Tell us the inspiration behind  Cool Mom.

The siblings of special-needs children seem to be invisible and I wanted to focus my story on the true hero. My eldest daughter, Marina, endured many trials and tribulations growing up. She was lost in the shuffle as we adjusted to schedule changes and medical complications to accommodate her sister. Many times we overlooked Marina’s resilience and fortitude. In writing this story, I purposely omitted all other names to highlight her struggles and the coping skills she acquired to make sense of her world. 

What do you hope readers will take away from your story? 

People endure many struggles and my story shows if you keep striving to overcome tragedy, you may triumph in ways you could not imagine. The path life directed us on was terrifying but immensely rewarding. 

Writerly advice?  
I attended sessions that I thought wouldn’t apply to my writing but came away with a morsel of refinement.   

How has OCWW helped you as a writer?
In 2013 I finished the mind dump of everything that I remembered of our lives. I held 200,000 words of digital ramblings and wanted to create a remembrance for Marina. I recognized my story was unwieldy and too wordy. I joined OCWW in 2014. The OCWW weekly sessions taught me to cull, edit, rewrite, and add flair to my story.  I reviewed and modified my memoir based on each week’s take away.  After ten years, I am ready to share it. 

RITA ANGELINI writes memoir and short fiction. She has published short stories in four anthologies, and She Writes Press is publishing her memoir, As Normal Changes, in March 2025.  A retired  Certified Public Accountant, Rita has served as Treasurer of OCWW since 2014. Now a Florida resident, she is also Treasurer for the Gulf Coast Writers Association,  a member of the Florida Writers Association and the National Association of Memoir Writers. When Rita is not writing, she is volunteering with the disabled, boating on the Gulf, or traveling the country in her RV.

VISIT RITA'S WEBSITE