Our town’s weekly newspaper, The Ark, ran a wonderful, in-depth profile of yours truly—front page! above the fold!—written by Emily Lavin with a terrific photo by Clara Lu. Titled “Tiburon resident’s novel explores complexity of adoption, motherhood,” the piece recaps my writing journey from Mamalita to Mother Mother. I’m so grateful to The Ark for its support of local authors and artists!

A few quotes:

“O’Dwyer, a New Jersey native who has built a career in the publishing and public relations field, said once she got over the initial shock of being told she wouldn’t be able to conceive children, her mind immediately pivoted to adoption. ‘There was definitely mourning and sadness. It was a loss of a future that I always assumed would be mine to have. I think most people who think about procreating or having children have this idea of passing on your history, and all of that was taken away. But once I accepted that, it was no turning back for me.’”

“She was browsing a Guatemalan adoption website when she saw a photo of a 2-month-old girl and knew immediately the child was meant to be her daughter. ‘It was really one of those magical moments that’s hard to describe to other people who are not adoptive parents,’ O’Dwyer says of the instant connection she felt. She and [husband] Tim initiated the adoption process with a Los Angeles-based agency. She notes they expected it to be fairly straightforward. ‘Once we started, we saw how naïve we were,’ she says.”

“Her primary goal with the novel, she says, was to tell a story that keeps readers hooked until the final page. However, she says, she also hopes readers connect with the novel on another level. She notes many books and movies tend to use adoption simply as a plot device but don’t take time to explore the range of challenges and emotions that come along with it. ‘What I hope people take away is a deeper understanding of the complexity of what adoption is and what adoption means to the people involved,’ she says.

“She says she believes the book will resonate with a wide audience, noting many families are touched by adoption in some way. Some of the core question of identity that are at the heart of adoption are actually universal issues, O’Dwyer notes. ‘This is really a compelling story, and it’s the frame for an exploration of family and identity and love and choices.’ O’Dwyer says she has no immediate plans to write another book, though she hasn’t ruled it out—particularly as she keeps sharing her own family’s story and continues to hear the stories of others. ‘I thought I had said everything I wanted to say in this book, but now I’m not so sure. I keep trying to back way from the subject, but it keeps finding me.’”