Interview With Author Kathleen Bjork On Her Aging Parenting Primer

 

 

1.      What inspired you to write this book?

My Mother Is Losing Her Memory And I am Losing My Mind: Parenting the Aging Parent, came about first as a blog. My mother began having memory problems which I wrote about. As my mother progressed through her dementia, the blog soon became a four-year journey detailing the many problems and decisions required as my mother’s condition worsened. During this time, I received messages from people from all over the United States, and even from other countries, who said they related to what I was going through and appreciated what I was writing. I also had friends who read my blog and encouraged me. It was then I decided to turn it into a book. I joined a critique group from The Writer’s Guild and they gave me useful advice about what I had written.

 

2.      What exactly is it about and who is it written for?

The book is about my mother’s experience with dementia, my efforts to help her and the many decisions that need to be made.  It also shows my very independent mother and  her resistance to our efforts. While most of this resistance comes in the form of anger, some, unfortunately, results in disaster. The resulting book is intended to help others understand more about dementia and assure caregivers that they are not alone in this journey.

 

3.      What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book?

I hope:

• they have  a greater understanding of the disease and its expression and appreciate what it is like for a caregiver.

• they see how being responsible for someone with dementia can impact your life.

• they understand that dealing with someone who is losing their memory can be difficult, but they can get through it.

• they need not feel guilty if they need to reach out for help, whether through a caretaker or assisted living facility.

• that sometimes you need to look at the humor in the situation.

• they see how important it is to have Power of Attorney and health directives before a person can’t easily make decisions (for their elderly relative as well as themselves)

• they use my resources suggested and read my blog

• they recommend my book to others or pass it on to someone in need of the information.

 

4.      How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design?

The book’s title was the same as my blog. I choose it because it expressed how I felt.

I went online and found a professional book cover designer. I sent her some ideas which she didn’t use. She came up with a much better design which reflected my message in a more subtle way.

 

5.      What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers – other than run!?

I would say, if you feel passionate about what you are writing, don’t give up. It will take several edits. Find a critique group or someone you trust (preferably, someone who reads a lot) to give you feedback on your book. You may want to hire a professional editor.

 

6.      What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading? 

Self-publishing has been discovered and is growing more every year. The big five publishing companies still require agents and are very selective about who they choose to offer contracts to, so there have become a plethora of ‘publishing companies’, some actually offering the same resources as the main ones, others that basically just print the book, and still others that charge fees for services to prepare the book for printing. I think this is going to continue. Another essential component is marketing your book. Many authors are excited to finally have their book published only to find that just putting it on Amazon doesn’t bring in sales. Realizing this need, book marketing companies have become even more important.

I also see another trend which will affect the publishing world. Personally, I like to have a book in my hands to read, but seeing how young people depend on their cell phones and I-pads, I think future generations are going to mostly download and read.

 

7.      Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book? 

I always did well in school and writing assignments weren’t a problem. In high school I was on the school newspaper staff where I wrote a weekly column for Girls League. I majored in psychology which helped me understand behaviors and the workings of the brain when interacting with my mother. As a teacher, I learned to be organized and prepared for lessons. I often did research on a subject to make lessons more interesting. I continued to take courses after my Master’s degree in reading, literature and social studies which required me to prepare and research teaching units in those subjects. I took a class in blogging from a friend which was seminal to the creation of my book. Finally, I have always been a reader of books, which I think is important for any good writer.

 

8.      How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to?

I’ve never thought about my writing in terms of style, but I guess I could say it’s straight-forward with a touch of irony. I portray scenes without a lot of embellishments. I am very aware of my environment and notice changes or discrepancies in things, but I don’t know if that comes out in my writing. If I had to pick an author, I could say Janet Evanovich, but I don’t write mysteries. I also would like to think I could write like David Sedaris when he writes about his family.

 

9.      What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book?

The main challenge was finding the time to write and rewrite with the changes I made going through the editing process. I did all the formatting, pagination and page headings, etc. myself and sent my book to the printer print ready, which was a big challenge.

 

10.  If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours?

Dementia is something that everyone is aware of, whether directly through the experience of a family member, or knowing someone who has dementia or had to care for a spouse or parent who does.  As we age and start to forget things, we begin to worry if it is the beginnings of Alzheimers or another memory-based dementia. My book provides a good picture of what dementia can be like as well as gives resources and ways to assess for it, which can bring reassurance to those who fear they are at the beginning stages of dementia when they can’t remember a word or two when conversing, or seeks out a doctor who specializes in elder care.

 

About The Author: Kathleen is a native Californian, born and raised in Riverside, California.  A teacher for 35 years, she has always loved reading and writing and enjoyed teaching those subjects to her students. Through the years she produced many anthologies of student work that she still treasures. She holds a BA and MA and a Reading Specialist’s degree as well as a certificate in Educational Therapy. It wasn’t until she retired that she was able to do any writing herself. In addition to the book about her mother, she has published three books of poetry and had writing published in anthologies. She is a member of The Palm Springs Writers Guild, Delta Kappa Gamma teachers’ organization, and member and current president of the Palm Springs branch of the National Organization of Pen Women. She continues to host a website about dementia and caregiving that offers help and resources to others, and has taught adult classes in poetry. She has two children and four grandchildren and lives with her husband in Palm Desert, California. Two resources for you: kathybjork.com for resources on dementia and kathyssite.com  for writings.

 

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About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on LinkedIn. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2023. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This award-winning blog has generated over 3.4 million pageviews. With 4,600+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and two jobs at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America, and has spoken at ASJA, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. He has been featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald. For more information, please consult: www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum.