A powerful reflection on the often-overlooked weight of caregiving, The Grace to Carry On by AJ Wyman is a story of survival—not just of a child, but of a father learning how to live again in the aftermath of crisis. Author AJ Wyman talks to Book Glow about the memoir.

Describe the book in one sentence.

This book is about how my daughter’s battle with cancer influenced my fight with addiction.

What led you to write it?

It began as a therapeutic exercise, but the more I wrote, the more a book began to appear. Eventually, I bought into that possibility and began to view it as a companion to those that are going through a cancer battle or struggling with addiction.

Which authors or books most influenced your voice and why?

I mainly read non-fiction and autobiographies. I prefer to learn about events that happened, and most often told by the ones that were there to see it.

How do you organize your writing day—do you have rituals or routines?

I set a rule in the morning that I would only write between 1 and 2000 words, so as not to let the trauma and emotion of retelling our story affect me too much.

Is there any one thing that especially frustrates you about the writing process?

I don’t like sounding repetitive or redundant, but it is a fine line between that and not sounding like yourself that is hard to balance.

Any advice for novice writers?

The best advice that I got while writing this book was to not hold back. Let it all out and don’t leave anything unsaid.

What do you hope readers take away from your book?

I hope that this book will give comfort to a cancer patient, family member, or caregiver, which in turn will influence them to pay attention to their mental health, and to care for themselves a well as the patient. I also hope that this will inspire an addict or an alcoholic into believing that it’s not too late to turn things around.

What’s next?

I imagine I am a one hit wonder, but you never know!

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