DEBRIS: A MEMOIR OF LOVE, GRIEF AND COURAGE
Debris is a hauntingly poignant memoir of true love scorched by the flames of Australia's Black Summer Bushfires. What began as a casual online connection blossomed into a beautiful family, ultimately torn apart by tragedy, leaving behind physical wreckage and emotional ruin. Josie's mental health was deeply affected by the traumatic loss of her husband, yet her love for her daughter became an anchor, a reason to live and the quiet force that guides her through grief's darkest corners. As...
DEBRIS: A MEMOIR OF LOVE, GRIEF AND COURAGE
Debris is a hauntingly poignant memoir of true love scorched by the flames of Australia's Black Summer Bushfires. What began as a casual online connection blossomed into a beautiful family, ultimately torn apart by tragedy, leaving behind physical wreckage and emotional ruin. Josie's mental health was deeply affected by the traumatic loss of her husband, yet her love for her daughter became an anchor, a reason to live and the quiet force that guides her through grief's darkest corners. As she learns to live with the loss, she begins to uncover what is best for her and her daughter. She embraces change, rebuilds with courage and discovers ways to heal.
Written with fierce tenderness, Debris speaks to anyone who has loved deeply, lost profoundly, and found themselves gathering the fragments of a life altered by tragedy.
TOPICS OF CONVERSATION
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Debris: Josie’s love story, the Black Summer loss, and the moment she knew she had to write this book
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The “before” and “after”: what life looked like with John, then how everything changed overnight
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Inside the firestorm: what happened during the bushfires and the emotional whiplash that followed
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Grief in real life: parenting through heartbreak, mental health, asking for help, and the stuff people don’t say out loud
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Finding solid ground again: what healing actually looked like for her, and what she hopes readers carry with them after Debris
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Josie L. Smith is an author, visual artist, mother, and a public servant whose work spans memoir, community service, and creative expression.
Her debut memoir, DEBRIS: A Memoir of Love, Grief and Courage, traces her powerful journey through love, devastating loss, and the long, courageous work of rebuilding after Australia’s Black Summer bushfires.
In her book, Josie narrated her life with her husband John and their daughter Ems, the tragic loss of her husband, and the emotional aftermath of navigating grief while raising their daughter alone. With honesty, courage, and deep vulnerability, she explores what it truly means to survive, heal, and find strength in the ruins.
Alongside her writing, Josie is an exhibiting artist whose work centres on cathartic process, resilience, and the emotional landscapes left behind by trauma. Her exhibition CATHARSIS, Embers of Resilience brought her paintings and John’s sculptures together as an artistic extension of the themes that shape her life and her memoir.
Beyond her creative practice, Josie works in the Department of Communities and Justice in NSW Australia, supporting children and families through trauma-informed, community-centred practice.
Josie uses her voice—in writing, in her art, and in her community work—to inspire others to face their own storms with courage and resilience.
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