In Holding Her Head High, the former Northern Exposure star—now 45 and raising daughter Juliette, 10, in Texas and New York—profiles historic women who did it all while parenting their kids solo

WHY WRITE THIS BOOK? I'm a single mom, and we all have days when life seems overwhelming. I wanted to share a message of hope: We're not alone—women have done it for centuries.

WHAT HAS YOUR JOURNEY BEEN LIKE? I never intended to be a single mother, but when I discovered around the eighth month of my pregnancy that I'd be pretty much on my own, it was like "Okay. We're gonna do this." We see her father occasionally, and it's nice when we do. We are on good terms.

HOW HAVE YOU BALANCED IT ALL? Trying to pay bills and make the right decisions for Juliette gets challenging. I stepped back from Hollywood in '02 to homeschool her in Texas—my family is there. But when it's just the two of you, there's a very sweet bond.

DO YOU BOND OVER NORTHERN EXPOSURE RERUNS? We watch now and then. She has fun. It's like watching family movies: nostalgic, but at the same time it's like, "What am I wearing?"