A Tale of Two Titties

A Tale of Two Titties

In the upcoming memoir A Tale of Two Titties, NSW hairdresser and mum Tanya Curran Brown shares her personal story battling a highly aggressive form of breast cancer, which ultimately resulted in her making the brave choice to undergo a double mastectomy.

But this isn't your average book. Armed with a good dose of humour, Tanya shares her experience with a gutsy in-your-face account of her breast cancer journey and its impact on herself and her family, hoping that by shining a humorous light on this serious disease it will be of help to other women needing a hand to hold as they fight their own cancer battle.

A Tale of Two Titties is an engaging, funny and emotional read that aims to put a smile on the face of readers.

Tanya Brown is a master hairdresser who runs her own salon and has trained many apprentices who now have their own salons throughout the east coast of New South Wales. Husbands? Two, give or take the odd defacto. This girl has listened to many a tale in the hairdressing chair. She is a breast cancer survivor and shares her experiences with those who need a hand to hold as they undertake the same journey. Tanya is based in Wollongong, NSW.

A Tale of Two Titties
Love & Write Publishing
Author: Tanya Brown
ISBN: 9780992307004
RRP: $24.99

 

Interview with Tanya Curran Brown

Question: What inspired you to write A Tale of Two Titties?

Tanya Curran Brown: My inspiration to write A Tale of two Titties originated from a self help diary, one that the Breast Cancer Foundation had circulating for people who had been diagnosed with cancer. The idea was that if you could enter your thoughts on a daily bases you may start to heal mentally and get your head around it. So after a week or so i thought 'bugger this! I will write a book. It may also have been fuelled by the fact that as a teenager I told my older sister Carolyne that one day I would write a book on my life stories,. But you're insignificant! She said. There would be nothing interesting to write about.. My life must have appeared a little less exciting to my big sister.


Question: Was it difficult to relive certain memories when writing A Tale of Two Titties?

Tanya Curran Brown: When I wrote Tales I wanted the reader to understand the adult me in the book and how I ticked. Now to do that they would have to know the child so I reflected into the past at different intervals in my manuscript. For me, doing that was harder than writing about my cancer experience. I would listen to the songs of the era that I wanted to write about. That's the trick; my music could transport me back in time and let me experience all the old memories with clarity. Cry? Yes sometimes bitter sweet Just knowing that I would never have that time back again or some of the people in it. But when I wrote about my cancer and the time I spent fighting that alien that took up residence in my boob, not to mention tried to rip my child off her mum, I felt more anger. Only some memories were difficult to put on paper and some were downright funny.

Question: Why was it important to have a "good dose of humour" in this memoir?

Tanya Curran Brown: I didn't set out to have a good dose of humour when I wrote Tales. I put myself on those pages, stamping my personality all through it, after all I was writing 'about me 'and I do have an odd ball humour, no sense in white washing myself! Also, it's how I dealt with the whole experience. It's survival with a Tanya edge to it. People struggling with any illness reading this book can get a laugh. Yeah! That's probably why! I like people laughing.


Question: What do you hope readers take from A Tale of Two Titties?

Tanya Curran Brown: I hope the teenager reading my book relates to the puberty blues years of my youth and understand that the girls do become woman and need to know their boobs and know then well. I want the breast cancer sufferers to know you can and do get your life back after the hard yards and for some, a better set of titties! Mine are silicone. Oh... That silver lining.


Question: What advice do you have for someone who has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer?

Tanya Curran Brown: My advice for woman and men who have been diagnosed with breast cancer (yes! Men can get it as well! Check it out on Google for yourself. Anyway, my advice to anyone is to remember that your body's survival instinct is so strong you will amaze yourself constantly through your journey. Rely on friends and family they will come out of the wood work for you. If you don't have people around you then look no further the Cancer Counsel has caring people that will hold your hand the whole way. Be kind to yourself and read as much as you can on your individual cancer because understanding exactly what is going on will help with your anxiety and fear. Last but not least get yourself to the chemist and purchase a bottle of Biotene mouth wash, its works like a charm for the mouth ulcers you will get if you were to have the chemo.


Interview by Brooke Hunter