Originally posted on November 11, 2011
In her book Beloved, Toni Morrison explores the concept of maternal love…what it means to a woman, how it changes her, how it shapes her. She delves into the idea that motherhood can be “overwhelming” and consuming.
Now please don’t ever think I would put my writing up there against the likes of Toni Morrison. I worship the woman and know her writing is on a much higher level than mine. However, a few years ago, I decided that I too wanted to explore the idea of motherhood, and I asked myself, “What would a mother do if…?” “What if” questions are the best kind to ask myself before I start writing, because they drive me to write until I find an answer.
That’s where Worst Mother comes in (just released for Kindle this week). Worst Mother explores the life of a mother and the love she has for her children. Randi Miller is a single mom who doesn’t bring a lot of money home. She goes to college, trying to better herself. And the man she cares about is unwilling to commit. So she spends her life living paycheck to paycheck, being the best mother she can, but she imagines she’s the worst mother on the planet.
I must admit that I’m curious to find out what some of my faithful readers think, because Worst Mother is (in my opinion) quite a departure for me compared to my other books. I’m proud of it, but it’s one I picked and picked at for years, and it was time to let it go…kind of like a mother releasing her child in to the world.
If you’ve read the book, please leave a comment and let me know what you thought (good or bad). I don’t know that I have any other books like it in me, but it’s nice to know what faithful readers think. It lets me know how to write for you!
UPDATE 3/14/24:
Dear reader–the book formerly known as Worst Mother has been republished twice–once as Laid Bare and, most recently, rewritten and republished as Love and Sorrow. I am so proud of that book–its themes and messages, and, if you love contemporary romance, I’d recommend it. But I’m the author. Here’s what Elizabeth, The Marginatrix, said on Goodreads:
Not every story from Ms. Jamison makes me cry, but this one did…
There’s been something bothering my preteen daughter for a while now, something I can’t figure out, hard as I try. She won’t talk about it. In fact, she isolates herself more and more, and I don’t know how to coax her back out of her shell.
Is this normal? I don’t remember being this way as at her age.
It makes me question everything. Is it because of me and my train wreck of a life?
Does it maybe have something to do with Justin, the bad boy I say I don’t love but the man I burn for? The man who seems to care but won’t commit?
As my daughter becomes more withdrawn, doubts swirl in my head and I question everything, even pushing Justin away.
When I discover the cause of my daughter’s problems, I have no clue how to heal my family. I’ve got to figure out a way to repair the damage, with or without the man I’ve grown to love…
Leave a Reply