To Live and Love… and Write Again
Showcase interviews Sue Andrews
Southern California’s Sue Andrews wrote the memoir To Live and Love Again, the true story of her two terrifying marriages. In the first, her husband tried to murder her several times. The second brought heartbreak and deceit. Showcase asked her to share her decision to open up in writing her book.
Showcase: When did you decide to write about these chapters in your life?
Andrews: I always dreamed I would write my story. The “when” to do it was always the dilemma. Enough tears had to dry up, enough good experiences had to lapse, and enough time to write it had to happen. In retirement, I finally had all three to accomplish my dream.
Showcase: What did you find most difficult or challenging?
Andrews: I would say that taking my journals and putting my stories into interesting prose was the most difficult part. Although I have two degrees beyond a Bachelor’s, writing a book to capture peoples’ interest was what I had to learn how to do. On another note, I told my husband once that if I hadn’t had a good marriage for 25 years and had perhaps had a mediocre one or less, I might not have written it.
Showcase: Was it worth it? It must have reopened wounds.
Andrews: To Live and Love Again was definitely worth my effort to write it. If I have inspired one person to leave an abusive relationship, I have accomplished my goal. If I have inspired one woman to take her heart health more seriously, that would be an added bonus.
Showcase: Was it therapeutic?
Andrews: Writing has always been therapeutic to me. That is why I like journaling. I didn’t realize at the time, however, how valuable those journals would be later when I wrote the book. Some of the paragraphs in the book were taken directly out of them.
Showcase: Are there legal considerations?
Andrews: I felt secure writing the book about my exes because I knew they were both dead. In spite of that fact, I changed their names. I even changed the nationality of my foreign-born husband. In the rare chance relatives picked up my book, they might have found similarities but I doubt if they knew who those persons were. In fact, close friends of mine didn’t know half of the things that were in the book because at the time, they were too painful to tell.
Also, everyone mentioned in the book was given a personal invitation by me to either have their true first (and last if used) name used. If they did not want their name in the book, I changed them. Original geographical places were used and some proper pronouns. I did not have to worry about lawsuits as the only place that I made a slight negative comment about did not have the correct location or name attached.
Showcase: Has your book helped others?
Andrews: I do know one person who told me my book helped her. She hadn’t gone to the doctor in years and had her heart checked. She didn’t realize that she actually did have a heart problem! The doctor took care of it and now she does, too.
Showcase: Anything you’d like to add?
Andrews: If you read my book and it has helped you in any way, please let me know by posting on Amazon when you give the book a review. Now that I think about it, another one of my friends did say the book helped him when he went through his cancer treatments!