JASON SETNYK
Cornwall author Shannon Ferguson is celebrating a milestone in her writing journey with the release of Women Like Me Community: The Space Between Before and After, the latest volume in a global series featuring personal stories of transformation and resilience.
The book brings together chapters written by 11 women from Canada and beyond. Each contributor shares a deeply personal story about navigating life transitions, loss, and personal growth. For Ferguson, the opportunity marked her first time being published as part of a collaborative book project.
“This book is such a cool opportunity,” Ferguson said in an interview. “I actually found out about it from another local author, Lee-Ann O’Brien, who reached out to me and said there’s this opportunity and that I should really speak to (series creator) Julie (Fairhurst), because it could be a good fit.”
“My first call with her was on the 10th anniversary of my mother’s passing,” Ferguson explained. “As soon as we talked, we clicked, and she said she wanted me to be part of the book.”
The anthology, now in its 14th volume, gathers stories from women who have faced defining moments in their lives. Contributors reflect on grief, resilience, identity, and the difficult periods that shape who they become.
Ferguson’s contribution appears as Chapter 6 and is titled The Floor of Loneliness. In it, she reflects on several life-altering experiences that unfolded over a short period of time.
“My story discusses a lot of trials and tribulations that occurred in my life in a very short amount of time,” she said. “Every time something happened, I would find myself on the floor, either sitting or being told to sit down, because there was bad news.”
Those moments, she said, became a recurring symbol in her story. “Whether it was sitting on the floor or on a chair or couch, I always found myself in a place where my legs kind of gave out on me,” Ferguson said. “The story is really about picking myself up off that floor of loneliness and getting through those hard times.”
Her chapter explores personal loss, including the death of her mother, the challenges of divorce, and ultimately the path that led her to launch her company, FanSaves.
Although Ferguson has a background in communications and journalism, writing a chapter for a book required a different approach. She described the process as both intense and surprisingly fast once she began.
“I actually sat down on a Sunday and wrote the whole chapter in one day,” she said. “I quickly realized that my story was obviously much longer than my chapter.”
While working on the contribution, Ferguson also began drafting a longer manuscript based on her experiences, which she hopes will eventually become her first standalone book.
“The goal is to have my first published standalone book by the end of 2026,” she said.
For Ferguson, the process of writing was more than just a creative project. Revisiting difficult moments and shaping them into a narrative helped bring a sense of emotional clarity.
“Writing this chapter was very therapeutic,” she said. “It was cathartic-much more than I anticipated it would be.”
At its core, the story aims to reassure readers who may be experiencing similar hardships that they are not alone.
“When I was writing it, I just wanted even one person to feel like if they’re going through something similar that they’re not alone,” Ferguson said. “A lot of people go through hard things by themselves.”
For Ferguson, the project also carries a deeply personal meaning connected to her late mother, Alice Ferguson.
“My last conversation with my mom before I knew it would be the last, she told me, ‘Shannon, just write your book,'” Ferguson said. “Finally doing this has given me the push to be brave and put my story out there.”
Now that her first chapter has been published, Ferguson says the experience has reignited her passion for writing and sharing her story with a wider audience.
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