Autofiction really is a genre in the world of books today, but many people have never heard of it. I embraced it before I knew what it was!

What the Heck is AutoFiction?

Jane Friedman, an expert in the literary world today, tell us:

“Short for autobiographical fiction, autofiction uses elements of autobiography and fiction to examine decisive aspects of the writer’s life. The writer then melds these realities with fictional plot elements, characters and events in a way that often reads like memoir or autobiography. With the lines of fact and fabrication blurred, readers are engaged in wondering what’s real, what isn’t, and how they can figure out which is which.”

https://janefriedman.com/the-how-when-and-why-of-writing-autofiction

My History with AutoFiction

In 2016, I joined NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) in November because I had a story I had to tell. At the time, I didn’t know the name of the genre—I just knew this was the best way for me to tell this. The subject matter stung: my incest story. Also, add to this formula Trump won the election November 8, and I deeply knew from my injured self he was a perpetrator. That ignited my writing back that month, and I ended up with over 50,000 words by the end of November—the word count goal of every writer in NaNoWriMo.

I couldn’t wait to revise this book and get it out in the world. Feeling that I had a message to share on the travesty and the healing possible, I started the work.

Then a book deal fell into my lap to write the biography of the most famous square dance caller in the world, Marshall Flippo, and I couldn’t let it go. Flippo was in his late 80s and dancers clamored for this book, so away I went down that avenue. My autofiction book got pushed to the background!

Nine Years Later

Nine years later with more intense healing for my incest issues over those years, the Epstein files came front and center. In talking with my therapist, I shared that they were a trigger but not like before. I had moved to action—I wanted to be an advocate for survivors. We brainstormed ideas: a website and the power of it. Then it dawned on me—my book might help someone who survived incest.

So, that’s my next book project even though I just published my second book in a five-book poetry series. I mulled over trying to publish book #3 and the autofiction together. After a conversation with my book coach, Derek Doepker and the group, I realized I have to focus on this book now because of its relevance.

My book is written in two voices: Ellie and Laura. Two women tell their stories back and forth, chapter by chapter. So far, the working title is Eye Witness to Life or Eye Witness to Healing because Ellie, her husband and Laura’s husband all receive healing as they watch Laura go through the grueling discovery and healing of her incest issues.

Excerpt from My Book

So, here’s the first scene from this book:

People call me Ellie—my given name is Ellen Marie.

I have been an eye witness to much in my life—losses that ripped my heart a part. I lost three key people within three years in my teenage years.

 Dad died in a tragic car accident, then my mom drank herself to death after he died. I pride myself that I stood by my mom during her time of need. I was an eye witness to her death, holding her hand as she drew her last breath. Even as a teenager, death didn’t frighten me. It felt like a privilege to stand at her bed. My sister, Susie, and I shared that poignant moment. 

At the same time, my high school sweetheart was killed in a car crash. These losses drove the rest of my life.

The hardest loss of my life happened when I lost a child during a hard pregnancy. I had one child and then had three miscarriages afterwards. I carried the last one for six and a half months and thought my little boy was safe, but not.

Then I stood by while a dear friend took her last breath, dying young at fifty-nine years old of cancer. She had become a surrogate mother for me. The hospice nurse led those of us standing around her bed through the death process, step by step. After that experience, I respected our body’s magnificent system of dying.

Life has been a succession of losses and pain; however, the following scene ripped my heart a part once again and changed my life forever.

© 2026 Horner Publishing Company. All rights reserved. 

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Finally,

I know this is a hard topic but we must be honest about it and share our stories. For too long it has been ignored. Ellie’s friendship plays a big part in the Laura’s subsequent healing and her own. Do you have friends like that? Are you a friend like that?

Futhermore,

I have not finished the website yet, if you are interested, email me at larada@icloud.com and I will let you know when it goes live. It will be a safe place to convene, tell our stories and support each other.

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My Newest Books

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Buy My Audio Books:

This Tumbleweed Landed

Let Me Tell You a Story 

Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming & Humorous Memoir Audiobook

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