Blog Archives - Page 6 of 76 - Alison Garwood-Jones Alison Garwood-Jones

“I Miss My Mommy” on TVO’s The Agenda

May 10, 2024

When Carla Lucchetta and the crew from The Agenda with Steve Paikin left my home, after an afternoon talking about grief and deceased parents, I felt relaxed and spent in the best possible way. Meaningful conversations will do that to you. Seek them out and be emotionally brave.

PS: I found it appropriate and hilarious that a scrunched up Kleenex ball made it into one of the opening shots. That’s so me. My apartment sometimes looks like a Jiffy Pop pan.
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If you’re struggling with loss, I hope my book, I MISS MY MOMMY, helps you find a way to sit with emotions you’ve been avoiding, but can’t stop feeling.

Present the book to a friend who misses their mom on Mother’s Day, or someone who is still trying to make sense of their relationship with a parent.

I MISS MY MOMMY is now available for pre-order at PenJarProductions.com. As a thank you to those who place a Pre- Order, I will email you a FREE chapter.

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Male Friendships and Grief

May 9, 2024

I’m at the start of a book tour for my graphic novel, I Miss my Mommy, and I’ve been glad to see as many men as women reaching out to me to share why my this picture book for orphaned adults resonates with them.

“Need this,” wrote one guy on Instagram. “Love the idea of this book,” said another, also on Instagram. I’m telling you where they posted their comments because it shows a lack of inhibition about sharing their feelings with the world at large. Can you see a man in the 1950s publicly admitting to missing his mommy?

A third fella ordered three copies of my book and then emailed me to say he was saving one for himself and giving the others to “two very close friends who have both lost their mothers, one very recently. The idea really resonated with me as a gift for each of them.”

If you look for change, you’ll find it. It’s happening everywhere, despite what some corners of the internet would have us believe.

Remember, it’s in the moments of greatest change that we experience the strongest pushback. So be strong and audacious, one and all, and lead with hope, kindness and empathy.
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Today’s featured drawing is from page 161 of the chapter “The Survivors” (p. 161) from my new graphic novel, I Miss My Mommy: 150 Portraits of Orphaned Adults.

I created the animation of the golfers in PhotoShop, then added the other elements, like the bouncing golf ball, in Adobe Express.

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I Miss My Mommy is the perfect gift for someone you know who’s missing their mum on Mother’s Day.

Go to PenJarProductions.com.

Printed and shipped with care by @luludotcom 📚✨

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Cover Blurbs for “I Miss My Mommy”

May 9, 2024

This is my time to say thank you to the folks who read the advance reader copy of I MISS MY MOMMY, my new picture book for big people without parents.

Cover Blurbs for the book, I Miss My Mommy by Alison Garwood-Jones

• JOSHUA BLACK, PhD, is a Vancouver-based bereavement researcher and the host of the “Grief Dreams” podcast – @griefdreams. Do you dream about a person or a pet you have lost? Joshua has made grief dreams the focus of his research, and has found that dreams can continue the bond and awaken insights about your most important relationships.

• ANN DOUGLAS (@annmdouglas) is an international best-selling author of parenting books. For her latest book, Navigating the Messy Middle, Ann shifted her focus from kids to adults and, specifically, the experiences of middle-aged women. See how she tackles what’s going on at this stage of life. Like me, I think you’ll find that recognition is the best antidote for grief.

• ANNE BOKMA (@annebokma) is the author of the gutsy memoir, My Year of Living Spiritually, a story of her coming to terms with her ultra-religious upbringing, and the illuminating insights she gathered about herself and her dreams that could have only happened in the second half of her life. Anne’s spiritual quest is a good companion for people moving through grief.
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I MISS MY MOMMY is my new picture book for adults who are struggling after losing both parents. My hope is that it helps you find a way to sit with emotions you’ve been avoiding, but can’t stop feeling.

Present the book to a friend who misses their mom on Mother’s Day, or someone who is still trying to make sense of their relationship with a parent.

I MISS MY MOMMY is available for pre-order at PenJarProductions.com. As a thank you to those who place a Pre-Order, I will be emailing you a FREE chapter!

Alison xo

PS: Every book spine needs an Easter Egg. Mine was a tiny box of Kleenex. I hope it inspires readers to pull it off the shelf.

The Easter Egg on the spine of graphic novel, I Miss My Mommy

Printed and shipped with care by @luludotcom

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A Visit from “The Agenda’s” TV Crew

May 9, 2024

TV shoot for the book, I Miss My Mommy, with The Agenda

Last week, a team from the current affairs program, The Agenda with Steve Paikin joined me in my studio for a heart to heart discussion on the topic of orphaned adult grief, and my new book, I Miss My Mommy.

I couldn’t have asked for a better conversation partner than producer Carla Lucchetta.

Carla didn’t adopt the usual objective stance of a television interviewer. She made the courageous decision to get personal, sharing her own life experiences with parental and sibling loss.

We both agreed that we live in a world that insists that we move on from grieving sooner than later. However, our reaction to big losses doesn’t work that way. “I’ve been looking for validation for needing to process grief, and I found it in your book,” Carla said.

A final shout out to the artistic direction of the cameramen, Cabot and Dave. Their attention to lighting and getting the best angles for their shots created an easy-going and supportive atmosphere.

I’m glad I set up a craft services spread in the kitchen because the shoot was four hours long. We all dug into the turkey sliders in between scenes.

Craft Services - TV shoot for the book, I Miss My Mommy, with The Agenda

The I Miss My Mommy segment for TVO’s The Agenda will air shortly after 8:00 pm on Thursday, May 9, just in time for Mother’s Day.

The interview will also be streaming on YouTube and X. Links to follow!

My picture book, I MISS MY MOMMY, is available for pre-sale at Pen Jar Productions – link in bio

Printed and shipped with care by Lulu.com

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My Big Media Interview With Rupert (the golden retriever)

April 28, 2024

The book tour continues …

In my proudest earned media moment to date, yesterday I snagged an interview with Rupert, the white golden retriever.

It got real when Rupert asked me, Why do humans sometimes prioritize books over dogs? Followed by, What does my book offer grieving people that a dog can’t?

I think I recovered … you be the judge.

I Miss My Mommy: 150 Portraits of Orphaned Adults is a new graphic novel about parental grief. It’s The World’s First Picture Book for Big People Without Parents.

If you know an orphaned adult who finds Mother’s Day extra hard, I’m hoping the drawings and stories in this book will help.

You can pre-order your copy at PenJarProductions.com

Alison

Disclaimer: I used the AI app My Talking Pet in the making of this video. I just lowered the pitch and speed on my own voice to give Rupert the dopey voice I’m sure he must have.

Printed and shipped with care by Lulu.com

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Doing Media Interviews

April 28, 2024

What if I forget what my book is about? hashtagRecipeCards hashtagTape hashtagBackstage hashtagBookTour hashtagEarnedMedia

I didn’t.

Thank you Sarah McDonald of the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies CuriousU blog, for your thoughtful and courageous questions about the grieving cast of characters in my new graphic novel, I Miss My Mommy.

We both agreed that grief is our least favourite emotion.

I Miss My Mommy: 150 Portraits of Orphaned Adults is the perfect book for anyone who feels like Mother’s Day has become Remembrance Day. 💐 ⚰️

Available at PenJarProductions.com

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Don’t You Love End Papers?

April 28, 2024

This is the advance reader copy of my new graphic novel that I’m sending out to the media.

You can see that it’s got little tags in it where my copy editor Pamela and I have spotted a few tiny bloopers that need correcting before I create the final.

But I want to show you the pièce de résistance which is those end papers.

At some point you realize that everyone in your photos is no longer here.

My thanks to Pamela Capraru, the only person I considered to copy edit this book. Thank you, P@amela!

I Miss My Mommy is the world’s 1st picture book for orphaned adults.

It’s the perfect gift for someone who’ll be missing their mum on Mother’s Day.

Available at PenJarProductions.com

Printed and shipped with care by Lulu Press, Inc. (Thanks guys).

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The Power of Daily Journaling & Doodling

April 28, 2024

The power of journalling and doodling by Alison Garwood-Jones

FROM SLUDGE TO SHAZAM ⚡️- A day without journaling is like a day without exercise. I write to break through the morning sludge.

Journaling uncovers the ideas you didn’t know were hiding beneath your moaning, groaning, and scrolling.

Becoming a writer with a unique voice, an open heart, and a distinct point of view is a decades-long quest. I’m still on it. And I won’t get there if I don’t face the page and dump out my petty grievances first.

Profundity, gratitude, and grace are always hiding below that crusty layer. Breaking through it is like discovering warm honey under a layer of wax. Doing it increases your positivity and makes you better equiped to handle the rest of your day.

If you didn’t start your morning with journaling, there’s still time. Add drawings too.

Epilogue: My “Sludge to Shazam” moment yesterday unearthed, what I thought, was a meaningful way to describe our universal search for motherly love: Are You My Mother? ➡️ I Miss My Mommy 📚 – my new graphic novel (link in bio).

I Miss My Mommy is my new picture book for big people without parents … because sometimes we need images to explain the language of loss.

The perfect gift for someone who is missing (or wrestling with) their deceased mum on Mother’s Day.

Available at penjarproductions.com.

Printed and shipped with care by Lulu Press, Inc.

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Are You My Mother & I Miss My Mommy: Two Books About a Search

April 28, 2024

Remember when we were toddlers and we got scared every time our mothers left the room, went to the grocery store, headed to the office, or just left the nest?

As orphaned adults, we’re back to square one, searching for our mothers and fathers through faded memories and old photographs.

And what’s this? A whole NEW set of uncomfortable and unwelcome questions centered around our very identity.

Buckle up and hold hands with someone you love ‘cause it’s a bumpy ride.

I Miss My Mommy is my new picture book for big people without parents.

… Because sometimes we need images to explain the language of loss.

The perfect gift for someone who is missing (or wrestling with) their deceased mum on Mother’s Day.

Available at penjarproductions.com.

Printed and shipped with care by Lulu Press, Inc.

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Bookmarks for Orphaned Adults

April 28, 2024

To all the people in Canada and the US who have already pre-ordered my new graphic novel, I Miss My Mommy: 150 Portraits of Orphaned Adults, Thank You!

This custom bookmark and card will be arriving in your post box later this week.

"I Miss My Mommy" bookmarks for Orphaned Adults by Alison Garwood-Jones

I Miss My Mommy is the world’s first picture book for big people without parents.

It’s a love letter to orphaned adults (my people) who find calendar holidays, like Mother’s Day, especially hard.

Tell me if you agree: after you lose a parent, first you grieve that they’re gone and never coming back. Then you grieve how they affected you. I took the five stages of grief and turned them into a cast of 150 hand drawn characters, some grim, some funny, but all relatable.

I call it getting graphic about grief.

"I Miss My Mommy" bookmarks for Orphaned Adults by Alison Garwood-Jones