When a Mom Becomes a Superhero: Actor Greta Lind's New Novel "Split Open" Is Based On Her Real-life Moment Stopping a Runaway School Bus by Greta Lind

Twenty years ago, I stopped an out-of-control school bus as it rolled downhill toward a crowded intersection. I had been feeling disempowered in my everyday life as a stay-at-home wife and mother. I didn’t know who that woman was! She climbed on a runaway bus and, without fear or thought, grabbed the steering wheel and hit the brakes.

I suddenly wondered: Who am I, really?

I was in shock for three days. The only way I could make sense of what happened was to write it down. And I kept writing. My debut novel, Split Open, opens with that same scene – then the story took on a life of its own. Never would I have imagined my experience that day would bring me to this present moment. And here we are!

As I raised my children, this book kept coming through me. It would knock on my door, speak up if necessary, and even seep into my dreams. I’d write when that happened and then quickly put it back on the shelf. Yet it kept coming back to me.

During the pandemic, this work of women’s fiction screamed louder than it ever had – to be BORN! So, at a time of great fear and uncertainty, I took a huge leap.

As women, we often diminish and dismiss ourselves. Life begins to change when we say YES and show up in ways that are beyond what we thought possible.

Split Open is a surreal journey that takes a woman down an unexpected path, bringing her fully back to herself.

Synopsis

Who am I?

Kate faces the unthinkable when her son’s school bus loses control on a hilly California road. Thrust into an unflinching journey of personal discovery, she questions her every life choice.

Apart from wife? Apart from mother?

She questions her own grip on reality when she suddenly becomes aware of Jennifer, a “respectable” young wife and mother consumed in a powerful love affair. Kate can’t explain who Jennifer is – or why Kate knows what she knows.

How can a person feel closer to and more disconnected from herself at the same time?

In a pulsing exploration of womanhood and all that is sacred, Kate and Jennifer’s worlds begin seeping surreally into each other as this book dares to ask: What is gained and what is lost when we have children? Where does a woman’s loyalty belong?

What happens when the invisible is made visible?

This novel came through me in a way I didn’t expect. And now it’s here. I feel vulnerable, open and over the moon to share it with you.

Split Open in paperback releases July 22, 2021 through Amazon, with an e-book available for pre-order now for 99 cents. More information can be found on my website GretaLind.com and you can find me on Twitter at @lind_greta, on Instagram at @gretalindcreates and on Facebook.

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