This Miriam Hurdle Book is a Must Read for Many

I’m excited to be part of Miriam book launch for The Winding Road: A Journey of Survival. Also part of Miriam’s book release tour are:

Tuesday, September 6–Dan Antion @ https://nofacilities.com

Wednesday, September 7–Liz Gauffreau @ https://lizgauffreau.com

Thursday, September 8–Pete Springer @ https://petespringerauthor.wordpress.com/petes-blog

Friday, September 9–Robbie Cheadle @https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/blog

Monday, September 12–Denise Finn @ https://dlfinnauthor.com/blogs

About the book

In the summer of 2008, Miriam Hurdle was diagnosed with melanoma-an aggressive and invasive cancer in her internal organs. The survival rate before 2008 was low. Besides risking harsh treatments for a slim chance of survival, Miriam had hoops to jump through. By the time she received treatment at the beginning of 2009, her cancer had progressed from stage II to stage IV. It was a rough and uphill winding road. But alongside her was support and encouragement. Accompanied by the love of her family and community, this is Miriam’s journey of faith and miracle. It is a heartwarming story of resilience, courage, and the will to live.

Let me turn the post over to Miriam!

***

Thank you for hosting my launch tour today, Jacqui! I’m excited to be here to share my new book with your friends.

During this launch tour, I want to talk about memoir writing. Here is my topic for today.

Why Do I Write a Memoir?

A memoir is a true story of what people lived through. It’s a story presented in book form based on the real-life people, events, and moments they preserved in their experiences.

I remember my dad told me that after the Japanese took over Hong Kong, he, my mom, and my older sister went back to China to live with my grandma. My grandma had a small farm with a 500-pound pig. My sister’s job was to feed the pig. That was all I knew about my parents’ life in China during WWII. I wished to have asked my dad more questions and known more details.

Share My Story with the Generations to Come

Writing my memoir will preserve my life story not just for the family I have right now, but for the children who will grow up and have questions, and all the families that will come after them. It allows me to document my experiences and special memories of the people and events that have been important in my life.

Life is not perfect. People face challenges all the time even though different. I faced my challenge. I overcome some adversities and I survived.

My personal battle is worth telling and learning from. My story can be a significant source of encouragement and comfort to people who are waging their own wars. The writing of how I overcame my challenge can serve as an inspiration for other people, my grandchildren, and their grandchildren.

Understand Me and My Life Better

Writing my memoir also helps me to understand myself in a more meaningful way. It allows me to review and reflect on the elements that have made up my life. It helps me to understand my life better. Before cancer, my career and achievement were important to me. After cancer, my family became my priority.

Memoir as a Common Bond Among People

2008 was the year of recession. Many of my friends suffered a different loss. Some lost their jobs because of the companies downsizing or relocating to Colorado or Texas. Some lost their investments in stocks. Others lost their homes. We can’t predict our future. The unexpected stressful situations could come without warning. Losing my health and fighting for my life is just one of these many stories. I want to join hands with other people who suffer and be an encouragement to each other.

Blurb about The Winding Road

In the summer of 2008, Miriam Hurdle was diagnosed with melanoma-an aggressive and invasive cancer in her internal organs. The survival rate before 2008 was low. Besides risking harsh treatments for a slim chance of survival, Miriam had hoops to jump through. By the time she received treatment at the beginning of 2009, her cancer had progressed from stage II to stage IV. It was a rough and uphill winding road. But alongside her was support and encouragement. Accompanied by the love of her family and community, this is Miriam’s journey of faith and miracle. It is a heartwarming story of resilience, courage, and the will to live.

My review

I’ve reviewed several of Miriam’s poetry publications as well as a book to teach kids how to stay safe in crowds. The Winding Road: A Journey of Survival, is her first memoir. Her story is not uncommon–life-threatening cancer–but her journey is so personal and so vivid, no one who’s struggled with cancer or feared its icy grip will finish this book unaffected.

In Miriam’s case, her cancer journey started as a simple hysterectomy, surgery done thousands of times by hundreds of doctors. Most patients recover, move on with their lives. In Miriam’s case, the doctors discovered a rare form of cancer with uncharted treatment and a low probability of survival. If you’ve read Miriam’s poetry, you know that didn’t daunt her. She stepped forward, made the decisions she must. Never throughout the book does the reader feel hopelessness from her. Always, she knows why she is fighting to live and that God will show her how.

She tells the story one step at a time, starting with the surprising outcome of the simple surgery, proceeding to the difficulties with chemo, the confusing red tape, and more. She shares what kept her going–the support of family and friends, her husband Lynton, and God. She shows how she managed to balance the demands of her work life with a disease that wanted to kill her.

This is a story of hope, tenacity, fortitude, and ultimately, victory, told in a personal way, raw in its emotions, and one I won’t quickly forget. Highly recommended for anyone struggling with a life-threatening disease, both the before and after.

Purchase Links Amazon

Head over to preorder the book for August 26th: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK

Universal link: http://a-fwd.com/asin=B0B86QWXTN

About Miriam Hurdle

Miriam Hurdle is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). She published four children’s books at twenty-six years old. Her poetry collection received the Solo “Medalist Winner” for the New Apple Summer eBook Award and achieved bestseller status on Amazon.

Miriam writes poetry, short stories, memoir, and children’s books. She earned a Doctor of Education from the University of La Verne in California. After two years of rehabilitation counseling, fifteen years of public-school teaching and ten years in school district administration, she retired and enjoys life with her husband in southern California, and the visits to her daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughters in Oregon. When not writing, she engages in blogging, gardening, photography, and traveling.

Contact Miriam at

Website/Blog: https://theshowersofblessings.com

Amazon Author’s Page: https://www.amazon.com/Miriam-Hurdle/e/B07K2MCSVW

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17252131.Miriam_Hurdle

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mhurdle112

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/miriam.hurdle.1

---

Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular prehistoric fiction saga, Man vs. Nature which explores seminal events in man’s evolution one trilogy at a time. She is also the author of the Rowe-Delamagente thrillers and Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. Her non-fiction includes over a hundred books on integrating tech into education, reviews as an Amazon Vine Voice,  a columnist for NEA Today, and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. Look for her next prehistoric fiction, Natural Selection, Fall 2022.