Roz Weston Interview on A Little Bit Broken and Tourette’s

In 2023, Famadillo spoke with writer and television personality Roz Weston about his memoir A Little Bit Broken, living with Tourette’s syndrome, the unexpectedly personal response he received from readers and the secret proposal hidden in the book’s final chapter.

Roz Weston on Writing the Book in Secret

Q) You’ve hidden Tourette’s for quite some time. In fact, there’s been quite a few things you’ve been hiding like the broken bones and broken hearts. Has there been any “fallout” since the book came out?

A) No, there’s been no ‘fallout’ but this entire book was a secret. My mom and brother didn’t know I was writing a book until way after I had finished. I told my mother, for the first time, the day before it went to the printer. She listened to the audio book in one sitting. There were tears, laughs and some really wonderful conversations after. She worried and second guessed a ton of decisions she had made, but we talked through most of it. But there’s still two or three parts that we didn’t discuss, and probably never will, either. And I feel like that’s okay.

How Far A Little Bit Broken Reached

Q) The book has become a best seller in Canada but it seems that it’s also gotten a rather international audience. How far has this story gone?

A) From Toronto to Los Angeles and Iran to Australia. I’ve heard from people all over the world. My goal with the book was to connect with one person. If one reader saw a little bit of themselves in my story I would have been good. What I’ve received was messages from thousands of people that all start the same way “I’ve never said this to anyone before…” – Everything from dealing with grief and loss, to trauma, body image and addiction. It’s been really beautiful. People are wonderful, and if you let them, they’ll surprise you in the best way possible.

The Secret Proposal

Q) Did your girlfriend (now fiancée) almost find out about the secret proposal? Was there a moment that she came close?

A) This was the hardest secret I’ve ever had to keep. Katherine had read the entire book, several times, before it was done but never the last chapter. She never saw the proposal. When the book was finished and we sent copies out for review we didn’t include that chapter. I couldn’t risk it getting out. Nobody got the full book until Katherine read it that day when I proposed, but there was one moment when a package arrived at the house. It was from the publisher, nothing much, just examples of fonts and page sizes. Nothing big. But the pages they sent over, by complete fluke, were the last three pages of the book. The proposal. Katherine took a picture of the pages and sent them to me while I was out. She said they looked great. She flipped through them for me, but never read a word.

Would Roz Weston Write Another Book?

Q) Are you considering another book and can you even have a secret ending?

A) Would I do another? Maybe. But certainly not one like this. I cried for two years writing this thing. Maybe I’ll do a cookbook next.

For another Famadillo creator conversation, see our CG5 interview.

Bottom Line

The most striking part of this 2023 Roz Weston interview is how much of A Little Bit Broken was built around things he had kept private—from Tourette’s syndrome and family conversations to the proposal hidden from even the person he planned to marry.