LITA FORD Looks Back On Her Decision To Release An Autobiography: 'Some Things Just Need To Be Addressed'

In a new interview with the Iron City Rocks podcast, Lita Ford spoke about her decision to release an autobiography, "Living Like A Runaway: A Memoir", eight years ago. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I just kind of had a lot to say and wanted to put it out with HarperCollins, who were the publishers on that book. And it was great, and it was a bestseller, and everybody kind of got insight of Lita. I mean, you can't put your whole life in a little book, because I have a lot more to say than that. But it kind of gave everybody an idea."

Asked if she would consider writing a follow-up book at some point in the future, Lita said: "I don't know. I just wrote the foreword to Jack Russell's new book, [of] GREAT WHITE, so that should be coming out in June.

"Having to revisit a lot of painful memories is difficult," she explained. "Did I enjoy revisiting painful memories? Not really, no. I like to look forward to my future and not so much look back to the past. But some things just need to be addressed, and I think writing a book is a good way to address them — or writing a song or anything like that."

"Living Like A Runaway: A Memoir" was released in February 2016 via Dey Street Books (formerly It Books),an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

In a January 2014 interview with PureGrainAudio.com, Ford stated about her book: "It's an autobiography about, well, my life, the paths I've taken, all the different musical eras. It's got all my favorite stories in it. It covers everything really from me growing up to THE RUNAWAYS to Lita and all the things I've been through and experiences I've had."

She added: "The hardest thing was how things kept popping out and I'm going crazy thinking, 'Hell, I've got to include that... oh no... that needs to go in as well and... hey, do you remember that time...' — every time I think I've got everything, one of us remembers something else and we're back where we started. It's never-ending."

Asked how writing a book is different from composing music, Lita told PopCultureMadness.com: "It's completely two different animals. Just trying to come up with something that captures the reader and keeps the interest flowing. You don't wanna lose the reader's interest. So I think I did that; I think I was able to do that on this book. It starts off in a time in a period and you have to get into it a little bit, and once you do, you can't put it down — you can't put it down. What happens next? You can't wait for the next chapter. It's really cool."

Regarding whether it was hard to revisit certain episodes in her life while writing the book, Lita said: "Well, things are emotional. There's deaths, there's divorce, there's things that are so goddamn funny that you can't help it but cry laughing. It's just a very emotional book. And you have to really go there mentally — you have to go there in order to be able to put it down on paper and in a book for people to read. So it was a challenge. And you really don't have a choice as to when… 'I don't feel like doing it right now.' Fuck that! Go there. You have to go there [and] get it done. So it was tough."

Ford recently completed work on her new studio album. The upcoming follow-up to 2012's "Living Like A Runaway" was once again helmed by guitarist/producer Gary Hoey, who contributes some guitar playing to the disc, alongside the rest of Lita's longtime backing band, consisting of guitarist Patrick Kennison, drummer Bobby Rock and bassist Marty O'Brien.

In May 2022, bassist Marten Andersson (STEELHEART, LIZZY BORDEN, LYNCH MOB) officially joined Lita's touring band. Andersson replaced O'Brien who became the touring bassist for DAUGHTRY.

Ford's last release was 2016's "Time Capsule", a collection of songs that were recorded by Lita in the past, but never before made available.