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Breast cancer

Claire Contreras on breast cancer, books and how she does it

Vilma Gonzalez
Special for USA TODAY
Claire Contreras, author of "The Sinner's Bargain."

Today, I feature an author who I admire for her fortitude and perseverance, for her striking stories and unrelenting drive to succeed … to survive … to fight. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and like many of you, I've known far too many friends like Claire, who battle this disease with inspiring vigor and resolve.

Author Claire Contreras just recently published The Sinner's Bargain, an erotic romantic suspense novel and follow-up to The Devil's Contract. As she'll share below, she released this book less than a month after a double mastectomy. Today, 1 in 8 women develop invasive breast cancer over the course of their lifetime. Yes, the statistics are still staggering despite the more prevalent awareness of the disease, but the story Claire shares with us today is her own — one woman's journey to combat breast cancer as a mom, wife and writer.

Claire: In my life I've always been asked the question: "How do you do it?" In the midst of getting things ready for my father's funeral, I was also planning my wedding and finishing my last semester of college, so I got a lot of "how do you do it?" When I had my first son, my husband and I rescued an American bulldog puppy and because that meant we had three dogs and a newborn, my friends asked me, "How do you do it?" I always laughed and thought of my grandmother who raised seven children on her own, with the help of her mother and some neighbors, because she was the only person who made me wonder that question. How did she do it? What I was doing paled in comparison.

When I was diagnosed with breast cancer (just after my 30th birthday) and continued writing my book, which I had set to publish at the end of May, I got "how do you do it?" more often. I've never really answered that question, not when I planned my wedding, not when I got my dog, and not when I published The Devil's Contract. I didn't realize it was a question that merited an answer until my friend asked me as she shook my shoulders and kept saying, "No, really, how do you do it?"

The truth is, I don't know how not to do it. Even if I didn't publish, I don't know how not to write. You can take my arms and I would find a way to continue writing, because I have to. I was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer on April 10, 2014, and by then I was almost finished writing The Devil's Contract, in which the main character's mother has breast cancer. I hadn't been diagnosed when I created her. I was channeling a loved one I lost the previous year. On May 6, I had my double mastectomy, and the last thing on my mind was publishing that book, but I had set the release date for May 29, and I have an issue going back on my word, so with very little energy and two drains still hanging out of me, I published my novel. I lay in bed most of my days as I recovered from the surgery, which wasn't just a regular double mastectomy, but a double mastectomy and flap surgery, so it was extra grueling on my body, and I continued writing the sequel to that book called The Sinner's Bargain.

"The Sinner's Bargain" by Claire Contreras.

Life has always thrown stones at me. I've become accustomed to feeling the sharp edges of the rocks that hit me, but I always keep moving forward. If something like cancer, which is a boulder in comparison to my previous struggles, couldn't slow me down, I don't think anything will. In The Sinner's Bargain, the mother is undergoing chemo and I was able to channel things into her character, things I may have written about but not understood had I not been in those shoes.

The Contracts and Deceptions Series does not center on cancer, though. It's an erotic suspense about a girl doing what she can in order to help her family and survive. She has rocks thrown at her, she will get tested, her morals are questioned, and at times, her life is on the line. At first glance I thought I had nothing in common with Amara, but then I looked closer and saw that maybe we're not so different after all, because amongst her many struggles, she finds a way to hold her head up and keep pushing through the darkness.

And how does she do it? Is it simply because she's a fictional character? In that case, I guess that's what all of our lives are, a work of fiction playing itself out on a lengthy white page. But days like today, when the chemo is hooked up to the port in my chest and I'm asked the question "how do you do it?" My answer is: because I have to. Because I don't have a choice. Because like many of the fictional characters in my books, life is constantly questioning how far it can push me and my only answer is: Push harder, I'll beat you every time.

"This disease forces you to see yourself for something other than just beautiful or just smart, or just funny, or just … anything. It makes you dig deep and find that ounce of strength you really didn't think you had, and cling on to it. And I guess that's one of the things I've learned. We're not 'just' something. We ARE something. We are a LOT of things, and none of them are ugly." — Claire Contreras

For the month of October a portion of the proceeds from all of Claire's books will be donated to breast cancer research and awareness. Find out more about Claire Contreras and her books at clairecontreras.com.

Vilma Gonzalez is a blogger, reader, marketer, wife and mom. She has an insatiable appetite for happily ever afters and a deep love of the written word. You can find more about her and read full book reviews at Vilma's Book Blog. Please e-mail Vilma at loveinsuspense@gmail.com about content related to this column. Due to the volume of mail, e-mails may not be answered personally, but all will be read.

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