NEW YORK - s4story -- Author Tereska E. James has announced the release of "Celebrating Life is My Religion," a powerful memoir of Joan G. Mitchell – James' mother – that began as a collection of quotes in 2022, to celebrate Mitchell's impending 70th birthday, and instead became a powerful testimony to strength and resilience.

"I want people to understand who my mother is at her core and what it's taken for her to come from a shy, insecure girl to a woman fully living in her truth unapologetically," James said. "I want them to see that her celebrating life is more than her life's motto or the words she says, but a way of life that gives her the courage and strength to truly live each day as if it were her last even in the midst of pain and heartache."

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James became known for her melanoma advocacy, after her beloved sister, Tanya, perished just two months after being diagnosed with the disease in 2015. Now, she advocates for her mother's story to be told, demonstrating that people can experience unspeakable loss and sorrow, yet still triumph in the face of adversity.

"I want readers to feel empowered and enlightened," she continued. "I hope readers will want to reflect on their lives…not with shame or regret, but knowing that no matter what life brings, there is always a reason to celebrate life. My mom and I are very close, but in the writing of this book, I discovered things about her that I never knew. I hope this book also sparks conversations among their own families."

"Celebrating Life is My Religion" is available now on http://amazon.com.