ABOUT THE BOOK HOLDING ON LOOSELY
Helicopter parents. Control freaks. Perfectionists. Intolerants. Over-consumers. Social media junkies. We all fit in there somewhere. Read one woman’s stories of clinging, turning loose, and becoming free.
We are overly busy helicopter parents, control freaks, perfectionists, intolerants, over-consumers and social media junkies–who worry, fear, laugh less, and always want more. In the midst of it, we wonder what it would feel like to open our hands and turn loose of all of it.
In HOLDING ON LOOSELY: Opening My Hands, Lightening My Load, and Seeing Something Else, author Dana Knox Wright tells stories of one who is hardwired to cling. To her children when they asked for a blessing to go. To someone else’s ideas, when she didn’t trust her own. She held on to prejudice when she would tell you she didn’t. She shut down for days while clinging to fear. She clung to youthfulness as if what would come next couldn’t be her life’s cherry on top.
In a particular season of her life, she recognized her bent to possess, to keep, to hold tightly, and to control was completely contrary to Jesus’ example. This is one woman’s history of holding on and her stories of turning loose–stories of the gentle and firm, humorous and heartbreaking ways God led her to turn loose. It is living minimally from the inside out.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
AUTHOR INTERVIEW WITH DANA KNOX WRIGHT
Did you first experience rejections when submitting this manuscript for publication?
Yes. Too many to count. Of the ones who wanted to take a closer look, they were most often reluctant because of my social media platform. It is of utmost importance when writing nonfiction.
Are you a full-time or part-time writer? How does that affect your writing?
Full-time now. It has made me a better writer simply because I am writing so much.
What are some day jobs that you have held? Have any of them impacted your writing?
The bulk of my early career was spent in radio, doing voiceover and copywriting. The copywriting helped me learn to be concise and to the point (which is hard for me since I’m Texan and I just have a lot of words!) and doing voiceover helped me to think about tone–even more important in writing than in speaking, I think.
How has your formal education influenced or impacted your writing?
As a 21-year-old journalism/PR student at the University of Texas, a creative writing professor critiqued a piece I wrote in front of the entire class. He said my writing style in the piece I’d submitted for publication reminded him of John Steinbeck. He saw the writer in me and I’ve never forgotten it.
What do you like to read in your free time?
Memoir and Historical Fiction.
Do you have any writing pet peeves?
Books with too many characters. I find myself constantly trying to keep them all organized in my mind. It feels a bit like work.
Do you have any strange writing habits or rituals you’d like to share?
I cannot write in a messy room. Everything needs to be tidy, and then I’m good to go.
Is there a person you credit for being your inspiration for ready/writing?
For reading, it’s my mother. For writing, Mr. Waller, my high school English/lit teacher.
What is something interesting, fun, or funny that most people don’t know about you?
I’ve never had a sense of smell for my entire life. And I have an incredible knack for seeing resemblances between dogs and humans. For instance, my son’s dog named Turkey bears a striking resemblance to Robert Duvall–through the eyes. And my Mastiff named Pearl looks so much like an electrician we recently used.
What is your favorite quote?
This is ONE of my favorites: “That’s the big question, the one the world throws at you every morning. ‘Here you are, alive. Would you like to make a comment?’” -Mary Oliver
What is something you want to accomplish before you die?
To hike the 132-mile John Muir Way through Scotland. My son corrected me to say it’s in California. (insert eye roll here). Actually, the John Muir Trail is in Cali, while the John Muir Way is in his native Scotland. My son stands corrected!
What do you want your tombstone to say?
She keeps going. This is not the end of her story.
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