Based on a true story, Four in the Morning is a story of love, tragedy, forgiveness and redemption. It is a powerful personal documentation of unshared truths, dedicated to a family whose lives were left shattered in the aftermath of events that will never be fully understood.
· The story started as a series of diary entries which were written as I was trying to heal from my life experiences.
· Due to the nature of the story, I decided not to write this as a memoir, but rather to write it as fiction.
· I experienced many turbulent emotions during the writing of this story, but it has been a very healing process for me.
· This story was originally posted in a group as a chapter by chapter serial. Followers commented and I was able to answer questions as they were posed. This was beneficial to the writing of the story. If a writer is unsure of how their story will be received by the public, this is a great way to go.
· Four in the Morning was originally published to Amazon in July 2015. It is only recently that I decided to print and launch the book. There has been quite a bit of editing done since the original story was published.
· This is a story about real life and highlights the reality that relationships are messy.
· I was worried about being judged when I published the book, but I have nothing to hide and there are many people who have, or are, experiencing similar events to those in the book. We cannot escape death.
· The response to the book has been astonishing. Unexpectedly, much of the feedback about the story has been from men and much of this has been in a positive vein, expressing thanks for helping them to heal.
· I was asked by a family member not to launch the book, but with all the positive feedback and encouragement I have received, I decided to go ahead.
· From this has come new possibilities! I have been approached by many people asking me to write their stories for them – known as ghost-writing. A new career is blossoming from this book and for that I am very grateful.
· I interview the person for whom I am going to write, get all the details and this can be very emotional – and not only for the person who is telling me their story. However, I like writing ‘to hell and back’ stories – stories of things few have experienced. Objectivity comes when I am putting the story onto paper.
· I can only write one story at a time – I don’t want to confuse stories!
· If you know you have a story in you, you have no excuse. There are plenty of tools available to you including using a ghost-writer.
Philippa Mitchell is a lovely lady who has experienced hardship. However, as she says ‘I have nothing to hide and if you can heal through my story, I will be happy’.
A delightful and entertaining launch filled with emotion yet finished with joy!