Kyomi O’Connor

A Sky of Infinite Blue- A Japanese Immigrant’s Search for Home and Self

A Sky of Infinite Blue- A Japanese Immigrant’s Search for Home and Self is a multi-award-winning memoir. My book has many themes: childhood emotional abuse, co-dependence, mental illness, multicultural issues, immigration, love, relationship, marriage, career, spiritual pursuit, Buddhism, transformation, spiritual growth, illness, cancer, caregiving, death & dying, grief, acceptance, awakening, truth, love & light, liberation, and more. The core theme of the book is “Adversities may lead us to enlightenment.”

A Sky of Infinite Blue- Its Story (Summary)
As a childhood emotional abuse survivor, I escaped from my past in Japan and moved to the States working as a post-doctoral researcher at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland where I met a handsome charismatic English cancer researcher, Patrick. We soon fell in love and his unconditional love helped me heal. Our journey together changed our careers, moved to San Diego, California, where we practiced a Buddhist teaching, and grew spiritually together in One.

Then Patrick fell critically ill with the diagnosis of metastatic melanoma in his brain. After a fierce three-year battle against cancer, he died on Independence Day in 2016, one of our favorite holidays. Devastated, the transition from “we” to “I” was too hard to accept. I lost in grief for nine months. Then I, one day, began to write to seek truths in my and Patrick’s lives, my identity, and our relationship. With tears and many struggles, writing assisted my truth-seeking and it became my daily spiritual practice. As I learned craft of writing, and developed a mind-set as a writer from various classes and courses, authenticity and vulnerability began to shine in my book. And I found myself able to stay open and grounded as I wrote.

What members will learn from my presentation:

1. The first writing we do may only be words, sentences, phrases, or paragraphs, and the essence of the subject and theme may be hidden within. We need to deepen our exploration to bring out a more honest and vulnerable version of who we are.
2. Learning craft and skills by taking classes and reading other great authors are essential to writing our own story.
3. Writing requires discipline, daily writing practice, and control of our minds. Separation of our emotions even in describing difficult scenes brings readers into the story and helps to serve as a mirror for the reader.
4. Themes and voice matter. I believe authenticity comes from the author’s vulnerability with her objective emotional control in writing. When the authenticity echoes, mirrors, and vibrates in readers’ hearts, the voice and theme will resonate