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I am dedicated to authentically creating and supporting my community through sharing what I have learned about recovery from mental health and addiction. My dream is to focus solely on writing books about all the different things I have learned in the last twenty years of my life and advocating for change and support for parents in recovery.
The secret hope I have in sharing my story and lessons learned is that it will inspire others to have the courage to make the necessary changes in their own world, to create a positive impact in the world of their families and communities. To stop listening to all the voices that say you can't and listen to the One that says, “Yes, you can.”
I must admit, I love writing. The thing I love the very most about writing is when I get absolutely lost in it, losing all sense of time and place, and am left in awe of what is revealed to me. It is the closest I ever feel to being completely and totally present while at the same time, being lost in the magic and mystery of all that is God, Spirit, and One. I guess that is because I write from my heart, where the deepest and truest parts of me exist.
On Writing
Writing, like recovery, is a process. To me, writing is a critical part of my recovery and my ability to maintain my mental health. Writing grounds me and helps me feel like the best version of myself. It reminds me who I am and who I strive to be. I believe writing leads me to the purpose and plan for my life. I write to understand myself, with my reader on my mind and in my heart.
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The Book of Tears was written to a mother in recovery who feels alone, misunderstood, and a little lost. She’s trying to do the right thing but doesn’t even know what the right thing is anymore. Nothing makes sense. Her life is confusing. How did it become such a mess? Where should she start to rebuild? What I’ve learned is that the place to start to rebuild is in self-reflection. To first look back, before continuing to blindly push forward in the same direction.
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Writing allows me to self-reflect, see where I’ve been and decide which way is the best way to go. Writing allows me to see myself. At the beginning of my writing, I am full of shame for my weakness. By the end of my writing, I see my vulnerability as my greatest strength. When I share my writing, and the reader understands and values what I’m trying to say, I feel intimately connected with that one person. I can also feel this way in private counselling sessions, as I often share the parts of my story that I hope will benefit my client and their own process of recovery.
Writing is Magic. Sometimes, it feels as though my fingers are just trying to keep up with the ideas that want to flow from them. These are the very best moments of my writing process.
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However, writing does not write itself. I must show respect for the magic by having the discipline of sitting down, showing up, and being present. Before I got sober, I used to write while I drank and smoked cigarettes. When I got sober, I didn’t know how I would be able to write without these vices and brain breaks.
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Today my process is more spiritual in nature. I pray. I meditate. I surrender. I turn off all distractions. My only focus is to show up and write.
This is the magic I want to follow for the rest of my life.
The Book of Tears, My Story of Healing
by Frances Stone
The Book of Tears is the inspirational true story of how one mother recovered from addiction, mental illness, and poverty to become the Founder of a Canadian non-profit organization with a mission to help the whole family recover from substance misuse and intergenerational trauma, Family Recovery Society of Canada.
Frances Stone’s journey begins as a pretty party girl driving a two seater sports car that has everything she wants in life, except for what she needs - love and purpose. When she meets Luke, a bad boy with a good heart and becomes pregnant, her self-centered, pleasure-driven life is completely turned upside down. As this new mother takes her first unsteady steps towards a different life, Frances is determined to create the perfect family. But as her relationship with Luke becomes toxic, traumatic and full of fear, Frances begins to question everything - who she is, what she believes and how she can get away from a life that threatens to consume her.
Page by page, The Book of Tears tells the story of a young mother that sets out on a journey to change her life, and instead begins a recovery process that heals her heart. Travel through the pages of The Book of Tears as Frances invites you to witness, reflect and learn from her intimate recovery process as she explores the world of religion, spirituality, sobriety and mental health. Experience her grief when she makes a promise to the one person in the world that never abandoned her and surrenders to accepting the things she cannot change, to find the courage within herself to change the things she can.
Written from the heart, Frances Stone’s life story is Silver Linings, Erin Brockovich and The Shack all in one book. You will laugh, cry and be inspired. Most importantly, you will learn. The Book of Tears is a creative nonfiction memoir that explores the themes of intergenerational trauma, addiction, abuse, poverty and mental illness from the lens of personal lived experience. It is a heartbreaking personal account with the clear message that if your life has been touched by these invisible threads of our society — you are not alone, there is hope and recovery is possible.
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"A creative, insightful, and inspirational read that will make you think and question everything. "
"Raw, honest and inspirational."
"Beautifully written."
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"Original, heartfelt and so inspiring."
"I would recommend this book to anyone who is suffering from addiction themselves or maybe you have an addict in your family & you aren’t sure how to help them. This book is definitely written from the heart."
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