Interview with Elizabeth Walker, Author of The Tablet of My Heart - Page 2

Do you write full-time?

Well, no. At least not to make a living, but I write all the time. Almost every day in fact... just because it suits me. It’s like visiting a friend.

At what point in your life did you make up your mind you were going to become a published author?

I knew from the time that I was nine or ten that I wanted to be a published author one day, but the reality of putting together a complete manuscript and getting the process in motion did not really come to fruition until about two years ago.

Can you tell us a little about your latest book?

I’d love to! As a matter of fact the most difficult thing about talking to people about The Tablet of My Heart is that I want to tell everything about the book. I’ll try to be brief.  The Tablet of My Heart is the story of the abuse and, more importantly the victory over victimization of a little girl who found herself in a whirlwind of loss, abuse, and neglect at the very vulnerable age of eight-years-old. While the foundation of the book is built from poetic excerpts from the journal that she kept during years of abuse that were endured, the excerpts are narrated so that it reads like a story rather than a journal or book of poetry. That little girl was me.  

Why did you feel a need to write it?

My children were the inspiration behind this book. While I had always planned to publish, I never would have dreamed that the first book I published would have been about my childhood abuse. My sons were dealing with a great loss, as was I, at the absence of their father who was enveloped in a cocaine addiction. His addiction ended our marriage and caused a great emptiness where his relationship with his sons was concerned.  I knew there would be no telling them that this pain would not last forever, so I decided instead to show them. I started sharing my childhood journal with them so that they could see the pain that I once experienced and then see how I moved beyond it. They were responding. Then, it just snowballed. I thought, what better way could there be to show them how to heal, then to lead them to help others in their healing. That is when I decided to publish the journal and give of the proceeds to a foundation that helps abused children: Childhelp USA.

Article Author: Dorothy Thompson

Dorothy Thompson is CEO/Founder of Pump Up Your Book Promotion, an innovative public relations agency specializing in online book promotion for authors.

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