Need a distraction?

Sanity

Hi Friends,

Meet 15-year-old Alisyn. This photo is from my first day of sophomore year in high school. I was still sporting my tan from summer, still rocking my Sasson jeans, and still using a curling iron on my Jersey hair. Mostly, I was still hoping against hope that my home life was not on the verge of blowing up.

March 26th will be one year since my memoir Combat Love was released. A lot has happened in my life since then. A lot of loss. A lot of devastation. Many efforts at rebuilding and reinvention. It’s a work in progress.

People often ask me how I’m getting through this painful year. They wonder where my resilience comes from. I believe any seeds of strength I possess were already planted and waiting to take root in that teenage girl. My life did not get easier after that photo was taken, but I was resourceful and driven, and I did manage to make the dreams I had then of becoming a news anchor and having a happy family come true.

I would welcome the chance to talk about the themes of love, loss, and survival. In the book, I detail some of the times I wrestled with despair and how I got through it. I’d say the themes are particularly relevant now. So, here’s an idea: I propose a mini-bookclub throughout the month of March for anyone who wants to read Combat Love. I’ll put out a chapter a week until March 26th (the anniversary), when we can do a live book club and I’ll answer any of your questions.

Writing Combat Love was a healing passion project. It gave me much-needed closure on a lot of unfinished business in my life. I hope reading it will be an entertaining escape for you during this time of madness. A simple dose of sanity.

Let’s start tomorrow.