Tales of a Butterfly details your emotional journey being a first-time mother and learning that your child has deafness. Why was this an important memoir for you to write?

This book is a personal reflection of my raw experiences, I originally started to write this story for my daughter. But then once I finished the Memoir, I realised I may not be alone in these feelings and experiences. That other first-time mums may have had these feelings and gone through the same or similar diagnosis for their baby or child. I also believed other people in our society needed to see the impacts and challenges we face every day, there choices plus reactions reflect on our children’s learning and development.

I appreciated the candid nature with which you told your story. What was the hardest experience for you to share with readers?

My hardest experience to share with my readers would have to be the public view on disability and hard of hearing children, how I have encountered it myself with my butterfly girl. It was raw to write, and I felt I needed to write the truth for people to really feel how we felt at those particular moments. I share my frustration loudly and the truth behind the effects of it in the pages of my story. I wanted my writing style to come through as though I was sitting there next to you telling you a story. As though I was talking to you.

What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?

I really wanted to share the process from birth to getting the final diagnosis of hard of hearing, I wanted to share the emotional strain from the beginning to the end; and the fact it is still happening today with many challenges though living in the country. I wanted people to view my story and relate to it in their own way but also reflect how it must feel and be in my or my butterfly girls’ shoes. I emphasised how she grew older in my memoir and how she learned from the environments around her which then helped shape me as the mother and teacher I am today.

I wanted the readers to really feel…

I wanted the readers to feel the emotions I felt, I wanted to express the experiences we went through in details so you could feel and imagine it yourself. Wanting the readers to laugh out loud but also feel sadness and reflection upon themselves. I want the readers to feel what it’s like to be in my shoes and highlight deaf perspectives, from a mothers view and the child.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from your memoir?

I hope readers reflect on the small things around them, to be grateful and respect everyone’s differences. Above all I want people to realise disability and deafness does not restrict a person from growing and learning it just changes the growing styles and learning perspectives, a new outlook on life learning. I really hope people enjoy my memoir ‘Tales of a Butterfly’, it is heartfelt and raw, full of my true experiences with my butterfly girl.

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