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An Interview with Laurie Bonello

Sunday, Jul 26, 2009 at 1:21pm

Saskatoon author and breast cancer survivor, Laurie Bonello launched her book Across the Void in early July and she kindly took the time to answer a few questions about her book and her writing process.

NJB: Who is the audience for Across the Void? Who did you write it for?

LB: Across the Void is for anyone who is facing challenges in life-so it is really for everyone. A person who has gone through a serious illness, especially breast cancer, will relate to Across the Void even more, but anyone who is ready to claim a better life, a better way to move through life's challenges, will find it of benefit.

NJB: When did you decide to write a book about your experience with cancer and the recovery period afterward? Why did you decide to write Across the Void?

LB: A part of me knew quite quickly that I was experiencing a journey, a difficult but special one, and that it might be important to share that with others.

I decided to write Across the Void for several reasons. One was that the experience I had helped me to live my life in a way that was inspiring to me - not to society, not to my family, friends, or co-workers - but to me. The process of identifying who I am, what I value, and what I want in life was so beneficial that I felt compelled to communicate it to others. For people who are facing serious life challenges, such as a life-threatening illness, as well as for those who aren't, I wanted to encourage everyone to pay attention to their lives and create the life they want - right now - to not wait for a traumatic event before they do so!

Another reason I wrote Across the Void was to share how implementing positive and easy ways to deal with emotions like fear and anxiety provided me with so much relief. After several scares that the cancer had spread, I learned how to live through challenges with less fear and drama - so I felt everyone may really benefit from reading about those lessons as well.

One of my goals is to help others free themselves of the notions and views that cause them suffering, and through my journey I had discovered so many ways to experience this kind of freedom myself. So I felt I simply had to write Across the Void. I couldn't have not written it!

NJB: Did writing Across the Void change how you viewed or understood your cancer experience and your journey "across the void" afterward?

LB: I believe we are not necessarily changed by our experiences, but by our reflections on our experiences. I wasn't able to write about my journey in a way that was helpful to others until I viewed and more fully understood it through contemplation, internalization, and then integration of what I had experienced. It was when the lessons of the experience had become an integral part of my life that I was able to write about the journey.

NJB: In Across the Void you mention keeping a journal. Did that journal help with the writing of the book? How would you say Across the Void differs from the journal you kept during your cancer experience and recovery?

LB: I kept two main journals during my experience, and both were great resources when I was ready to write the book. One journal I used to document the many medical and treatment-related items and activities that were on-going that I needed to track. The second journal served as part of my therapy, as this is where I wrote about my feelings, discoveries, frustrations, and victories, which was all very cathartic.

Across the Void differs substantially from both these journals as the book tells the complete story; the journals were simply a documentation of my experiences - they were not the story.

NJB: Are you thinking of writing anything else? Are you working on anything else?

LB: I really enjoyed writing Across the Void and another book is always a possibility. But at the moment I am focusing on getting the message in Across the Void out to everyone. Across the Void has so many important lessons and reminders that are really helpful to people. Reader feedback is confirming that Across the Void is changing lives for the better; that's one of the reasons it is so important to me that it reaches as many people as possible right now.

Categories: Interview, Authors, Saskatoon, Event News

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