by ESTEE 35 Replies latest jw friends
Estee, this is fantastic. When you said that, after the fire, your father bought life insurance on you children, I groaned, "Oh No!" out loud. I have to ask, what happened to your mother? I can't believe she let her children eat mushrooms she thought might be poisonous, so much so that she wouldn't eat them herself. Did she think your father would kill any/all of you?
Hurry up and write more!
StAnn
Holy crap! That's aweful. I mean what happened, not the writing.
Well worth reading...
Yes, it is a good read.
I dislike stories, or movies, with sad endings. Don't give it away, but I hope things end up well for the family after going through
such stomach wrenching existence, and a sick "head" of household.
I'm anxious to find out the end of this intersting tale.
A very good read. Fascinating. I could relate on many levels.
Holy moly and how, Estee, yes indeed that was a freakishly good read!
A cross between "Angela's Ashes" and the ending of your story.
CoCo: You were brave to answer first . . . I began to wonder if anyone cared! It felt like such a long time before anyone replied. I guess I still suffer from low self-esteem and thinking I'm not good enough. All part of the growing up, I suppose. Thanks for your encouragement, CoCo. I really appreciate it.
bbinkss: Yes, it is all true. Just one Chapter in my life. Yes, I think writing helps us to heal old wounds and move on. And yes, I will let you know when it gets published. Maybe Randy will put it in his store.
snowbird: Yup, snowbird, all of it happened in one short chapter. I think I'll self-publish just so a publisher can't change any of the story to make it "more exciting" --- why ever they would change details for readability rather than truth is beyond me, especially since it's an autobiography. Things are written truthfully just as I remember in a manuscript of 24 Chapters and 236 pages. I don't know what it will look like in copy-ready form as I haven't got that far yet.
Casper: Left hanging indeed. It was one chapter in my book. Only 23 more to go!
jgnat: Thanks for your comment. So far everyone thinks its good. This is very encouraging to me, since at times I felt very unsure about my ability as a writer. I did have some good coaching, though, through my first round of edits. The editor said "I could re-write this for you or I could 'coach' you to write it yourself." I asked her to coach me so I could write the story myself. She was an awesome editor. I was terrified when I approached her, but she put me at ease.She kindly and gently helped me fill in a lot of gaps.
Quandry: I certainly will post a notice when I get the book published. As far as background, that is covered in Chapters 1 to 3. My apologies for dropping Chapter 4 on you. Chapter 4 was the "acid test," since it was the hardest chapter for me to write because of the difficulty trying to describe the farm scraper that we used for a "box" to gather rocks in. I'm taking another look at that to see if I can refine my description. Thanks for mentioning it.
beksbks: More please? Glad you enjoyed the read. Only 23 more chapters coming soon in published form!
momzcrazy: Wow!? Me thinkz she likez it!
Velvetann: Just so you know, I was born and raised in a small town in Manitoba and that is where Chapter 4 takes place (on a small mixed farm). I only recently moved to Vancouver --- in 2003. But my daughter attended congregations in West Van and Kitsilano. But I lost touch with her, since I am shunned. It's all in the book. I will keep you posted!
MissingLink: Thanks for the humor! Glad to hear your comment.
VoidEater: Glad you enjoyed the read. Thanks for taking the time to read. Wasn't sure anyone would care, but I know --- I know --- it's my issue.
lalliv01: I won't give the end away, but suffice to say, things never stay the same. Obviously I survived!
BabaYaga: A freakishly good read, ya saye??? Aye, there is more where that came from! Thanks for reading and commenting!
dinah: I never did read Angela's Ashes. Let me guess --- another story about poison and life insurance per chance?
Again, thank you everyone for reading and commenting. Like I was saying, the writing of the book helped me work through lots of issues. Not to mention I've had about 20 years of therapy, all told.
Anyone who ever has written an autobiography knows how difficult it is to talk candidly about certain areas of your life. I would write all week for one week, then the manuscript would sit for a month while I worked out a block, etc. Whew, but it was worth it. My room mate at the time was very patient with me and supportive. Sometimes we talked for hours. Mr. Estee has also read the manuscript --- and we talk a lot about things, too.
I'm thinking of attending university for a Religious Studies program. Since religion was such a big part of my life, it might be useful.
Love youz
ESTEE
Wow!? Me thinks she likez it!
I was speechless. Yeah, me speechless. And I won't b*tch about my childhood ever again.
mama likes
evidently can't SPELL speechless either 
Wow, Estee. I had a lot of terror in my childhood, but I didn't worry that either of my parents would try to kill us children. And I always had good clothing, thanks to the fact that my grandparents were wealthy and I was too young to wear my sister's hand me downs. My mother sewed for me as well, but the clothes were cute. I just am blown away that your father was so cold about all he plotted. The rock incident doesn't sound innocent and I am glad none of you were hurt. That all sounds bizarre.
I wonder how you are today. Do you have problems with anxiety and post traumatic stress syndrome?
