Fearless at 80 and Beyond by Anne Fowler

FEARLESS FRIDAY

Anne, it's great to have you back for Fearless Friday on Discover... I'm so excited to hear you've published another book. Readers, Anne is a fearless lady whose life has had many twists and turns. And now she's fearlessly published book two based on other seniors' experiences. Tell us about The Truths We've Carried, Anne.

At age 80, after publishing my memoir I've Worn Many Hats, I never planned to write another book. However, a project came about when I was inspired by conversations with other seniors who expressed a desire to “someday” write about THEIR personal life experiences.

Utilizing Facebook, I posted a challenge to fellow octogenarians inviting them to share their memories. It was a post seen not only by women with a story to tell, but by the younger relatives and friends of ladies who are “less computer/social media active.” This call for action resulted in “Grandma/Mom/Auntie, you MUST share your story!” I’ll admit I was totally surprised not only by the number of responses but by the level of interest their stories were sure to evoke. 

To be honest, I had been expecting a bunch of "old lady tales" no one would want to read. Wrong! The Truths We've Carried is a collection of true, mesmerizing stories recounted by the women who "lived" the events. Expect the unexpected; it won't read as you thought! The diversity of subject matter is really quite extraordinary. 

Entries came from several different countries: Canada, US, England, Germany, Honduras, Australia. How did I receive the stories? My first contact was usually with a younger family member “checking me out” to ensure I wasn’t some wacko trying to scam their mom or grandma! Once my credibility was established, I obtained the stories in two ways. 

One, the contributor emailed me along with a draft of her story. We would go back and forth from there. Another was via Face time/messenger where I’d have live conversations with the prospective writer. She would tell me her story verbally while I took notes. These meetings were set up and attended by a family member with a computer who would handle the "technical" aspects of the job as the ladies and I talked. Several written drafts were then exchanged via email until both of us were satisfied with the result. This was the way I received probably 75% of the stories…talking face to face. Quite interesting as it was a more personal experience for both of us. One of the things I discovered during all these conversations is that it seems most seniors are quite protective of their privacy and only when I assured them that they could use a pseudonym were they comfortable with the process. And I'm referring to the women who were not hiding anything! When you read the book, you will definitely be able to identify the ones who had good reason NOT to give their real name! 

The diversity of subject matter is really quite extraordinary. To give you a taste of the content, here are some examples: escape from Dachau, lunch with Elvis, I climbed Mt. Everest, a clandestine romance, our plane was hijacked, and the other 54 stories are just as varied in topic.

This has been quite the journey both for me and the women involved. Next to my work in Honduras, it has been the most rewarding thing I've ever accomplished. I am truly grateful to the ladies who trusted me and shared the surprising, sometimes shocking, events drawn from their years of life experience. 

Click HERE for The Truths We've Carried

BIO
I am a retired Canadian who grew up in Toronto and for more than 30 years my career was focused on Human Resources. In 2000, I closed my company and “retired” to pursue philanthropic projects in Honduras, a country where I now spend six months of each year. Please visit my website to view the community programs that I initiated. You will see that I am a VERY active senior! http://anne.honduranhope.net