The story is just a small glimpse into Anne and Daisy's life as their relationship does a 180 degree backflip - a twist neither of them are particularly prepared for. It asks, how is being a mother or a daughter an ever-evolving relationship and a lifetime of commitments?

What Inspired Pushing Out Daisy?

The character of Daisy was greatly inspired by my grandmother. She passed away several years ago after enduring two years of brain and liver cancer. Obviously she struggled with the pain, but even more so, she struggled with how it forced her to slow down. She was a busy, and incredibly independent woman! She traveled extensively, captained her own boat, keep a chainsaw in her car in case she had to clear fallen trees out of her driveway (very practical since she lived in the woods) -- and I looked up to her immensely for her energy and passion for life and storytelling.

Writing is always a cathartic experience for me. Since I wasn’t with her in her final years (I was traveling – something she would have much preferred I did than be with her at her worst), this is as much an ode to her as it is a poetic farewell.  

Why now?

People are born into this world needing help to survive, and they get it! But as people start to age and decline what do we do? We don’t talk about how one cares for a terminally ill family member, until something terrible happens. The worst is when those who become sick are typically the ones we've turned to for advice our entire lives, who've taught how to ride a bike or drive a car, how to maneuver relationships and bank accounts. How can they continue to guide if they don't even know what's in store?

Culturally, we talk lots about death, but not what comes right before or right after. Things inevitably change, and sometimes for the worse. Shouldn't we be better prepared to handle the unexpected with grace? The future doesn't have to be filled with fear or worse, resentment. Support for the grief, paperwork and other details we don't seem to talk about should be easier to access. Surely, the more stories we share the easier it will be to find those resources.

Young Alison at the helm with her grandmother... Onward!