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adoptedwriter I do not have a fandom that I create cool stuff for. That being said, certain authors from growing up and YA life have inspired me and have sparked my desire to write, so writing is what I do.
As my name here suggests, I am adopted, and I am a writer. When my kids were younger (like age 10-12-ish) they began to ask a lot of questions about my adoption and who was who in my family. I think their eyes were opened during my reunion experience with my birth father's family because they went through that process with me. (With my birth mother's family it happened before the kids were born, so that part of the family has always been a constant.) Reuniting finally with my birth father's family transferred all of us from the Before to the After in terms of meeting people, inclusion in family events, and general ken of family history, health data and people you never were aware of before.
The scope of my family is so large (and DNA / Ancestry.com have made it massive), that I decided to write about all of my family members, both adoptive and birth, and how I came to be in the middle of it all. Somehow, putting the explanation down on "paper" (I used my computer, but you get the idea), created a trail of kinfolk my kids could read about and follow the lineage.
Authors who influenced my writing of my family:
Frank McCourt of ANGELA'S ASHES, 'TIS and TEACHER MAN fame, Laura Ingalls Wilder of the LITTLE HOUSE book series, Earl Hamner, Jr. author of THE HOMECOMING which lead to THE WALTONS TV series and even Charles Dickens and the more modern Wally Lamb, who are/were able to weave what seem to be non-related people and events into a story in a way that actually does interconnect as their plots progress.
My 2 memoir books are AKIN TO THE TRUTH and AFTER THE TRUTH. The first book is about growing up adopted and how that felt during a time when adoption was taboo, secretive and rarely spoken about. The second book is about adoptee life in reunion and how I balance being an adopted adult with family, friends, my job and parenting.
Both books are available at Amazon.com.
As my name here suggests, I am adopted, and I am a writer. When my kids were younger (like age 10-12-ish) they began to ask a lot of questions about my adoption and who was who in my family. I think their eyes were opened during my reunion experience with my birth father's family because they went through that process with me. (With my birth mother's family it happened before the kids were born, so that part of the family has always been a constant.) Reuniting finally with my birth father's family transferred all of us from the Before to the After in terms of meeting people, inclusion in family events, and general ken of family history, health data and people you never were aware of before.
The scope of my family is so large (and DNA / Ancestry.com have made it massive), that I decided to write about all of my family members, both adoptive and birth, and how I came to be in the middle of it all. Somehow, putting the explanation down on "paper" (I used my computer, but you get the idea), created a trail of kinfolk my kids could read about and follow the lineage.
Authors who influenced my writing of my family:
Frank McCourt of ANGELA'S ASHES, 'TIS and TEACHER MAN fame, Laura Ingalls Wilder of the LITTLE HOUSE book series, Earl Hamner, Jr. author of THE HOMECOMING which lead to THE WALTONS TV series and even Charles Dickens and the more modern Wally Lamb, who are/were able to weave what seem to be non-related people and events into a story in a way that actually does interconnect as their plots progress.
My 2 memoir books are AKIN TO THE TRUTH and AFTER THE TRUTH. The first book is about growing up adopted and how that felt during a time when adoption was taboo, secretive and rarely spoken about. The second book is about adoptee life in reunion and how I balance being an adopted adult with family, friends, my job and parenting.
Both books are available at Amazon.com.
no subject
Date: 2019-07-17 03:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-07-17 08:05 pm (UTC)The thoughts range from "Nope...I will never want to search or meet with my bio family to OMG! I've been dreaming of meeting these people my whole life!" There are "good" adoptions, "bad" adoptions and everything in between too.
DNA testing is forcing more truth in adoption than ever before. Social media / the Internet is making searches happen very fast. There's a lot to think about!
There are a lot of "goofy" Facebook groups out there with a lot of very bitter hater-type members who loathe adoption, resent people who adopt and despise bio parents for not keeping their babies. They also hate on agencies, The Church and other institutions of authority. Even when these people are correct they can be very toxic and offer no comfort to adopted people who just want to talk and reflect without judgment. That being said, there are also a lot of groups who share wisdom, compassion and accept diverse opinions.
Best to the Person-In-Your-Life as they explore the complex, amazing and many-faceted mystique known as adoption.