There is Publish, Then There is Published

Today I am grateful for the life-saving and life-giving force that writing has been in my life. 

For over forty years, I have put many pens to many pages, many keyboard taps to many screens. Some of it has been nothing but drivel needing release. Some of it has been pure flow from heart and soul. Most of it has been somewhere in between. 

All of it has brought me here today, deeply grateful to be a writer. 

A poet at heart, collaborating with my dear friend Jenny as we both recovered physically and emotionally from our breast cancer surgeries and treatment, opened doors to longer writings like the essays that mark these blog posts. 

That collaboration with Jenny led to opinion pieces in newspapers, a local newspaper column, and starting this blog, among other endeavors. I have hit "publish" hundreds and hundreds of times here. 

Continuing to dream of publishing a book, I have started many ideas and several working drafts. It is so very fitting that it was another collaboration that finally brought this dream to fruition. 

Collaboration, a pandemic, and another cancer diagnosis. 

I love that the first published book in which I am listed as an author is one all my "big" sisters helped make possible. This baby sister is so grateful to Danita, Aileen, Mary Jo, Ann, Leonice, Zita, and Ruth. I am so proud to see all of us listed as authors together. 

It is easy to publish a blog post. Much harder to bring a book to "published" status. There has been a real learning curve, steep at times, and rounds of fear to overcome. On November 6, it all came together. 

We did it, and we did it for you Mary Jo.

We found hope and healing within the pages. Readers: we wish you the same. 

It is exciting and gratifying to finish with this link:

https://www.amazon.com/April-Pieces-Seven-Sisters-Cancer/dp/B08MSQ3ZJK

Thank you all for the support and encouragement we have already received. Onward!

Link

Process

Facing fear

Dreams come true