Hello Readers and Friends! I am excited to kick off 2024 with some great new books, another Book Nation Book Club Author Event (stay tuned for the book choice and author event date) and a new addition to the Book Nation by Jen blog called…
Welcome “Emerging Authors and New Books”!
I will be adding a feature that introduces new authors and their books with an author q & a so you can get to know them a bit. I love the idea of getting readers acquainted with writers, so this is a great opportunity to keep book lovers up to date on what is new.
For many years I have been working as a marketing consultant, helping countless authors define their audience and market their books. To complement my existing, ongoing efforts, I am proud to be able to support authors by offering Book Nation by Jen as a vehicle to connect readers and books. If you are an author or know one and would like to inquire, please email jen@booknationbookclub.com
And now, let’s begin the year with …
Emerging Authors and New Books Series Presents…
Where the Light is Brighter by CC. Griffin & Thomas G. Fiffer
Author C.C. Griffin is a shining light entering into the world of fiction on the timely topic of ageing; as people live longer and need more assistance it is time to talk about how we treat those “on the back nine” who still have wonderful life left to live. I hope you dive in to Where the Light is Brighter and read about Edith, a sassy, elderly woman faced with change. This story could be about your parent, grandparent or even you one day, too!
Goodreads Summary
Where the Light Is Brighter is the touching, bittersweet story of life in a long-term care facility, told mostly through the sharp eyes of 98-year-old Edith, who has an opinion on everything-and everyone-and a lifetime of memories that are slowly slipping away. She enters River’s Edge reluctantly, just before New Year’s, at the insistence of her son, William, but she plans to be back home in time to put chubby Cupid on her mantel, then swap him out in March for her madly grinning leprechaun. As we accompany Edith through her first year of living in this “never place,” the place on the hill where no one wants to be, we meet a cast of characters of advancing age. But despite her dread of the darkness within-a fear we all share about our elderly futures-brightness breaks through at every turn. The story is structured around holidays and the decorations with which the River’s Edge residents mark time, and as Edith settles in, surrenders to a self-appointed “welcoming committee,” and reluctantly makes friends, she begins to feel more and more at home. Written by a woman who works in the field, Where the Light Is Brighter shatters stereotypes and preconceived notions about the proverbial “old folks home” as we meet the forever young-at-heart folks who challenge our beliefs by greeting their final years with grace, enlarging our hearts as they enliven River’s Edge.
Q & A with C.C. Griffin
What inspired you to write a book set in a long term facility?
Our culture is not one that lets people age, and this work dares to explore caring for one another as we age. As a nurse practitioner who has provided medical services to the long term care community for over a decade, I was inspired to start writing to share a message of connection, so we don’t feel like we are in a society that leaves us to age alone.
I was inspired to write to share what I learned:
Watching someone challenged by dementia play a beautiful piece of music, or beat everyone at trivia, are just some of the countless examples that made me realized how important it is to bring greater awareness to changing the way we think about living with dementia. As a society there is much to learn, for more information: Dementia friendly communities | Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) (alzint.org)
I was inspired to share a story:
Moving a loved one, from their home of many years, into a long term care facility is an emotional time. My hope is that the fictional characters from Where the Light is Brighter may provide a sense of comfort, if not a bit of humor, in an often unfamiliar environment. And when leaving a loved one in this new home, perhaps it will bring a smile knowing that the characters of Rivers Edge will, in many ways, be there too.
Why is now an important time to talk about ageing?
The World Health Organization is telling us about global ageing. Populations of today are living longer and societies need to start preparing for the impact of this demographic shift, however ageism is a global problem leading to negative stereotypes that associate limiting beliefs about older people: Ageing and health (who.int). It’s through the lens of ageism, that those who are older and dependent on care can be seen as no longer being productive members of society, and are thought to be diminished in capacity. How society thinks about ageing, impacts the way we act towards older adults. Negative beliefs on ageing can lead to residents of long term care facilitates to become, in some ways, invisible to the outside world.
Challenging negative stereotypes about ageing is such an important topic facing the global community today, that the United Nations has joined forces with the World Health Organization to create a global platform to promote health and ageing with the goal of living longer and healthier lives: UN Decade of Healthy Ageing – The Platform. It’s the perspectives and beliefs about ageing that we share today which will shape future policy and experience.
Can you share some pre-conceived notions about the elderly and “old folks homes” you are reframing with the narrative in Where the Light Is Brighter?.
My work helps to reframe negative belief on ageing, so that what is often considered frail and weak, can be seen as strong and resilient. I hope to help lift the veil of ageism, through literature that depicts relatable characters in a long term care facility – as any other people- who can be thoughtful, impatient, resourceful, at times arrogant, resilient, along with full of wit, and who are living their lives despite dealing with the increased care needs of dependence.
Only 4-6% of the US population age over 65 are in assisted living or long term care, however, I felt that by writing from the setting of a home, the reader could enter a world that they may not otherwise know due to ageist beliefs limiting curiosity about this community. It’s from deep in the heart of a home, that this book offers a compelling shift in perspective towards a positive narrative on aging.
Where the Light is Brighter is a fictional story of 98 year old Edith’s journey through her first year at River’s Edge care community, which offers a new twist in perspectives on ageing. Told through a year in holidays, it’s through her connections with residents, staff, volunteers, family, and visitors, that Edith corrects misperceptions, empowering all of us to find strength in age.
You included the holidays as benchmarks for time. How did you come up with that idea?
When I first started writing this book, I participated in a book club with my son who was in 5th grade and we read Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan. In that book, the chapters are organized by the harvest of the season; grapes, avocados, peaches, etc, and that inspired my idea of how time can be experienced through seasons. In a long term care facility, seasons can be experienced through holiday celebrations. I also wanted the reader to have an understanding of the importance of celebration in a home– if a resident is challenged with cognitive impairment, providing sensory exposure, such as through color, scents, or music, can help provide orientation to time through connection with the spirit of that season.
Is the main character, Edith, or her son William representative of anyone specific in your life?
Edith is based off of my Grandmother Claire Smith. As a new author, I needed the confidence that I had in my grandmother’s voice of experience to help me work through the moments of doubt which caused me to question, “Who am I to write this book?” However, I knew that by thinking of her, I could channel a perspective that I could rely on to bring a message to the world about this community. My grandmother graduated from Mt Sinai (Phillips) School of Nursing in NYC, and was a working mother in the 1940s. I remember her saying that the hospital used to give the nurses a box of chocolates and cigarettes for the holidays. She raised her kids and worked for years as a long term care nurse. The last part of her life, she lived as a resident of a home. Her sister’s name was Edith.
How long did it take you to write this book, what was the process, and what are you working on now?
It took ten years, from when I first said yes to acting on inspiration, to having a book on Amazon. Five years into the journey, I realized that the only control I had in this process, was whether or not I was going to keep saying yes to having writing in my life. But it became more uncomfortable not to write, then to find a way to keep writing. This propelled me into attending writing conferences, years of workshop classes at the Westport Writers Workshop, and to further develop the work with my editor, who became my publisher and co-writer, Thomas Fiffer.
A helpful tool to fit the writing process into my life, as a working mother of three children, was using google docs. I would dictate ideas into my phone, and the ideas would come at anytime: while making dinner, jogging, driving, or falling asleep. When an idea came into my head, I would try to repeat it in hopes of not losing it before I was able to dictate into my google doc. Although losing an idea was hard, the emotional process of idea development was even more difficult. An idea brought with it the emotion of joy, and a belief that this was the most compelling or fascinating detail or storyline, and I would write it down with full confidence. The next day, I would read the line and find that it only brought a small chuckle and slight interest, and after the disappointment and frustration of being deceived by my initial belief, I would spend time developing the idea which would lead to a much deeper storyline then I could have imagined. Even though I went through this process for years, the intellectual understanding of the cycle could not stop my emotional response that was fresh every time.
Currently I am working on promoting this book, and participating in speaking engagements.
There also is an outline for a sequel.
How can we support you and your book, and keep up with all you are doing?
Particularly in a youth-oriented society, it’s important to have discussions that support one another as we age. Fighting ageism starts by being aware of our own beliefs about our own ageing. One way of exploring our own perspectives on ageing and what has influenced the development of this perspective, is through discussion. Literature can prompt this dialogue by challenging limiting beliefs, and offering a shift towards a positive narrative on ageing.
With greater exposure to topics on ageing, such as the ones offered in this book, my hope is that this will allow for broader discussions to help us create an ageing friendly world. It’s through a positive narrative on ageing that we are able to live longer and healthier lives.
If there was something you found interesting, or are curious about something in the book, feel free to reach me, send an email: info@christmaslakecreative.com
Stop by on my website: C. C. Griffin Books (ccgriffinbooks.com)
My publisher, editor, and co-author Thomas Fiffer’s website is Christmas Lake Creative.
I am a member of the Hay House Writers Community, and currently have the novel in a contest for a publishing contract with Hay House. If you are interested in hearing more about this book, here is my YouTube link which I created as part of the Hay House submission:
C.C. Griffin Hay House Submission December 2023 SD 480p (youtube.com)
Ageing is living, lets talk about it!
Thank you to Jennifer Blankfein for the opportunity to have this book featured on Book Nation.
More About C.C. Griffin:
C. C. Griffin has had the honor of providing medical services as a nurse practitioner to the long-term care community for over a decade. It is only in hindsight at age 48 that her path to becoming an author grew clear. As a college student, she completed a concentration in gerontology while earning her BA in psychology at The College of the Holy Cross. She went on to pursue both a bachelor’s and master’s in nursing, practicing in hospitals and outpatient settings before returning to nursing homes. Over 20 years later, inspired by her work with this remarkable and resilient community, as well as the experiences of her two grandmothers, she is excited to share her debut novel, Where the Light Is Brighter.
