Submitted Photos
Marco Island resident, Mershon Niesner, published her first full-length book on her 75 birthday. She explains, “3 years ago I met long time Marco resident, Virginia Read, who challenged me to write a book and join Marco Island Writers. As a retired marketing/communications entrepreneur who had previously written a book of affirmations, I wasn’t new to writing, but I had not considered writing a full-length book.”
Read (94) was convincing and Niesner spent the next 3 years immersed in researching, writing, and publishing a book.
Coming from a legacy of loss, Niesner was 8 when her mother died, her mother’s mother died when her mother was 3, Niesner initially wrote about her own life. She later felt that her early loss experience wasn’t inclusive enough, so she interviewed over 50 daughters to give readers a broader perspective. Her book features stories and advice from early loss daughters, like herself, plus daughters who lost their mothers as teens and young adults, by abandonment, homicide, and Alzheimer’s disease.
Through her research, Niesner discovered ten steps that seemed to apply to many mother loss experiences. “Mom’s Gone, Now What? Ten Steps To Help Daughters Move Forward After Mother Loss” is the result. In addition, at the end of each step, Niesner shares her experience as a Life Coach (she writes the “Ask the Life Coach” column for the Coastal Breeze News) and includes coaching questions to help daughters move forward after loss.
Niesner sums up by saying, “I wrote this book because I truly care about daughters of loss and wanted to share my years of experience with them. I hope readers come away with a sense of camaraderie, insight into how to move forward, and compassion for the experiences of others.” She also mused, “I guess you’re never too old to reinvent yourself.”
Leave a Reply