Why I Wrote My Memoir

French Twists bookFrench Twist -- A Tale of Travel, Testing and Triumph

I spent a lot of time thinking about my life story. And I researched to find out more about it. 

Eventually I decided to proceed and I found a writer who could help me tell my story. Tom Gilbert (your-life-your-story.com) was very helpful as we spent several sessions discussing my story and he began to craft what eventually became my memoir, French Twists – A Tale of Travel, Testing and Triumph). It was published in 2024 by Paper Raven Books and I am quite happy with how it turned out - more here.

But why did I want to have a memoir? Why tell my story?

I suppose like most people I had a few reasons. 

First of all, I wanted my family, my children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren to know more about me. I remember when I was young seeing a portrait of my great grandmother when she was twenty years old. I marveled at it and wondered about her life.

My mother used to talk about her. Born in 1800, she must have had a very interesting life in Cadiz, Spain. According to my mother she was married to a businessman who turned out to be a drunkard and gambler who lost most of his business. My grandmother left Spain for better opportunities in Morocco, taking her two year old daughter (my grandmother) with her, leaving behind the only life she had known. It must have been very challenging.

I realized that I also had led a challenging life. And I have had many triumphs over the years despite troubles and much travel.

John and Janine Winters Hug

After my beloved husband, John Winters, passed away I was faced with new challenges.

I didn’t want others to spread false information about me and my life.

I owed it to myself and to my family to tell the true story and this motivated me to share my journey.

Other important reasons for creating my memoir was to share my life lessons and to encourage others. And in recalling my experiences it helped me to appreciate all that I have been through and to see that there have been many blessings in my life.

Putting in the long hours and hard work to produce a life story is an accomplishment I am proud of. It wasn’t easy. But it was worth it.

If you are someone who is contemplating whether to preserve your life story or not I encourage you to follow your impulse. If I can be of help feel free to contact me and I will pass along any helpful information that I have.