Sequel to The Pecan Man
When I wrote and self-published The Pecan Man, it was a personal triumph for me, and one I wasn't sure I'd ever manage. Just to finish a novel, to tell a story I thought was important, about characters I came to love as if they were living, breathing human beings...it was big, and it was hard work, and I was proud of myself. And I would have been happy if only friends and family had read it and felt proud with me. But that's not what happened. My little 144 page novel just took off. Readers fell in love with the characters and shared the book with their friends. It was a blessing I didn't see coming, and it changed my whole life.
Now, here it is six years later. Six years with so many ups and downs I feel like I've been locked into the Space Mountain ride at Disney. Two years after publishing, I was able to quit my fulltime job and pursue a BFA in Creative Writing at Goddard College. In the two-and-a-half years it took me to finish, I completed a second novel (What Matters in Mayhew), lost my sister and her youngest daughter - both from drug overdoses - and lost my beloved mother to what could only be described as a broken heart.
Our family was tormented and nearly destroyed by my sister's drug addiction, which went on for most of her adult life. She got her own children hooked on them, too, and the consequences have been devastating. None of us could have imagined the horror, or the toll it would take on us all.
There were parallels in The Pecan Man, most unintended or at least subconscious, between the character Grace and my sister Petey, who suffered from unrecognized and untreated trauma as children. I became conscious of this as I started doing virtual meetings with book clubs who had chosen my novel to discuss. I was frequently asked, "Is Grace going to be okay?" The truth is, I had never intended to do a sequel to the story. And more importantly, I couldn't answer that question. I honestly didn't know. The problem was, I knew all too well the impact substance abuse had on the family. What I didn't know was recovery.
The work I did writing The Truth About Grace, was a lesson in both heartbreak and hope. So many things I wish we had known years ago. We were so fragmented as a family, we simply didn't know where to go for help. Like other families, some of us enabled and/or shunned the ones causing all the "trouble". So the question became: is it even possible to write a novel about the dynamics in a family with a drug addicted loved one, and not have it be unreadably long?
I decided to allow myself to dream what might have happened if we had known better, done better, loved better. The story is clearly over-simplified, and I'm okay with that. I wanted to explore the possibility I found in books by Debra Jay and Jeff Jay, including Love First", "No More Letting Go", and "It Takes a Family" which I highly recommend to anyone dealing with addicted or alcoholic loved ones.
I told the story my way, and stuck to my goal to just give a glimpse of what might be, without going into the technical details and hard work with which I am not familiar. It is definitely a family story, full of frustration and hope, tension and tenderness.
Today, The Pecan Man has sold over 200,000 copies, and is in public libraries across the nation. It has been translated into two languages, published traditionally as an audiobook, and optioned for movie rights. It is an absolute miracle for a self-published book and I need to give credit where credit is due. With over 3000 reviews on Amazon and even more here on Goodreads, I am fully aware that it has been the generosity of readers that has been the driving force in sales. I'm amazed at how many readers are willing to share their experience and thoughts on the books they read and love.
I can only hope The Truth About Grace does as well. But honestly, just like before, I'll be happy if friends and family are proud of me. I'll be more happy if it encourages more family members to get the help they need dealing with an increasingly insipid epidemic in America...the opioid crisis that is claiming thousands of lives every year.
Blessings to you all...
Cass
Now, here it is six years later. Six years with so many ups and downs I feel like I've been locked into the Space Mountain ride at Disney. Two years after publishing, I was able to quit my fulltime job and pursue a BFA in Creative Writing at Goddard College. In the two-and-a-half years it took me to finish, I completed a second novel (What Matters in Mayhew), lost my sister and her youngest daughter - both from drug overdoses - and lost my beloved mother to what could only be described as a broken heart.
Our family was tormented and nearly destroyed by my sister's drug addiction, which went on for most of her adult life. She got her own children hooked on them, too, and the consequences have been devastating. None of us could have imagined the horror, or the toll it would take on us all.
There were parallels in The Pecan Man, most unintended or at least subconscious, between the character Grace and my sister Petey, who suffered from unrecognized and untreated trauma as children. I became conscious of this as I started doing virtual meetings with book clubs who had chosen my novel to discuss. I was frequently asked, "Is Grace going to be okay?" The truth is, I had never intended to do a sequel to the story. And more importantly, I couldn't answer that question. I honestly didn't know. The problem was, I knew all too well the impact substance abuse had on the family. What I didn't know was recovery.
The work I did writing The Truth About Grace, was a lesson in both heartbreak and hope. So many things I wish we had known years ago. We were so fragmented as a family, we simply didn't know where to go for help. Like other families, some of us enabled and/or shunned the ones causing all the "trouble". So the question became: is it even possible to write a novel about the dynamics in a family with a drug addicted loved one, and not have it be unreadably long?
I decided to allow myself to dream what might have happened if we had known better, done better, loved better. The story is clearly over-simplified, and I'm okay with that. I wanted to explore the possibility I found in books by Debra Jay and Jeff Jay, including Love First", "No More Letting Go", and "It Takes a Family" which I highly recommend to anyone dealing with addicted or alcoholic loved ones.
I told the story my way, and stuck to my goal to just give a glimpse of what might be, without going into the technical details and hard work with which I am not familiar. It is definitely a family story, full of frustration and hope, tension and tenderness.
Today, The Pecan Man has sold over 200,000 copies, and is in public libraries across the nation. It has been translated into two languages, published traditionally as an audiobook, and optioned for movie rights. It is an absolute miracle for a self-published book and I need to give credit where credit is due. With over 3000 reviews on Amazon and even more here on Goodreads, I am fully aware that it has been the generosity of readers that has been the driving force in sales. I'm amazed at how many readers are willing to share their experience and thoughts on the books they read and love.
I can only hope The Truth About Grace does as well. But honestly, just like before, I'll be happy if friends and family are proud of me. I'll be more happy if it encourages more family members to get the help they need dealing with an increasingly insipid epidemic in America...the opioid crisis that is claiming thousands of lives every year.
Blessings to you all...
Cass
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