How I Became An Author

It all started 19 ½ years ago, when I was blessed with two beautiful babies. Twins. A boy and a girl, no less. The first year caring for two infants was hard. Really hard. But each subsequent year I spent mothering multiples got a little easier, a lot more fun and actually quite humorous. My mother, on more than one occasion, suggested that I write a book about my experience. To which I’d reply, “Maybe someday.”

Well folks, that day came when I took a deep breath and published my very first book, They’re Ready. Are You? Is it a book about raising twins? Absolutely not. Instead it’s written for a much broader audience – parents and guardians of college kids, as a guidebook to help them through one of the hardest seasons of parenting. Yes, even harder than raising twins.

Writing the Book

This was by far the easiest, and most enjoyable part of the process. I was a freelance writer and then a content writer/editor for a website for a number of years. So, words were my friends. I loved writing. Always had. Even in grade school when I entered essay competitions and spelling bees; for fun! Stringing phrases and sentences together comes easily. Telling stories that I’m passionate about? That’s why I love it so much. Which made writing a book about sending your kids to college so easy.

I simply started at the beginning. With the senior year of high school, “The Year of Letting Go.” Not only is that the title of the first chapter, but it was my own personal mantra while my twins were completing college applications and deciding where their next chapter of life was going to take them.

From there, the story just flowed. A real-life account of what I had experienced, peppered with insights from other moms, things I learned along the way that I wished I had known in advance and even some of the mistakes I made. It only took me four months to write. I finished the book while spending a week in a quaint little studio apartment in my daughter’s college town. It was the perfect place to binge write and a fitting way to end my story.

Why Self-Publish?

So there I was with a finished, double-spaced manuscript. And no clue in the world what to do next. I researched traditional and self-publishing options. I also interviewed a handful of very patient, already published authors to gain their insights and even crashed a Mother’s of Preschoolers (MOPS) event at my church with the sole intention of meeting a published writer in my genre. Since I have college-aged twins and no other children, I was truly there “just” to meet the author.

Which I did when I cornered the poor woman and started interrogating her about her publishing journey. After hearing the premise of my book, she looked at me kindly and said, “You have a really good idea. I’d self-publish 100 copies on Amazon and never look back.” And so I did. Oh and the MOPS group? I’m now a proud Mentor Mom to Mothers of Preschoolers and my empty nest is richer because of it.

Was it that amazing author who made me decide to self-publish? Not exactly. Rather, it was a combination of her faith in my idea and my own impatience that sealed the deal. It takes at least a year to become represented by a literary agent, and then another year or longer for that agent to get you a publishing contract. Honestly, I felt like parents of college students needed my book now – not two or three years from now. Why? Because I needed my book a year before it was actually written.

In hindsight, writing and self-publishing a book is a lot like having a baby. You’re thrilled to hold your pride and joy when it’s over, but you definitely need to give yourself time to forget the not so pretty parts before even considering doing it again. Will I write another book? I certainly hope so. It sure would be fun to write one about raising twins. But right now I don’t want to think about that. Instead, I want to hold my beautiful, new book in my hands and just…..read.

Photo by João Silas on Unsplash