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Interview with Melissa Febos

Author Melissa Febos, interviewed by author, Roben Farzad

I attended a conference for James River Writer’s that hosts an annual conference in Richmond, VA.

The Executive Director, Katherine Herndon, of James River Writers happens to have been Charles’ English teacher. In fact, she was one of his favorite teachers.

As I was looking over the conference registration, I decided I might like to be a sponsor and Katherine thought the interview with author, Melissa Febos, was a good fit. She was right.

This interview was meaningful, soul searching, and I loved what Melissa had to say about writing memoir–basically that once that door opens, the story will stalk you until you write it. Or something like that. I believe her phrase was far more articulate. But it’s late right now and that’s all I got in the word bank.

That’s what my book did. Stalked me.

I wrote it in my head long before I could tackle it as a project because my grief after Charles’ suicide was still too raw. There were times writing it did consume me and I had to take a breather so I could regroup and dive in again later. It was agonizing and cathartic, agonizing and cathartic.

My tragic genius, Charles, said in one of his songs, “I wondered if it was possible for a soul to bleed inside.” I can say without a doubt it is.  The good news is that a lot of healing happens when you confront your story face to face.

Melissa came up to me before her interview and expressed a heartfelt thank you for sponsoring and I was really glad I did. Her two published books have received a lot of awards and praise and to think that twelve years ago she was suffering with addiction to heroin.  I can’t help but feel hope for others struggling.

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Melissa is author of Whip Smart and her latest, Abandon Me. You can find out more about her at MelissaFebos.com. I encourage you to read both or one of her books. I am.

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AnneMoss Rogers

AnneMoss Rogers is a mental health and suicide education expert, mental health speaker, suicide prevention trainer and consultant. She is author of the Book, Diary of a Broken Mind and co-author of Emotionally Naked: A Teacher's Guide to Preventing Suicide and Recognizing Students at Risk with Kim O'Brien PhD, LICSW. She raised two boys, Richard and Charles, and lost her younger son, Charles to addiction and suicide on June 5, 2015. She is a motivational speaker who empowers by educating and provides life saving strategies and emotionally healthy coping skills. As talented and funny as Charles was, letting other people know they matter was his greatest gift. And now that's the legacy she carries forward in her son's memory. Mental Health Speakers Website.

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