was to let others know that they aren’t alone and that it’s ok to talk about what’s happened to them. If my book helps just one person, then I did it right. I hope it encourages others to tell their story too and to know that it isn’t as impossible as we might think to achieve that dream. I wanted to highlight that there may be things in our past we are ashamed of or scared to talk about, but that it can be so healing to do so. I hoped people might come to feel that their gift is in their pain and find the courage to tell the world about their experiences too.