I’m Editing Our Book

Back in May, I told you I’d sent off 38,000 words to my editor and was doing my best to rest, celebrate, and trust the process.

What I couldn’t have known then is that life was about to change. Shortly after that post, my mom got very sick very quickly. She died on June 12.

I put the book completely aside for a while—and I’m glad I did. My editor and I agree that stepping away has given me incredibly fresh eyes for this round of edits. I thought the manuscript was good before, but now it’s sharper, more honest, more useful. Grief has a way of cutting straight to the truth. For me, it’s been a scalpel.

I’m braver now about naming what I might have been vague about before—especially when it comes to smashing the patriarchy. What was once a gentle “we can do better” is now a list of actionable steps you can take the day you get your copy. We are no longer messing around.

Here’s the part that’s hardest to say: I won’t get to hear my mom’s reaction to this book. That means I have to be doubly sure—every page, every chapter—that it would make her proud. My mom was the original feminist role model in my life. She told my sister and me in no uncertain terms that we were to be strong, independent women. (She started to regret that slightly as we became strong, independent women—wink, wink.) She pushed us to finish our college educations before we married. She was proud of our professional accomplishments and always wanted our health and happiness. And she was a gifted editor herself—I had really hoped to get her take on this book before it goes to press. I’ll just have to channel my inner Barbara.

So here I am again, back at the desk. Evenings and weekends. Highlighters everywhere. Editing in the margins of life while school is in full swing. And as a full-time teacher in the fall, I truly have ABSOLUTELY NO TIME to do this. And yet—I’m doing it anyway. Because somehow, in the middle of it all, I feel closer than ever to what this book is supposed to be.

Thank you for your patience while I stepped away. Truly. Your support makes it possible for me to come back with more clarity, more courage, and more determination to get this book into your hands.

I can’t wait for y’all to see it.

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