Maura McGee is a proud mother of six children and has dedicated much of her life to raising them into young adults. Growing up in Bowie, Maryland, close to Washington, DC, she worked on Capitol Hill starting as a high schooler until the birth of her first child. During this time, Maura earned her undergraduate degree from Loyola University in Maryland and her graduate degree from the University of Maryland. She subsequently tutored young students for six years before completely turning her focus to her children and their numerous activities-and, eventually, the care of her husband, Dave. She still resides in Maryland, and in her free time, she enjoys traveling, going to the beach, and spending time with friends and family, while raising and supporting her six beautiful children. She wrote It Is What It Is to process the grief of losing her husband and mother and hopes it will help do the same for others.
Q: What motivated you to tell this story, and why now?
A: I resisted writing my story for a long time while surviving after Dave’s death, even though I had many people ask me to write a book. But it finally hit me that I could help others going through similar pain by sharing our experience. It was the people who had been through it before me who helped me through, and I would be happy to do the same for others. I also realized that by telling our story, I could honor Dave’s suffering while at the same time also help my children understand, remember, and deal with the trauma they experienced at such young ages, which could assist them in continuing to process their own grief.
Q: What was the most challenging part of writing your book?
A: The most challenging part of writing It Is What It Is was reliving the grief over and over as I wrote and processed what we had endured. While living through it, there was no time to think about what was going on, because we were in survival mode. This started with Dave’s bike accident, followed quickly by my mom dying and then Dave’s diagnosis. Writing the book allowed me to take the time to reflect on the past fourteen years. While doing that, I was finally able to process some of my own grief and learn how to start moving forward one step at a time. This was important work for me to do, but it was also incredibly challenging and emotional.
Q: How does your personal or professional background influence your writing?
A: I have been fortunate to have friends and relatives who have written books themselves. This made it a realistic goal once I started to realize I was being led in the direction of writing our story. I read their stories and watched, listened, and talked to these authors without them knowing I was gathering information for myself to possibly write my own book!
Q: Who do you hope this book will resonate with the most?
A: My family. And those who feel like their lives are standing still because they are living through crisis and/or dealing with the loss of someone dear to them while the world goes on around them normally.
Q: What advice would you give to someone thinking about writing a book based on their real-life experiences?
A: Do it! Even if you just write to get things out of your head and clear your mind, I encourage you to write. When I started writing, it was more like journaling when life was too much to deal with. It helped to process the pain, uncertainty, and fear while Dave was sick. After he died, I would write to him, which kept him close and allowed me share things that I would only want to share with him. I realized that it was others who had gone through it before me who were the ones who pulled me along, and that now I could help do that for someone else by sharing my story. You never know when your words or experience could be the lifeline someone else needs to hold on to.
Q: What’s one thing readers might be surprised to learn about your journey, whether in life or in writing?
A: I didn’t tell anyone at all that I was writing a book until it was done! I wasn’t sure I would be able to follow through and complete it. And because the content is so emotional, I wanted to have a grasp on what I was going to include and how I wanted to tell the story before I shared it with others. I wanted my kids and my sister to be the first to know, and I just wasn’t ready to share it with them until it was a final product.
Q: Do you have a writing routine or ritual that helps keep you focused?
A: I would write after I got all the kids off to school in the morning, and sometimes late at night after they were all in bed. I would usually turn on instrumental music (piano or Christian music), which helped block out other background noise and helped me concentrate. I would write for a while and then walk; I kept going back and forth between the two. I also prayed often for the inspiration to share what I needed to so that it might help ease even a little ounce of pain for someone who reads it.
Q: Is there a particular quote, motto, or piece of wisdom that guided you through the writing process?
A: I truly felt called to this. I prayed about it often. Multiple people had encouraged me throughout the years to write. Although I resisted for a long time, their encouragement helped inspire me to do it and guided me along the way. I thought of their words often when it became emotional and I wanted to quit. And I would repeat the prayer, “Jesus, I trust in you to help me find the strength to continue writing.”
Additionally, the intimate sharing of hearts that happened with friends as they were close to death provided more wisdom than I ever thought I would be given! Then, talking with their families before and after they died strengthened my perseverance.
Q: Are you working on another book or project you’d like to share?
A: Not at the moment, but the idea of writing another book doesn’t seem as daunting now that I have finished this one.
Q: What are five books that have had a lasting impact on you?
Learn more about Maura McGee and her upcoming book, It Is What It Is, at https://www.ballastbooks.com/ballast-bookstore/it-is-what-it-is.