A Q&A With Dr. Nora White Martin on "A Widow's Sharing and Guide: Forever With Me"

MarketingNewAuthors.com (MANA) celebrates the publication of A Widow's Sharing and Guide: Forever With Me by Nora White Martin, Ph.D. In her work, Dr. Martin describes the deep, abiding love between her and her husband, Dr. Lee Van Martin Sr., and how she navigated a new journey after his death. 

MANA: What inspired you to write "A Widow's Sharing and Guide: Forever With Me" particularly while you were still experiencing grief over the loss of your husband?
Nora White Martin (NWM): After being approached by a number of widows who admired the way I appeared to be adjusting to my loss, I was asked, "How are you able to bounce back so smoothly?" I shared that even after losing my husband, I continued to keep in contact with family, church, friends, and groups. I was also honest and shared that in the quiet times, I would listen to music that allowed me to make a connection with Lee. My favorite song happened to be Yolanda Adams's “Forever with Me," the lyrics made me feel that I was speaking to him. This individual and small group discussions led to luncheon dates and informal meetings with widows. The major thrust of our conversations centered around two topics: "What do you miss most about him?" and "Would you consider remarriage or a new courtship?" I chose to include many of these responses toward the end of my book after my friends and family shared that Lee and I had a "love story for the ages" and my book should reflect our relationship—from courtship until his transition—as the basis for this memoir.

MANA: How did you navigate the emotional challenges of revisiting difficult memories while writing your memoir?
NWM: I would categorize in my own mind—the highs and lows of our marriage. For example, in the chapter where we were struggling with infertility, I pulled out the pictures, artwork, and essays that my grandchildren have accomplished. This takes me to the joys and blessings of the three children (who are all adults now) we finally were blessed to have. I am currently having ups and downs and other emotions because Lee is not here to see our two granddaughters graduate, one from college and the other one from high school. He would be so proud of them! They were 16 and 12 years old when he passed six years ago.

Author Jeanette Toomer Displays Resilence in New Memoir On Overcoming Her Struggles

MarketingNewAuthors.com (MANA) welcomes Jeanette Toomer to the MANA Family of Authors. In her debut memoir, Precious Struggles: The Making Of A 21st Century Woman, Ms. Toomer takes readers on a journey of the challenging times in her life, including her marriage and her decision to have children. 

Ms. Toomer shows readers how she discovered her strength and inspired changes through her activism during the Civil Rights era, her challenges as an educator, as well as navigating through September 11, 2001, in New York City, and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In an interview with "The Authors Show," Ms. Toomer gave an inspiring response to the question: "What is a 21st-century woman?"  Ms. Toomer answered:

"A 21st-century woman is a woman who endures cultural and societal conflicts and finds a way to overcome even personal difficulties to rediscover and refine her strengths."

During her interview, Ms. Toomer offered more insight into the process of developing her book. To listen to her full interview on "The Author's Show," use the audio player below:

Prior to her interview on the popular radio program that highlights new and seasoned authors, Ms. Toomer had a question-and-answer (Q&A) session with MANA, the company through which she self-published her memoir, Precious Struggles: The Making Of A 21st Century Woman: 

MANA: What inspired you to write your book?

Jeanette Toomer (JT): I felt that after turning 50 I wanted to leave my memoir behind for my children and other women to know. It may look normal, but many incidents (including birth) in the life of a Black woman in America are not. Yet, we tend to survive, live and even raise children in a racist, and sometimes, sexist culture. If I share my story, perhaps I can inspire someone else to share theirs. We have so much to learn from each other.

MANA: Is this your first book?
JT: Yes, this is my first book.

MANA: How did you find time for writing, particularly if you were working while writing your manuscript?
JT: It was a long time coming. I had to fit writing into weekends and summer vacations. My children are adults, so I was no longer raising children. But, teaching high school English can require long hours of planning lessons and grading papers. I started by attending a small memoir writing workshop held by African Voices. We would bring our drafts to the workshop and receive feedback from each other. That was over six years ago. I decided to keep writing it with chapters on 9/11 and later surviving cancer.

MANA: What was the easiest part of the writing process for you?
JT: I guess the easy part was knowing what I wanted to focus on in each chapter. At least that's how it began and other memories would rise and I'd have to add to it.

MANA: Please describe what your book, Precious Struggles: The Making Of A 21st Century Woman is about?
JT: My book is about the personal, cultural, and political struggles that I experienced in my life and overcame. Most of them I did not foresee, which was the disturbing part about it. I also realized that many of these struggles were racial and sexist signs of our times.

MANA: How did you come up with the title, Precious Struggles: The Making Of A 21st Century Woman?
JT: "Precious" means that it was crucial for me to face these challenges, which related closely to who I am as a Black woman, a professional, and a mother. So the struggles are difficult but also precious and allow me to grow beyond my expectations.