Andrea Buchanan

In 30 amusing and insightful pieces, new mom Buchanan offers a refreshingly down-to-earth look at the birth of a mother.

Tales from the First Year and Beyond -- Loving Every (Other) Minute of It

Mother Shock

Thirty inspiring women share the enduring lessons they have learned from the defining moments of their lives. Life rarely works out exactly as we plan. Rejection by a cherished friend, the onset of an unexpected illness, struggle with body image and self-perception -- these experiences may challenge us, but our triumphs come to define us. We find comfort, joy, tears, and laughter in the wisdom, insight, and empathy we gain. In Note to Self, thirty dynamic women share their inspirational stories with writer, director, and television and film producer Andrea Buchanan. Celebrities such as Grammy Award-winning rock star Sheryl Crow and Emmy Award-winning actress Camryn Manheim join stuntwoman Stacy Courtney, football player Katie Hnida, seventy- year-old HIV-positive grandmother Beverly London, and alcoholic-turned-interventionist Candy Finnigan to reflect on their unforgettable stories of redemption. Punctuated by tears and laughter, these poignant tales are full of incredible strength, invaluable knowledge, insurmountable odds, helpful survival instincts, amazing willpower, humiliation -- sometimes on a national level -- and a hefty dose of humor. These unstoppable women emerged stronger, wiser, and more successful from the often painful and humbling turning points in their lives. While none of their unique stories will fit neatly on a sticky note you can tape to your wall, each of them carries an indelible message that can.

30 Women on Hardship, Humiliation, Heartbreak, and Overcoming It All

Note to Self

Andrea Buchanan lost her mind while crossing the street one day. Suffering from a horrible cough, she inhaled the cold March air, and choked. She was choking on a lot that day. A sick son. A pending divorce. The guilt of failing, as a partner, as a mother. Relieved when the coughing abated, she thought it was over. She could not have been more wrong. When Andrea coughed that day, a small tear was ripped in her dura mater, the membrane that covers the brain and spinal cord. But she didn't know that yet. Instead, she went on with her day, unaware that her cerebrospinal fluid was already beginning to leak out of that tiny tear. What followed was nine months of pain and confusion as her brain-no longer cushioned by a healthy waterbed of fluid-sank to the bottom of her skull. There was brain fog and cognitive impairment to the point where she could not even make sense of the most basic concepts. At a time when she needed to be as clear-thinking as possible, she was trapped by her brain. The mind-brain connection is one of the greatest mysteries of the human condition. In some folklore, the fluid around the brain is where consciousness begins. Here, in the pages of The Beginning of Everything, Andrea seeks to understand- Where was oIo when I wasn't there?

The Year I Lost My Mind and Found Myself The

Beginning of Everything

An award-winning actress. A soldier’s wife. A cancer survivor. A college student. What these women—what all of us—have in common is a need for love: to give it, to receive it, to express its many aspects. Now Andrea Buchanan, who Cosmopolitan called the “girl power guru,” follows her first collection, Note to Self, with a new compilation of thought-provoking, illuminating, often poignant essays on love written by some of America’s most fascinating and vibrant women. Join author and cancer survivor Kelly Corrigan, describing why her most romantic fantasy now involves sitting on the sofa opening the mail; journalist Giselle Fernandez, sharing why, even though the journey can sometimes end painfully, an adventure in love should never be passed up; Afghanistan war widow Marie Tillman on learning to open her heart again after the devastating loss of her husband, Pat; celebrity stylist Tameka Raymond on the challenges of marrying the rap star Usher in the glare of the public eye; and college student Jaclyn Katz on how her “perfect” traditional family fell apart, and her mother’s brother and his partner gave her back the stability that could have been lost forever. These courageous women have portrayed their own innermost emotions and laid bare their own experiences for readers to learn from, laugh at, and lean on.

Andrea Buchanan

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