Sharon Svitak of Dublin was living the traditional suburban life. She was married with two grown children while living in a modest home. She worked for the city of Pleasanton, as well as a handful of companies throughout the East Bay writing for any needs her corporate employers came up with. Little did she know that through loss, she would find herself becoming a successfully published writer.
Sharon first met Joe in Denver at a dance.
"My girlfriend was supposed to be his date for the evening, but she wanted to pursue someone else," Sharon said.
"She brought me along to run interference. I didn’t know, of course, that was her intention."
Joe and Sharon married in the fall of 1974 and soon after had two children.
During the later years of his life, Joe began to struggle with diabetes, eventually losing his leg to the disease. In November of 2007, Joe was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer. Doctors told Sharon and Joe that he had less than six months left to live.
Joe took the grim news with resolution, telling Sharon that he wanted to enjoy every last moment of his life. They booked a cruise to Puerto Vallarta to celebrate their 34th wedding anniversary. Joe lived another thirteen months before passing away in December of 2008.
Initially, Sharon began writing to sort through her grief and the loss of her soulmate. She soon found herself writing letters to her year-old grandson Ethan about the grandfather he would never know. She wrote of how an everyday man lived with phenomenal ambition, vivaciousness, and perspective.
"Joe was an ordinary man who had an extraordinary impact on those who knew him," said Sharon.
With encouragement from her critique group through the California Writers Club, Tri-Valley Branch, Sharon began researching publishers to put her heartfelt letters into print. Her first publication came when Chicken Soup for the Soul: Grieving and Recovery picked up her submission about the letters she was writing. She titled her submission A Book of Memories.
Soon, she received news from a publisher that they were eagerly waiting for her to complete her collection of letters to put into print. Two years after Joe's passing, Sharon submitted her letters for publication.
Letters to Ethan: Joe's Story was released in January 2011.
The book consists of twelve short letters written with love, admiration, and fond memories of who Joe Svitak was and the life he lived.
Joes' legacy is not only being carried on through Sharon's book but through their two children, John and Carmen. John and his wife now have two sons, including Ethan for whom the letters were originally written. Sharon says John has become as wonderful of a father as Joe was. Carmen, passionate much like Joe, is pursuing music with her husband.
Sharon Svitak is currently toying with writing a fiction novel. She is an active member of the California Writers Club, Tri-Valley Branch and the editor of their monthly newsletter. She can occasionally be found teaching workshops.
Letter's to Ethan: Joe's Story can be ordered through Barnes & Noble, and Amazon offers the Kindle version for digital readers. The book can also be purchased through Towne Center Books or directly from Sharon at at svitak5@comcast.net
You can follow Sharon's writing through her personal blog at SimplySharonComments@blogspot.com or through her book critiques on What is a Body To Read?
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