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Reliving the Helplessness
In Clarity, you share with readers your family’s emotional journey following your young son’s diagnosis of a brain tumor at the age of 2. Why was this an important book for you to write?
Writing Clarity was both a personal necessity and a way to honour the journey my family has been on. When my son was diagnosed, our world changed overnight. I was desperate to find stories like ours—raw, honest, and hopeful—but they were few and far between. This book became my way of documenting not just the medical milestones, but the emotional and human side of our experience. It’s a story of resilience, fear, love, and ultimately, transformation. I wanted to create something that would not only help others feel less alone but also show that even in the darkest moments, clarity and strength can be found.
I appreciated the candid nature with which you told your story. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?
Thank you. That means a lot. The hardest part to write was reliving the helplessness—the moments in hospital corridors, the conversations where we were told things no parent ever wants to hear. Putting those memories into words meant revisiting the fear and trauma, but also the vulnerability I felt as a mother. It wasn’t just about my son’s illness—it was about the emotional toll on the entire family. Writing it meant opening up wounds I had tucked away for survival, but in doing so, I found healing, too.
What advice would you give someone considering sharing their story with readers?
Be honest, be brave, and don’t wait for the perfect moment—there isn’t one. Your story matters exactly as it is. You don’t need to have everything figured out to start. Sharing your truth, even if it’s messy or unresolved, can create powerful connections. Also, protect your energy during the process. Writing your story can be deeply cathartic, but it can also be triggering, so make sure you have support around you as you write. And lastly, trust that your voice will find the people who need it most.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from your family’s experience?
I hope readers walk away with a deeper understanding of how fragile and precious life is—and how strength often shows up in the most unexpected ways. Whether it’s a sick child, a family crisis, or any life-altering event, we are all far more resilient than we realise. If our story reminds someone to slow down, love fiercely, or advocate harder for their child or themselves, then it’s done what I hoped it would do. I want readers to feel empowered, not just emotional.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website | Amazon
Marking the five-year anniversary of her young son’s cancer diagnosis, Crystal invites readers to experience her remarkable evolution. ‘Clarity’ reveals a path from unimaginable loss and devastation to learning to heal, adapt, and ultimately thrive. Each title in this collection illuminates the extraordinary power of hope, the quiet courage of healing, and the strength to chase new dreams despite life’s cruel twists and uncertainties.
With an unfiltered and unwavering voice, ‘Clarity’ celebrates life’s unexpected privileges and is a testament to the unbreakable spirit of a mother, businesswoman, and dreamer.
Starry Starry Noir Rebels and Censors
Bernie Dowling’s Starry Starry Noir Rebels and Censors is a bold and biting dive into the shadowy corners of public domain film noir. It’s part history, part commentary, and part elegy for an era where rebellion simmered under celluloid. Dowling uncovers the lives behind the films, actors, directors, censors, and outcasts, and weaves a human tale out of forgotten reels. He doesn’t just retell film plots; he places them in a tug-of-war between art and morality, freedom and control. Censorship, both comedic and catastrophic, looms large as he dissects works like Dishonored Lady, Stray Dog, and The Hitch-Hiker.
I was immediately struck by how personal the writing feels. This isn’t some dry academic tour through noir tropes, it’s alive, angry, funny, and sad all at once. Take the story of Hedy Lamarr, co-producer and star of Dishonored Lady (1947), where Dowling explores how censors gutted what could’ve been a hard-edged noir into a limp melodrama. He doesn’t hold back, calling out how Lamarr—“dubbed Headache” by the Hollywood boys’ club, was judged more for her beauty than her brains, despite co-inventing frequency-hopping tech that would lead to Wi-Fi. And when Dowling digs into Ida Lupino’s gutsy leap from actress to noir director, you can feel his respect bleeding through the page. Lupino didn’t just break barriers, she shattered them, directing The Hitch-Hiker in 1953, a brutal, tension-drenched film that punched above its budget and bent censorship rules without flinching.
But my favorite parts are when Dowling tangles with the censors. He doesn’t just document their decisions he ridicules them, laughs at them, and sometimes mourns the films they destroyed. These are the book’s best beats: where Dowling paints censorship as absurd and tragic in equal measure. His love for these lost and maimed films is tangible, but he’s no rose-colored romantic. When a film doesn’t work, like Strange Illusion, he says so, calling it “all over the shop,” a mash of Freud, Hamlet, and shadows that just doesn’t gel.
This book made me feel things like irritation, admiration, nostalgia, and more than a few laughs. Dowling’s voice is sharp and full of heart, and he’s clearly done his homework. I’d recommend Starry Starry Noir Rebels and Censors to anyone who loves old films, stories of underdogs, or just really good writing. Film students, noir buffs, and history nerds will find gold here. But even if you’re none of those, you’ll come away with a deeper appreciation for the people behind the flickering black-and-white frames—and the battles they fought to get them made.
Pages: 295 | ASIN : B0DWXYVN7C
LITERARY TITAN 