Blog Archives
The Unfurling Frond: A Memoir of Belonging and Becoming
The Unfurling Frond, a memoir by Rebecca Beardsall, presents an engrossing and invigorating chronicle of her life that masterfully intertwines the elements of childhood, education, and travel experiences. Growing up in an intimate family in America during the late 20th century, Rebecca’s narrative diverges from the commonplace. Instead of embarking on the traditionally anticipated path of marriage, she boldly ventured into the unexplored terrains of New Zealand. This adventurous streak continued to define her journey, guiding her through a tapestry of global cities, kindling an online romance with her partner, Geoffrey, and fostering enduring friendships.
Rebecca’s professional life weaves a parallel narrative. Despite carving a successful career as a teacher, her innate passion for writing prevailed. She pursued this creative calling, proving not just her proficiency but her exceptional talent.
The Unfurling Frond stands out as a distinctive memoir, primarily due to the deep resonance it generates within the reader. It is not just Rebecca’s tale but a reflection of a universal struggle – the tug-of-war between the identities we adopt and our true selves. Furthermore, Rebecca’s spirit of wanderlust breathes life into the book, making readers yearn for similar adventures. Until that becomes a reality, one can traverse the globe through Rebecca’s vivid and immersive descriptions, notably her affectionate portrayal of New Zealand.
The memoir also casts Rebecca as an unapologetic feminist, unafraid to challenge societal norms. Her personality showcases the rare combination of fierce independence, self-awareness, and humility, the ability to acknowledge her missteps. Her narrative is also tinged with poignancy as she recounts the irreplaceable loss of her brother, an event that underscores the enduring pain of losing a sibling.
The Unfurling Frond is not merely a memoir; it is a heartfelt expression emanating from the deepest chambers of Rebecca’s heart. The book skillfully weaves together themes of history, particularly the Civil War, with elements of friendship, love, family, and adventure. For enthusiasts of memoirs, this book is more than just a fantastic read; it’s an extraordinary journey through a life lived with courage, self-discovery, and unrelenting love for exploration.
Pages: 254 | ISBN : 1639889558
The Thread Of Life
White Cat unveils the intricate life of a centenarian through letters and artifacts, weaving a tapestry of history, emotion, and mystery across eras like World War 2 and the approach of apartheid-era South Africa. Why was this an important book for you to write?
Initially, a family connection made it important: Barbara was my aunt and the last of her generation, and, during her last years, shared with me a lot of family history and anecdotal material which, I suspected, no other family member had been aware of. The instigation for the actual writing was her disclosure of her extra-marital relations with the army spy whom I have called Hugh in the book. In fact, she refused to tell me his real name, which I put down to the unwavering wartime sense of duty of her generation. She suffered for this relationship and it became important to me to witness to the resilience and courage – evidenced also by her own wartime actions – of the person she was. Then my therapist persona jumped in and I realised that I had the material for a favourite theme of mine, namely, the passage of our lives through our heredity mixed with our contacts with others, the strands from which the thread of life is spun.
Can you elaborate on the real events that inspired “White Cat” and how you balanced historical accuracy with creative storytelling?
Wars, in this case, the Boer War in South Africa and World War 2, provide grand tableaux which, if we are not careful, distract us from the reality that it is the lives of the people which make up the picture. I knew that my grandfather lost a leg in an engagement in the Boer War, that a granduncle drowned in South Africa in undocumented circumstances and was ‘disappeared’ by his family, and that Barbara’s paramour, the military spy, vanished in Vienna. The great events provided a stage on which to play this out, but the real drama was about the lives of individuals. I had considerable material from my firsthand acquaintance with many of the individuals. I also had family anecdotal evidence of the personalities of the generation before, enough to be able to ‘write back’ some family traits which I knew of from my own day. So the narrative of the story grew also from what I could believe or impute for the characters concerned. This formula, such as it was, gave me enough scope for creativity in storytelling. The one enigma was Harry, my granduncle, and, whilst I offer a therapist perspective on his death, I leave it for the reader to decide.
The book’s narrative structure, weaving together elements of historical fiction, memoir, and mystery, is unique. What challenges did you face in crafting this multi-layered story, and how did you overcome them?
This was a challenge. I knew how I was going to start and I knew where the book was going to end. In fact, I wrote the final chapter not long after the first and I changed it very little. I knew I had two main storylines, the love story of Barbara and Hugh, and the tragedies of the family in South Africa: they were roughly 50 years and 10,000 miles apart. That in itself intrigued me. It was the letters that gave me the answer. Within my cast of characters over four generations, there were enough people who either did, because I had some letters, or plausibly could have, written to each other across the generations, for this to provide the continuity and create for Barbara the pivotal role in the overall drama.
What is the next book you are working on, and when will it be available?
The first sequel to White Cat is already out. It is called And Then There Are The Stories. It follows the fortunes of Hugh and Nobomi, starting in Vienna and then moving back to South Africa, ending in the Drakensberg mountains on the border between Eastern Cape and Lesotho. It is largely fictional – I was unable to find any trace of a likely Hugh in the National Archives once he moved from his military unit to the FSS. But there is one scene in Vienna for which I found sufficient family material to make possible a reconstruction. I have adopted a different format in this sequel, the main storyline being carried by the accounts given by a series of ‘outside’ characters, whose lives become involved in different ways.
I am now working on the third and final sequel, which is more or less present-day, though with allusions to some material in White Cat, as well as to the two main characters of the first sequel. The two figurehead names of White Cat reappear, though they might not be related to their namesakes there, but they continue my theme of the thread of life. This final sequel is called River.
Author Links: Goodreads | Facebook | Website | www.life-counselling.co.uk
This family saga begins at an end, with the death of Barbara at 104, the last of her generation, and the end of an era. She was the custodian of memories and memorabilia from four generations – her larger-than-life grandfather converted by a Quaker nurse, a father in the Boer War in South Africa, an uncle who mysteriously drowned in the Indian Ocean, his African girl-friend and the child he never saw, Barbara’s own paramour a spy in post-war occupied Vienna…and her own heroism in that war.
The reader passes through the abandoned rooms of her house, as the story unfolds by way of narrative and letters which create an immediacy, even intimacy, with the various players in the drama.
“… a confusion of sets and settings when the action moved, sometimes you could see it but sometimes it was offstage and reported, and then you have to trust the word passed down across the terraces of history, the hardships, the joys, the resentments, the hopes, the terror, the humanity, the resilience… and somewhere back along the way, still tolling, the bourdon bell which marked the tide of war.”
The White Cat? – no, six in all, and a question left unanswered.
I Freed Myself From Everything
Places We Left Behind shares your experiences of making a marriage work despite differences in culture and religion and even identifying where ‘home’ is. Why was this an important book for you to write?
When I was little, I remember my parents casting judgment on close friends after she left her husband and their two sons circa 1973. I remember my mother tsk, tsking that you never know what goes on behind closed doors.
Twenty-something years later, behind our doors, my husband and I flirted—and fought—about core issues: country and religion. For years, I thought our struggles were more intense and our issues more divisive than other marriages in my midst. Sure, I didn’t know what went on behind anyone else’s doors, but I envied friends who grew up in the same community/culture/country or who shared the same religious views/practices as their spouses.
While growing our family, we moved in search of home. Every time we met new people, I sensed an inability for them to digest our backstories: where we were born, how we met, why we had such a hard time planting roots. No matter how many times I shared the facts, I felt misunderstood or invisible, similar to how I felt in my family life.
Writing our story was my way of validating it—us—and why we stayed together despite our differences. It was also my way of trying to make sense of the choices we made, the deals we struck, the crossroads we reached. And in so doing, it reminded me of everything on my imaginary list of what I wanted in a life partner. Of love.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
How crucial it is to stay awake and not become complacent in a relationship. How important it is to understand the meaning of compromise in a couple/family. How imperative it is to be open to change.
I appreciated the candid nature with which you told your story. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?
The lowest of our marital low points, the sleeping back-to-back in a bed of anger, the uttering of ugly thoughts, the acknowledgement of selfish and self-centered feelings. The chapters that made me teary not during the writing as much as while rereading and editing: 4 : 1, Truth or Lie? Heavy, Back in White Plains, Slay.
I understood that the only way to write this story was to turn the camera on myself, to reveal my underbelly. To stop pointing a finger at my husband and to accept the part I’d played in our marriage. And nothing about that was easy.
Writing in untraditional prose felt necessary; at times and ironically, the words did not suffice. By pushing conventional boundaries, I freed myself from everything that had encaged me, namely the role of Good Jewish Daughter/Wife/Mother (and Jewish Guilt). Long, long overdue.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from your story?
The importance of following your heart while maintaining a sense of self in a relationship. When I agreed to practice my inherited religion Philippe’s way, I let go of and lost myself.
On the writing front, the importance of playing on the page, which is both freeing and cleansing.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website | Instagram
When American-born Jennifer falls in love with French-born Philippe during the First Intifada in Israel, she understands their relationship isn’t perfect.
Both 23, both Jewish, they lead very different lives: she’s a secular tourist, he’s an observant immigrant. Despite their opposing outlooks on two fundamental issues—country and religion—they are determined to make it work. For the next 20 years, they root and uproot their growing family, each longing for a singular place to call home.
In Places We Left Behind, Jennifer puts her marriage under a microscope, examining commitment and compromise, faith and family while moving between prose and poetry, playing with language and form, daring the reader to read between the lines.
Literary Titan Book Award August 2023
The Literary Titan Book Awards are awarded to books that have astounded and amazed us with unique writing styles, vivid worlds, complex characters, and original ideas. These books deserve extraordinary praise, and we are proud to acknowledge the hard work, dedication, and writing talent of these brilliant authors.
Award Recipients
Rito de iniciación by Diego Uribe
A Time To Grow by Lowell Duane Pabst
Visit the Literary Titan Book Awards page to see award information.
Literary Titan Book Awards August 2023
The Literary Titan Book Awards are awarded to books that have astounded and amazed us with unique writing styles, vivid worlds, complex characters, and original ideas. These books deserve extraordinary praise, and we are proud to acknowledge the hard work, dedication, and writing talent of these brilliant authors.
Award Recipients
The Die Game by Stephen A. Carter
Tales of Wonder by Kenneth Hawk
Visit the Literary Titan Book Awards page to see award information.
A Meaningful Internal Journey
Limp Forward shares with readers how you overcame the obstacles in your path, such as having a disability, being a mother, and being a woman in a male-dominated world. Why was it important to share your story with the world?
Sharing my story was essential because our world needs a myriad of diverse voices from underprivileged and underrepresented groups. While I’ve always been a private person, I realized that influencing and adding value to the world meant sharing my experiences, so those who face similar challenges can find hope and inspiration in their pursuit of success. This book aims to connect with readers, making them feel less alone and offering insights into the experiences of being someone with disabilities, an immigrant, a mother, and a woman executive in the tech industry. Although revealing my personal journey meant sacrificing some privacy, I believe the potential impact makes it all worthwhile. After all, the world desperately needs more diverse voices to bring different perspectives and foster understanding.
In your book, you share the good and bad, your low moments, and your greatest achievements. I appreciated the candid nature with which you told your story. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?
When writing the book, I chose to be candid, sharing both the highs and lows, my achievements, and moments of vulnerability. The most challenging part was addressing my battle with depression during a period of my life when I was a pregnant mother juggling a demanding high-tech career. Revealing such personal struggles to the world was intimidating and scary, as I had tried to keep those dark moments to myself. However, I knew that sharing the complete story, both the ups and downs, was crucial. This memoir is not a vanity project; it’s my authentic, honest, and unique voice speaking to the world, with the hope of influencing someone else’s life positively. By baring my soul like an old friend to the reader, I wanted them to live and feel the emotions of my experiences truly. That’s the true power of a memoir—to enable readers to live another person’s life without becoming someone else.
This memoir will outlive me and serve its purpose in reflecting the complexity of human nature through my life. I believe that sharing the struggles and internal battles alongside the achievements is essential, as it unveils the unseen side of every person. Through my story, readers can relate to their own experiences, knowing that beneath external success lies a meaningful internal journey. Acknowledging both sides of the narrative resonates deeply and imparts a powerful message about the significance of understanding our inner selves.
With so much history with your family and the challenges you faced personally to reach your goals, it is awe-inspiring to witness how your determination has paid off. What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book and highlight to readers?
With a rich family history and personal challenges on the path to my goals, I aimed to emphasize some key ideas in this book. Firstly, knowing oneself clearly is paramount when striving for success—understanding the ‘why’ behind our desires and being willing to make sacrifices to achieve them. Breaking down big goals into smaller steps and persevering until they’re achieved is crucial. The success that emerges from such a journey may not always be externally recognized, but the growth and self-discovery along the way are the most valuable rewards.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from your story?
Ultimately, I hope readers take away a powerful message from my story: to be bold, determined, authentic, and to embrace the fullness of their lives. Living life to the fullest and making the most of the opportunities we have been given is a testament to the strength of the human spirit. By sharing my journey, I aspire to inspire others to overcome their challenges, embrace their uniqueness, and forge ahead with unwavering determination.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website | libomeyers.com
But just because she’s been successful doesn’t mean it’s been easy. Not by a long shot.
Along the way, Libo has overcome challenges as an immigrant in a new country, a person with a disability, a mother, and a woman in the male-dominated world of technology.
In Limp Forward, Libo boldly shares her story—both the hard and the beautiful—so that you may feel seen, be reminded of your inherent value, and find the strength you need to face your own challenges in life.
Every journey is unique, but Libo’s experiences contain insight that connects us all. Limp Forward is a captivating, unbridled exploration of the truths that guide us and shows what is possible when we pursue our full potential.
Limp Forward
In Limp Forward, an engrossing memoir by Silicon Valley executive Libo Meyers, readers are invited to explore a rich tapestry of cultural insights, life lessons, and remarkable triumphs. Meyers, who has trained vigorously to achieve a black belt in karate, showcases her unyielding spirit throughout her extraordinary life. Her journey, which begins with a childhood struggle with polio and a sense of otherness in her school days, transforms into an inspiring tale of resilience and determination.
At the tender age of 24, Meyers emigrated from China to the United States, where she encountered a daunting wave of isolation while simultaneously striving to balance her employment, maintain her academic performance, and manage a plethora of other tasks. Her narrative further encapsulates the complexities of motherhood, the sting of professional dismissal, and the quest for love. These challenges, however, do not weaken Meyers. Instead, they fuel her growth, deepening her wisdom and anchoring her in a profound sense of self-assuredness.
Meyers’ narrative represents the quintessence of resilience, interweaving the history of her resilient ancestry with her own indomitable spirit. As she recounts the trials and tribulations her ancestors overcame – war, famine, loss, and oppressive governance – readers gain a newfound appreciation for their own comforts, often taken for granted. Meyers’ journey, however, extends beyond her familial legacy; it evolves into an awe-inspiring chronicle that readers will undoubtedly resonate with. Despite her battle with polio and limited mobility, Meyers ambitiously propels herself to achieve excellence in all facets of her life – physically, intellectually, financially, and socially, offering readers a soaring sense of inspiration.
Meyers’ open-hearted recounting of her journey encompasses her internal deliberations, meticulously strategized plans, and the harsh criticisms she withstood in pursuit of her goals. This candid revelation is intended not merely to intrigue readers but to enrich their perspectives and inspire them to face their own battles. Her narrative further sheds light on pressing societal issues such as sexism, discrimination, the intricacies of the American immigration process, restrictive cultural norms, and other societal ills.
Limp Forward is a compelling narrative that invites readers into a whirlwind of emotions, from joy and pain to exhilaration and determination, all underscored by Meyers’ strategic ingenuity. The book serves as a testament to a life lived fully and richly, making it a must-read for enthusiasts of culturally nuanced memoirs and narratives exploring robust social themes. Prepare to be captivated and motivated by Meyers’ vibrant story in this highly engaging, thought-provoking memoir.
Pages: 375 | ASIN : B0C5FTF7JN
LITERARY TITAN 