Celebrity Celebrity Family Celebrity Tragedy Richard E. Grant on Process of Writing Memoir After Wife's Death: It Felt 'Like Resurrecting' Her "I see her in her prime, when she was well, rather than what the cancer did to her," Richard E. Grant says of late wife Joan Washington By Jen Juneau Jen Juneau Jen Juneau is a News and Movies Staff Writer at PEOPLE. She started at the brand in 2016 and has more than 15 years' professional writing experience. People Editorial Guidelines Published on October 25, 2022 03:40PM EDT Richard E. Grant and Joan Washington. Photo: David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Richard E. Grant is reflecting on the process of writing his newly released memoir a year after the death of his wife Joan Washington. The 65-year-old actor opened up about the title of his book, A Pocketful of Happiness, on a recent episode of the Happy Place podcast, saying it was inspired by advice Washington gave him and their daughter Olivia while she was sick: "to try and find a pocketful of happiness each day." Grant went on to say that his late wife's words became his and Olivia's "mantra for trying to navigate our way through this abyss that grief plunges you into." The Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker actor also shared that writing the book "was like resurrecting my wife, because I went through all the stuff of how we met and all the good things that happened to us [over] almost 40 years together, career and personal." "So that was amazingly helpful," he added. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories. Joan Washington and Richard E. Grant. Karwai Tang/Getty Richard E. Grant Mourns the Death of His Wife of 35 Years Joan Washington: "Love of My Life" Grant said that his late wife's advice to him and Olivia "gave [them] permission to be happy," even though it was difficult. "My own experience is you feel guilty if you have a good day [or] you feel happy about something ... there's a sense that you're being judged by other people [who think], 'How can this person be happy when that has just happened to them?' " he explained. But a year later, when Grant looks back at photos of Washington, "I see her in her prime, when she was well, rather than what the cancer did to her," he said. "It's a trick of what the brain does, and what your memory does, to help you survive," Grant added. RELATED GALLERY: Celebrities Who Died in 2021 Grant announced the news of his wife's death in a statement on social media Sept. 3, 2021. Without revealing her cause of death at the time, he shared a sweet video of himself dancing with his love, which ended with the pair hugging in a warm embrace. "🎵ONLY YOU!🎵Joan - Love of my Life & Giver of Life to our daughter Olivia," Grant tweeted. "Our hearts are broken with the loss of your Life last night. 35 years married & 38 together. To be truly known and seen by you, is your immeasurable gift." "Do not forget us, sweet Monkee-mine," the actor added alongside a set of broken-heart emojis. A Pocketful of Happiness is available now.