Author of the Month, August: Corine Toren
We are pleased to announce Corine Toren as Author of the Month!
Corine’s passion for writing and the need to tell a true story led her to write her first nonfiction book called “Dear Mom & Dad, I Have Anxiety”. Corine talks about what inspired her to write this true story.
Why I Became a Writer by Corine Toren
I used to read a lot as a child. I loved reading the Harry Potter books when I was in 2nd and 3rd grade. After reading the books, I decided that I also wanted to become a storyteller. I loved making up short stories, and I even tried to write a couple plays. I liked to be able to use writing to entertain my readers. After graduating college, I became a writer because that was always my dream profession. Even though I loved creating my own stories, I also felt like I had a true story that I wanted to tell, which is why my first book is actually a nonfiction. Writing is the best way that I know how to express myself. I wanted my writing to also encourage others to be comfortable enough to share their own stories.
So many children today, and even teens and adults struggle with anxiety.
A lot of people are too ashamed or afraid to talk about what they are going through. They hide behind all of the emotions and fears. As a result, all of the anxiety gets bottled up inside them until it all explodes. To prevent that explosion, it is important for people, especially children, to talk about their feelings and acknowledge their anxieties. Anxiety is real, and it is very powerful. A lot of people do not understand how potent anxiety is, and how difficult it is for people that struggle with anxiety to live with it. “Dear Mom & Dad, I Have Anxiety” is a book that gives people a glimpse of what goes on in an anxious person’s mind. The book was primarily written for parents, in the hopes of helping parents understand their children who struggle with anxiety. What truly makes this book a unique parenting book is that it was written from a child’s point of view to help parents learn more about how to be there for their children. The author uses personal experiences to illustrate anxiety’s effect on children’s daily lives really. In addition to the personal narrative, the author also gives advice and suggestions for parents about how they can support their children through such difficult times. The author emphasizes support as a key factor in helping a child overcome anxiety. Sometimes parents may not understand how much anxiety affects their children. Therefore, it is even more important for parents to support their children, and help them see that it is perfectly fine and safe to talk about their struggles with anxiety.
Corine graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a major in Global Studies. However, Corine was always passionate about writing and intends to pursue writing as a future career. Since she was 9-years-old, Corine has been interested in writing and publishing books. She is so grateful that she has finally been able to accomplish one of her goals at a young age. Corine wrote “Dear Mom & Dad, I Have Anxiety” with the intention of helping other people and families who struggle with anxiety. Kids are often misunderstood, but Corine attempts to give children and anyone that struggles with anxiety, a voice through her writing. Mental health is so important. Many people forget about mental health as an issue and are quick to dismiss it. Writing this book enabled Corine to expose anxiety as a force of destruction to mental health. She hopes her book will inspire others to speak up about their anxiety, and support each other through difficult times. Corine is eager to ignite her writing career. She hopes to continue writing books, screenplays, and maybe even a musical one day! Besides writing, Corine also enjoys baking, traveling, hot yoga, and learning foreign languages.