Bounty: The Dog that Changed Everything

Meet Bounty, the dog who stormed into my life at a time when I was struggling with multiple sclerosis. This stocky agent of change is the unlikely star of my forthcoming memoir, to be published on May 26 this year.

This is my first post in months as I’ve been consumed by final copy edits, proofreading, cover discussions and other behind-the-scenes decisions.

So today I want to pause and reflect on one of the trickier aspects of writing memoir.

To state the obvious: memoir involves writing about real people and, inevitably, raises the question – who owns a story?

My first memoir, Marzipan and Magnolias, grew partly from my shock diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, but at its heart, it’s a mother-daughter story. It explores the complicated relationship I had with my eccentric mother and my attempts to forge my own path.

For the entire time I was writing it, I didn’t tell her. I never expected the manuscript to be published. But circumstances changed and I was persuaded to enter it into a competition. When it was selected for publication, I faced an awful dilemma.

I had written a story about my mother. But, of course, she wasn’t only my mother. I have three brothers. What would they think? And even more terrifying: what would she think? Sleepless nights barely begin to describe my anxiety about revealing what I’d spent years quietly writing in my study. (I later wrote about facing those fears – and my mother’s unexpectedly hilarious response, which you can read here.)

After that experience, I was certain I never wanted to put myself through it again. I assumed my memoir-writing days were over.

But life moves on. Things happen. And stories insist on being told.

Bounty continues my MS journey, but it’s also the story of my lifelong friendship with Emma.

As part of an effort to restore my fitness, Emma had encouraged me to adopt an unruly rescue dog. What follows is the story of the unexpected ways our lives change course after Emma receives her own devastating diagnosis. Pushy, intuitive and impossible to ignore, Bounty steers me relentlessly forward.

Once again, I had begun writing under a cloak of secrecy. Emma, like her family, was a very private person. This manuscript was for my eyes only… until one day her sister asked what I was working on.

I admitted I was writing about Emma, but assured her I had no intention of ever making it public. She asked if she could read it. With great trepidation, I handed over the manuscript and held my breath. For weeks.

Then she called.

She loved it. And she believed Emma’s sons would too.

With even greater trepidation, I offered it to them. Again, I waited. And again, the response surprised me. They said they could hear their mother’s voice in the pages. They wanted more of it. Most of all, they wanted to see the book published so they could hold it in their hands.

In that moment, a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders.

And now, after years of private writing, difficult conversations, and unexpected generosity from those closest to the story, Bounty is about to step out into the world. In the coming months I’ll post some teasers from the book.

My first speaking gig about Bounty will be at Gordon Library in Sydney on Tuesday 16 June. It’s a free event and I’ll share the booking details when they become available. If you’re in the area, I’d love to see you there!

In the meantime, let’s talk memoir! I’d love to hear other people’s experiences or opinions of this potentially thorny genre that I love.