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Celebrating Alumni Success: Congrats to Amanda McCracken on Her Forthcoming Memoir, When Longing Becomes Your Lover
by Writing Workshops Staff
A week ago
We're thrilled to celebrate WritingWorkshops.com alum Amanda McCracken on the upcoming publication of her powerful memoir, When Longing Becomes Your Lover: Breaking from Infatuation, Rejection, and Perfectionism to Find Authentic Love, releasing from Hachette Books.
A Story of Courage and Discovery
In When Longing Becomes Your Lover, Amanda shares her remarkable story of dating over 100 men by her late thirties while grappling with a startling realization: she was addicted to longing. This searingly honest memoir explores the cultural, neurological, and psychological factors that shape our beliefs about love, sex, and commitment.
As an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, Guardian, Vogue, and National Geographic, Amanda brings her investigative skills to her most personal subject yet. Her popular New York Times articles Is It a Crush or Have You Fallen Into Limerence? and Does My Virginity Have a Shelf Life? first introduced readers to her unique voice, one that combines vulnerability with rigorous research.
From Limerence to Liberation
Amanda's memoir goes deep into the state of mind known as limerence: an obsessive rumination on an idealized version of someone. Through her ten-year journey, she discovered how longing can provide a neurochemical boost that feels good—sometimes even better than being in a secure relationship. But this addiction to longing was preventing her from forming the healthy, intimate relationships she truly desired.
Her story begins with childhood hero fantasies and traces their evolution through her commitment to the purity movement at her church, chronicling the profound longing for love that eventually led her to her lowest point. What makes Amanda's narrative so powerful is how she weaves together personal experience with research, creating a memoir that's both deeply intimate and universally relevant.
Beyond the Page: A Multi-Platform Voice
Amanda's expertise on longing and limerence extends far beyond her memoir. Her 2023 TED Talk, How Longing Keeps Us From Healthy Relationships, and her podcast, The Longing Lab, have established her as a leading voice on how longing can become self-sabotaging and how we can change our patterns. As a part-time university instructor, massage therapist, triathlon coach, and competitive athlete based in Boulder, Colorado, Amanda brings a holistic perspective to understanding relationships and wellness.
The WritingWorkshops.com Connection
Amanda joined us for How to Write a Tragicomic Memoir" with Elissa Bassist in 2023, where Elissa focused on navigating the delicate balance of humor and pain, crafting a narrative that's both entertaining and profoundly moving. Amanda's forthcoming book reminds us that great memoirs aren't just about having an interesting story, they're about finding the right way to tell it.
Are you ready to transform your own story into a compelling memoir? Join us at WritingWorkshops.com for our online creative writing classes. Whether you're working on a memoir, fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction, our expert instructors—including published authors and industry professionals—will help you find your voice and bring your stories to life. You might just discover that the workshop that changes your writing could also change your life.
