Tell Me About Joy is a memoir revealing how an extraordinary reunion of lost love turned into hope, healing, purpose and enduring joy.
As a journalist and previous Carmel resident, Kara Kavensky was assigned to write a human interest article on WWII veteran Bob Albright. After her second visit to Bob’s home, she says she knew the experience would become a book. “At the time, that feeling started out as a tiny whisper, but I accepted it as fact. Here’s a life hack: When a widowed, nonagenarian WWII veteran asks that you find the love of his life, you say 'yes,'” Kara excitedly explains.
Bob, a smart and charming veteran, told Kara his greatest life regret was not proposing to and marrying the love of his life, Joy. He hadn't spoken to her in 67 years. While Kara's assignment was to write a cover story about Bob, this opportunity turned into something far beyond what she could have imagined for Bob and herself.
Kara recalls leaping into the mission to reunite two lovers while navigating a broken marriage and losing hope in her own life. Not only would Bob and Joy's reconciliation reunite the lovebirds, but the journey also allowed her to reflect on love, healing and her own path forward.
Sarah Hart-Unger, MD, author of Best Laid Plans, believes, “Readers (of Kara's new book) will feel immersed in carefully researched historical details, but also swept away by emotion, experiencing the author's pain and hard work toward recovery. The author gets vulnerable in sharing the inner workings of her toxic marriage while she works magic in bringing joy (literally!) back into a veteran's life.”
“Until writing my memoir, everything I wrote was created for others. I've written in another’s voice and celebrated the work of someone else,” explains Kara. “Writing human interest stories or business advertorials is very different from writing a personal essay or memoir. My superpower is humanizing businesses, and while I still do this work, I extend my concept of ‘humanizing’ into everything I write, including this book.”
Old-World habits and newer technology helped tell the story of Joy and Bob.
“I have a habit of journaling, which proved beneficial in writing my memoir since I have notes from nearly every visit with Bob and Joy,” says Kara. “This enabled me to piece together my memoir chronologically. However, it still took me years to write it since I was still living my part of the memoir. Sometimes, ideas come to me at the most inconvenient times, like in the middle of the night, in line at the grocery store, or driving, so I relied on technology to manage these interruptions to my day.”
Kara believes each person has a unique lens through which they see the world. “Voice is a combination of someone’s perspective with their level of curiosity, vulnerability and honesty. I like to know someone’s background so I understand their voice from their experiences. I believe I express truth through observation and emotion.”
“Stories that resonate with me the most are the ones told as if I'm sitting next to the author,” says Kara, who now lives in the Nora/Meridian Hills area. “What I strive for in my personal writing style is to share stories like I’m sitting with my best friend.”
Without Bob seeing the author as a friend, his hope of a second chance with Joy might have been lost forever.
Before writing Tell Me About Joy, Kara says she felt gratitude every day, but now that gratitude has multiplied, she leans into how people feel. “I want everyone around me to feel loved and appreciated,” she shares.
When readers finish the new book, Kara hopes they realize it’s never too late for love, regardless of age. “Healing from narcissistic abuse is possible. I want people to hope. Joy is something we can welcome into our lives by design. There’s no other way. We must open ourselves up to receiving joy, in all its magical forms.”
Tell Me About Joy officially launches Sept. 8, but is available to pre-order where books are sold. Additionally, Kara’s podcast, Record Scratch with Kara, celebrates more inspirational stories of resilience.
“I strive to share stories like I’m sitting with my best friend.”