From Labor Pains to Labor of Love: My Journey to Birthing My 1st Book
As you know, it has been months since I last posted to my blog. (Are those crickets I’m hearing?) If you follow me on Facebook, you already know why my hiatus hasn’t been a complete waste of time.
Who said writing a book was easy?
Whoever it is, they lied! The road to becoming an author has definitely been the toughest road I’ve ever traveled in my life.
Without a doubt, the hardest part of writing 7 Secrets Guys Will Never Tell You: A Teen Girl’s Guide on Love, Sex and Relationships, was the actual writing itself. Add to that my being the perfectionist that I am, and you have a recipe for a long, drawn out process. I’ve probably written, edited and rewritten the book more times than necessary, but it. is. finally. finished!
I finished writing the manuscript at the beginning of the year, only to realize that I was just getting started. There was still much work to do.
So what have I been doing over the past three months since I wrote my last blog post? Well, after realizing I was never going to have the “perfect” manuscript, I finally sent my baby off to be professionally edited. Next it was time to focus on the book cover design.
There have been points along this journey towards becoming a published author that made it seem real and provide the motivation I needed to continue. Seeing the book cover was definitely one of those points.
I can almost see the light!
Last Saturday, I emailed the manuscript to the graphic designer, who has begun designing the interior layout. This is the last major item that needs to be completed before sending the book to the printer. YAY!!!! There is a light at the end of the tunnel.
I’m so excited about the impact this book will have on the lives of teen girls and young women. Every time I receive another letter from a young lady like the one below it confirms the need for my book:
I’m 14 years old and in the 8th grade. I really wish I had taken this class three weeks ago because I would still be a virgin and I wouldn’t be worrying about being pregnant right now. I lost my virginity to a boy that I dated for only 4 months. I don’t doubt that I love him and I wasn’t forced. I wanna say it ‘just happened,’ but I don’t think it can ‘just happen’ nine times in one week. The sad part is that I didn’t like it and it wasn’t memorable at all. I really wish I would have waited cause my now ex-boyfriend was/is the biggest man whore ever and has slept with too many girls to count. It scares me because I could have a number of STDs or be pregnant because we didn’t use a condom any time. I hope the other girls out there will never do what I did because they will never forget it. I can’t call myself a virgin anymore and it kills me. But I am now a secondary virgin and will be until my wedding night. I thank you for coming and talking to us. Now my boundaries are much higher.
I’m praying that my book will get in the hands of teen girls before they make a decision like the young lady above.
What do guys think about the book?
I sent the book to several of my male mentees (all in their mid-twenties to early thirties), to get their opinion on the content. Though I was confident that I had nailed the seven secrets, I wanted to hear their take on what I had written about them.
Following are comments from a couple of them:
I’m half way through the book. This is real stuff. I’ve been the player and the good guy. In fact, that’s how I ended up married and not really in love. Now I can proudly say I’ve grown into the best guy!! Looking back at my life, what gets me the most is how grimy all that actually was. I really hate that my sisters may have to go through this. I appreciate you that much more because you’re attempting to prevent pain and heartache for girls.
I'm reading the book and I want to let you know that it's really good and very informative. I can see organizations using it in their programs for girls. I really hope women of all ages read this book. I can't wait to finish reading it.
Let’s Celebrate!
None of this would be possible without you constantly asking me when I was going to write my book. You have challenged me, encouraged me and held my feet to the fire. And for that I say, “Thank you!!” The only thing left to do is C-E-L-E-B-R-A-T-E!!
The book release party will be in July. Look for a Save the Date post soon!
