A woman from COLEFORD has co-written a book with eight other authors which is due to be published on Amazon in October.
Alison Roberts, originally from Aberdeen, has contributed a chapter to The Grief That Doesn’t Count, a collection of true stories from women who have experienced unrecognised forms of loss in their lives.
Alison said: “Because it’s called The Grief That Doesn’t Matter, it’s not necessarily about the death of a loved one – which is what everyone thinks of as grief. This book is about other experiences in your life – like some of the other stories where they were adopted, and that’s quite a traumatic experience.
“My story is about my mother not allowing me to be myself and wanting me to be someone else and never being good enough. That’s a heartache because it stays with you. Some of the other stories are really heartbreaking but mine is like a continuation of my mother and then my sister humiliated me all the time.
“I didn’t know how to deal with it at the time, but writing this book was a healing process for me and the other authors. There were periods when I really wanted to end my life, and that’s what this chapter talks about. So there are a lot of experiences, traumatic experiences that affect you in your life.”
This is the first time Alison has published a book. She said it took about eight months to write.
She said: “I follow a woman called Cassandra Welford, who is an author. She has published about nine books herself. Some are her own books, but the others are co-authors. I met her through a friend, Ellie Charles, who is also an author.”
Cassandra Welford is one of the book’s authors and publisher at Welford Publishing, which previously published the series “The Girl Who Refused to Quit.”
Alison described the writing process as happening in several phases. She said: “You get a certain number of words, around 3,000 words, and then a couple of months to at least get started. After that, we did a group call every month so Cassandra could tell you things and explain things. She was always supportive.”
Alison had considered writing a book as a sole author with Welford Publishing several years ago. She said: “I was there for a couple of months trying to write my own book, but it just didn’t get me very far. I don’t think it was the right time, and it wasn’t meant to be.”
However, Alison hopes to revisit the idea in the future, as “there is only so much that can fit into one chapter” and she can talk much more in detail about her experiences.
Alison also gave advice for younger writers or authors whose work is yet to be published. She said, “The best advice I can give is to never give up. If you know that you feel like you can write a good book, whether it’s a personal one or whatever, then it’s definitely worth it.”
Some of the authors will meet for an official book launch in October to celebrate the release of their works, but plans are not finalized yet.
You can stay updated via Welford Publishing’s website or their social media platforms, and perhaps grab your copy from the Amazon website in October.
Release on Amazon expected in October 2024 (Welford Publishing/Vicki Nicholson Branding)
