Ask the Author: Tyra Manning
Answered Questions (6)
Tyra Manning
Once I retired from my career as an educator, mediation and surrounding myself with music became catalysts for me to find rhythm and cadence for writing. The tools of meditation and music are paramount in my writing process and invaluable in my ability to reach writing target dates and goals.
Tyra Manning
Now I am turning my focus to speaking and spreading my message to as many people as I can. I love sharing my story out loud and engaging with people face-to-face. One of my main messages is "Mental illness doesn't play favorites," and being able to share this with a crowd is something I truly enjoy and hope to continue doing in the future.
Tyra Manning
Follow your dream. If you are not sure how to start, try writing a journal. If you want to write, write. If you think you have something to say, you do. Just begin, and it will all come together. Join a writer’s group and surround yourself with other people who have the same goal as you do. Spending time with supportive people is a huge motivator for both experienced and inexperienced writers.
Tyra Manning
One of the most important goals of my book is to chip away at the terrible stigma that still exists today toward people who suffer from mental health issues. Writing gives me the opportunity to share my voice as an advocate for excellent mental health services for people who are affected by these illnesses and their families. Being a writer allows me to share the message that mental illness doesn’t play favorites and many of our friends, family members and others suffer from mental health issues.
Tyra Manning
My book is a memoir that I wrote over a long period of time. I first began it in 1984, thirteen years after my husband Larry was killed during the Vietnam War. Over the years, I collected and stored Air Force documents regarding his MIA/KIA case in one of his old battered suitcases. When I missed him and I needed inspiration to keep telling our story, I unpacked his suitcase and went through everything. Writing my memoir was a similar unpacking process of memories and tangible documents.
Tyra Manning
Where the Water Meets the Sand is a love gift to Larry and the men and women who gave their lives both literally and figuratively in the divisive war in Vietnam.
The inspiration for my book has always been to highlight the struggles of families who lose loved ones in war. But all of us lose people we love in one way or another. While my memoir doesn’t soft-pedal the trials and challenges of living in the aftermath of horrific losses, depression, or addiction, it emphasizes that we can move forward. Mine is a story of hope, of believing there is a power greater than any of us that can help us heal if we are willing to embrace the opportunities placed in our path. Throughout my life that spiritual power has provided people who helped me and believed in me.
The inspiration for my book has always been to highlight the struggles of families who lose loved ones in war. But all of us lose people we love in one way or another. While my memoir doesn’t soft-pedal the trials and challenges of living in the aftermath of horrific losses, depression, or addiction, it emphasizes that we can move forward. Mine is a story of hope, of believing there is a power greater than any of us that can help us heal if we are willing to embrace the opportunities placed in our path. Throughout my life that spiritual power has provided people who helped me and believed in me.
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