Zandra: My Daughter, Diabetes, and lessons in Love received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
Following find an interview with author Janet Hatch.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
The name of the book is Zandra: My Daughter, Diabetes, and lessons in Love. It was published in September, 2020.
What’s the book’s first line?
“What’s the reason for your visit?” The admitting nurse at our tiny local hospital was staring at me impatiently while my eleven year old daughter, Zandra, shuffled nervously at my side.
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
The book is a memoir about my experience raising a daughter from her diagnosis of diabetes as a child, through the teen years, into adulthood. It recounts our lives with diabetes from my perspective as a parent and chronicles my inherent fears about managing the chronic illness of a child.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
I felt called to write the book from God. I never had any idea to write a book to sell, however one night I woke up with it on my mind. This call kept waking me up every night through until its completion. As I started putting stories together, I began to realize that my experience could help many others who are in the midst of difficult times and my hope is that my story might inspire confidence in them to shoulder their own burdens.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
One of the most difficult things we can do in this life is to watch someone we love experience pain. Diabetes offers treatment through the use of testing and insulin, however there are a lot of unknowns, side effects and rough days for even the most controlled cases. Insulin is only life support, not a cure. As a parent, all we want to do is make things better for our children and get them through these difficult times, however until there is a cure, those days can crop up any time and sadly, many people do pass away from this illness. I wanted to reach out to all those parents and offer support and meaning to what they’re experiencing. I believe there are gifts in all experiences and although it may be hard to see them, they are always there.
Is this the first book you’ve written?
This is the first book I’ve written. The experience of understanding the challenge to share my story, then writing and publishing the book, was one of the most meaningful experiences of my life.
How much time do you generally spend on your writing?
I write for at least a half-hour, every day. If the flow is right, I can go on much longer. Not everything I write is meant for others, however the exercise of writing helps me to keep the connection and flow with my deepest thoughts and emotions.
What’s the best and the hardest part of being an indie?
The best part of being an indie is the satisfaction that my ideas created an end product that has the potential to help others in countless ways. The hardest part is exposing my personal life, vulnerabilities and insecurities in a public way.
What’s a great piece of advice that you can share with fellow indie authors?
My advice to any indie authors would be to develop a process for when you need motivation to feel ‘unstuck’. For me, I would watch an inspiring show, read a book that inspires your own creative juices and ask for the divine help that is always around you.
Would you go traditional if a publisher came calling? If so, why?
My motto is to “never say never”, however I’ve enjoyed the process of self-publishing; it may take some convincing!
Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? fortune?)
I am motivated to share my experience so that I can help others who may need it. When I look back, I’ve been inspired by so many brave authors who stepped aside from their fears to share their experience and in so, have been strengthened in some very difficult times in my life. I feel that the purpose in life is being of service to others.
Which writer, living or dead, do you most admire?
When I was a child, I was greatly inspired by the story of Little Women, written by Louisa May Alcott. I could read the book over and over and felt a great strength in the character Jo. I was also greatly influenced by the author of Anne of Green Gables, Lucy Maud Montgomery. Both authors inspired me not only in their deeply relatable characters, but their own stories of creativity in a time when women authors weren’t as recognized as they are now.