Guest Blogger, Helen Brown

Today I’d like to welcome award-winning author and journalist Helen Brown as the special guest blogger here at Thoughts in Progress as she makes a stop on her virtual blog tour.

Helen’s latest release is CLEO, THE CAT WHO MENDED A FAMILY. In this book, Helen recounts the tragic accidental death of her nine-year-old son, Sam, and her struggle to come to terms with her loss. A few weeks after her son’s death, a friend comes bearing a gift: the new kitten that had been promised to Sam as a birthday present. Although Helen is initially wary of taking in the pet—claiming she’s “not really a cat person”— her surviving son, Rob, falls in love with the kitten, and Helen is eventually won over by Cleo’s playful attitude and loving heart. Cleo becomes an integral part of the family, seeing them through depression, divorce, sickness, several moves, and—eventually—new love, including the birth of Helen’s two daughters.  

She’s here to answers a few questions for me. In addition, I have copies of her book to giveaway to 2 lucky visitors commenting on this post. The giveaway is only open to residents of the U.S. (sorry) and will end at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 16. Be sure to leave your e-mail address if it’s not included in your profile.

 
Before we get started, thank you for inviting me into your vibrant blogosphere. It’s an honor to be included.

You ask what inspired me to write “CLEO”. Back in 1983 when our nine year old son Sam was run over and killed our lives were blown apart.  We were traumatized and there was very little grief counseling could offer. A couple of times I believed my life was over.

Strangely enough, I was writing a humorous newspaper column about everyday family life at the time. The way I saw it I had three options – 1. Stop writing altogether (by far the most tempting) 2. Try to keep writing amusing little stories as though nothing had happened (hard work but possible). 3. Share our devastation with my readers. If the reaction was negative I’d have no qualms resigning.

In the end I chose the third option. I still remember sitting up in our bed, weeping into my portable typewriter (those things are in antique shops these days!) and relating the stark events around Sam’s death.

Within days letters from people I’d never met – readers – started pouring in. I was astonished by their generosity and compassion. Some of the letters were from other parents who had lost children. They were like flags waving across a stormy sea “The same thing happened to us,” they said. “We survived. You can too.” Those letters were the most comforting grief counseling I received. I spent the rest of my life feeling indebted to those wonderful strangers who’d been brave enough to share their sorrow.

It took nearly three decades for me to repay the debt by writing

“CLEO.”  If our story could help one grieving parent somewhere in the world I would’ve considered it a success. The most precious part of my website (www.helenbrown.com) is a Parents’ Section with responses from “CLEO” readers who have lost children. What I wasn’t prepared for was for “CLEO” to become an international best seller, embraced by a wide range of people, young and old, from different cultures all over the world.

The success of “CLEO” has shown me how human beings are all very much the same, no matter what their language, religion or

skin color. We tend to concentrate on the differences, but we all love our children and pets.

You ask if I have a writing schedule. My working day is based around a caffeine addiction. Once I’ve bullied everyone out of the house off to school and work I hurry across the street to a cafe that serves fantastic takeaway cafe lattes (I’m ashamed to confess the proximity of that cafe is one of the reasons we bought this house three years ago). One or two coffees will get me through to lunchtime, by which time I’ve usually done my best work.

Afternoons are for editing yesterday’s work, or taking a walk around the corner to buy food for the evening meal. My study walls are painted red. There’s a view through leadlight windows to an ancient apple tree. When the fruit is ripe parrots raid the tree and laugh at me from the branches.

Do I have another book in the pipeline? I’ve had countless emails from people saying they didn’t want “CLEO” to end. Fortunately, we have a new cat, Jonah, who’s crazy, vain and dysfunctional. The perfect subject for a sequel.

Helen, thank you so much for guest blogging here today. I appreciate you sharing how and why CLEO came to be. Looking forward to find out more about Jonah in the future. 

A little additional background on Helen: she is an award-winning New Zealand journalist and former writer of a syndicated weekly newspaper column. She is the author of nine books in addition to CLEO, including CONFESSIONS OF A BRIDE DOLL and FROM THE HEART: LAUGHTER, LOSS AND LIVING IN AUSTRALIA. She currently lives in Melbourne, Australia. For more information, visit her website, www.helenbrown.com. 

Helen is also answering questions for Ingrid at The Conscious Cat today, be sure and drop by there as well.