Tracy Shawn: Floating Underwater

Floating Underwater was inspired by Tracy’s own personal history, past work experience, and sheer imagination. Having suffered through two miscarriages herself, Tracy wanted to write about how a character deals with that particular loss. Motivated from her past work as an intern at a psychiatric center, she also wanted to explore what it’s like for a daughter when her beloved mother has severe schizophrenia. She added in the narrative element of magical realism and otherworldly events because she believes loss and grief can make our day-to-day reality too difficult to bear without the hope that something magical is just beyond this realm. She created these extraordinary experiences for her protagonist, readers, and for herself to help us all feel as if everything in this crazy, upside-down world (and beyond!) will somehow, someday be okay.