Authorpreneur Dashboard – Ann Campanella
Motherhood: Lost and Found
Biographies & Memoirs
At age 33, award-winning author and poet Ann Campanella returns to her home state of North Carolina ready to build a horse farm and start a family. Ann’s foundation is shaken when she experiences multiple miscarriages at the same time her mother spirals into Alzheimer’s. The author’s devotion to her family and her horse Crimson sustain her as her mother’s illness progresses and her own window of potential motherhood begins to close. The voice in Ann’s memoir has been called constant and abiding, her imagery indelible. Her graceful, exacting language rises above the grief of infertility and the struggle to care for aging parents, connecting the reader ultimately to the heartbeat and resilience of the human experience.
Book Bubbles from Motherhood: Lost and Found
Traveling Through Dementia
When my mom was in the middle stages of Alzheimer's, our family took her to visit Lake George, NY, her childhood summer home. In the car, I realize, once again, that while my mother is with us physically, a part of her has traveled to a place beyond us.
Pregnancy Test
After I had my first miscarriage, my husband and I were tentative about trying to have a baby. We didn't want to face disappointment again. But we wanted a child more than anything. In an effort to "act casual," we picked up a pregnancy test, then went out to eat.
Returning to Lake George
Most people have a place in their childhood that evokes deeply held memories. For me that place was Lake George, NY, where my grandparents had a summer home. The sights, sounds and smells of the lake are lodged deeply with me and my mother. In this chapter, we return to the lake to bury my mother's brother.
The Red Zone
In the early stages of her illness, I took my mother to the hospital in hopes of finding help for her. Instead, I felt as if we were entering The Twilight Zone.
from Chapter 1
This excerpt explains my deep connection with horses. It sets the scene for how my horse Crimson, who is a grandson of Secretariat, supports me through a series of life challenges.
