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detour recreation PHOTO BY CHAD THOMPSON PHOTOGRAPHY A Story of Mind and Memory Del Mar author draws on multiple experiences to pen debut novel F or even the most seasoned authors, the search for that truly great story can sometimes seem elusive. For debut novelist Muffy Walker, however, the story that became her book, Memory Weavers, found its way to her rather than be sought. A mental health advocate with a master's degree in psychiatric nursing and the co-founder of the International Bipolar Foundation, Del Mar resident Walker drew on a combination of her own personal experiences and those of people close to her to weave this thrilling narrative of two women — one who's suffered trauma she'd be grateful to forget, and one whose early onset Alzheimer's diagnosis has left her desperate to retain her memory. Walker admits her book tackles heavy subjects, but she's never been one to shy from tough conversations. "I've always been super comfortable with [addressing] mental health and mental illness," she says. Her exposure to patients in nursing school, a mental health-related death in her family that was hidden for years, and both Alzheimer's and bipolar diagnoses within her family have given her the experience, confidence, and clarity to not only talk about mental health, but to be a powerful advocate. Her mother had Alzheimer's disease, and Walker attributes 80 to 90 percent of the memory issue examples in the book to her personal experiences as they navigated the disease. Rather than being too emotionally difficult to relive those moments, Walker instead says, "I almost felt like I was honoring my mother by doing it, you know? I really wanted people to learn about Alzheimer's, what the caregiver is going through, what the person with the disease is going through, what the children are going through." Walker tapped another occurrence from her own life — having her genome mapped — in the character's storyline as she learns of her Alzheimer's diagnosis (Walker's own results were, fortunately, free of such dire predictions). e sexual assault of a fellow student from Walker's college days also became a significant element in the book's plot. At its close, Memory Weavers features multiple resources to guide anyone seeking support for the issues touched on in the book, from Alzheimer's and dementia to rape and post-traumatic stress. It's a reflection of Walker's natural bent toward advocacy and action. Several years ago, she began a jewelry business to raise money for bipolar research. "Whenever I would have an article in the newspaper [or] host a jewelry show and the money was going to go back towards bipolar research, most of the people who came were not coming to see the jewelry," she says. " ey were coming to talk to me about their loved one who had a mental illness." e realization of just how many people were out there seeking support and looking for answers led Walker and three partners to create the California Bipolar Foundation. It quickly evolved to become the International Bipolar Foundation, a globally accessible organization offering no-cost information and resources. Walker's journey to publishing was, as one might expect, challenging ("You know, rejection, rejection, rejection, rejection," says Walker), but Memory Weavers is due in print on April 8. For Walker, her new role as novelist comes with new expectations. "When they signed me, they said, 'You know, we're going to want more books,'" she says. "It's so funny, because I never was a writer," she continues, but she's clearly thinking as one now. At a recent doctor's appointment, a waiting room chat with a pregnant woman and a nurse became an intriguing conversation about a drug that they'd all been given during pregnancy and shared coincidental behavioral issues in their children. Walker's immediate thought at that moment? "I think you just gave me the idea for another book!" muffywalker.com DEANNA MURPHY Muffy Walker ranchandcoast.com 80 MARCH 2025 RANCH & COAST MAGAZINE