Hello, everyone!
I finally have my first book published. It is a short story called Last Words. It was a story I wrote shortly after the death of my father in 2016. It's about a girl who is at the funeral of her father and wished that she had the opportunity to have just one last conversation with him. I think that is something that we can all relate to. There's never enough time with our loved ones and we never want to say goodbye in the first place, but when we do it would be comforting to get that one last talk. We hardly ever get that. Some of us are lucky to, but the majority are caught off guard and thrust into a life without that person and left with more questions than answers.
I will say that I honestly battled with wanting to publish this story. I thought, for the longest, maybe I'll start off this journey with publishing a poetry book, then on to my novels. I didn't shy away from it because of how close the story is to my heart. I shied away from it because I didn't think anyone would pay money for a short story that's only a few pages and with no major climax. Then recently, while I'm currently carrying my double rainbow baby, I started thinking of the relationship my child will miss out on with their grandfathers (both have passed). Then I thought about how rough these past few years have been. There's probably not a single person on this planet that has not been affected by Covid. Whether, you lost a relative, a friend, a coworker, a classmate, a mentor, etc. Covid has had an impact on us individually. Then I thought about the younger kids, who may have lost a parent, a sibling, or a grandparent. A story like this can help them, or anyone, walk through that grief process. It's a journey we all have to walk and to know that we never walk it alone and we all have similar feelings, even though we process grief differently, it makes it just that tiny bit easier.
I hope you pick up a copy and I hope it helps in some way if you are dealing with the loss of a loved one. Just know that person is there with you always. They are a part of you. My dad is a part of me. He always will be. He will be a part of my child. I know he is proud of me and he would enjoy this story very much. It was my way to say goodbye and my last hug to him. I miss him every sing day.
Thank you to everyone who has shown me so much love and support. You guys have been amazing and you've made me feel like a professional. You've made me feel like a writer is what I'm supposed to be. It's more than me just wanting this career and wanting this life you made me feel like I deserve it and that I speak to you on another level through my words. I try and more than anything I'm glad that I never stopped.
Last Words is available on E-book and in print. Just click the link and it will take you directly to the listing on Amazon. Again, thank you so so much
- Asia Aneka Anderson (c) 2022
