We all have our stories to tell – everyone has something of value to share with others – I’m convinced of this. I hope that if you haven’t shared YOUR story, yet, you will find the means to do so. Your story is important. YOU are important.

***

Ten years ago today I clicked whatever last button I needed to click to officially publish the first Madcap book. The whole process – from typing the first word on the first page to the moment I clicked that button – had been like magic for me. I’d written other books before – at one point I’d even managed to get myself a successful literary agent to represent one of my books of fiction for young adults (a book I later asked my agent to stop trying to sell for me because I no longer liked it) – but none of those experiences with writing had quite the same feeling as the four months I worked on Blessings: Adventures of a Madcap Christian Scientist.

I started writing Blessings in April. My original goal had been to have  the manuscript finished by Mother’s Day – I wanted to bind it up and give it to my mom as a Mother’s Day gift – a thank you for raising me to believe in the power of Good. But at some point early on – and I’m not even sure how this happened now – I began writing the book for a wider audience.

Authoring Blessings was effortless, really – the words flowed in a steady stream out of me and onto the paper. This time I wasn’t writing to try to impress or please whatever random editor might end up with my manuscript in her hands. This time *I* was the editor, and my target audience weren’t the executives at some high-falootin New York City publishing house, but people like me – people who could laugh with me at life’s embarrassing moments, and join me as I climbed mountains, traveled to Europe, met my husband, became a mother, and rescued The Christmas Dog.  There was a certain freedom in publishing my own work that I didn’t have when I sent my work to others to publish for me – I had complete control over my words and my story – Blessings was not subject to the whims and dictates of anyone else. That felt good.

The only real obstacles I can remember in the authoring process were technical ones – the printer not working; my computer’s hard drive blowing out; not being able to connect with the internet when I needed to communicate with the folks at Booksurge (the print-on-demand publisher I used). But it never failed – every time I would start getting discouraged by the technical challenges I would get a call from a friend or family member supporting me and encouraging me – and the obstacle would vanish. Really, there was a whole community of loved ones who were as much a part of publishing this book as I was.

When I stopped worrying about trying to impress people with my writing, I found my voice. When my motivation was to share laughter and inspiration with my fellow adventurers, no obstacle could stop me. My skills and talents as a writer were no longer an end in themselves – a way to earn praise and kudos – but now they were simply useful tools to help me tell my story.  Writing this book felt “right” to me. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced such joy and freedom in the writing process as I did when I wrote Blessings.

***

We all have our stories to tell – everyone has something of value to share with others – I’m convinced of this. I hope that if you haven’t shared YOUR story, yet, you will find the means to do so. Your story is important. YOU are important.

***

In celebration of the tenth anniversary of its publication, the kindle version of Blessings: Adventures of a Madcap Christian Scientist can be purchased for just $2.99 on Amazon for the next week or so. What a deal, right? I mean… $2.99 is less than you’d pay for a 12 ounce mocha at Starbucks. Or a pack of 24 pencils at Staples. Or a tortilla lime chocolate bar from Komforte Chocolates.