I joined Facebook in 2007, but didn’t really start to interact on the site until late in 2008. After an interaction with my parents when I came home to visit, I posted part of the conversation as my Facebook status.
People thought it was funny. I appreciated that. The one day I posted a snippet of a conversation I had with my daughter. Again, people thought it was amusing.
Hum…okay, so what I had been writing about for two years was still interesting to others. Good to know.
For the next couple of years, I could share a snippet here, a snippet there and with each share, the post got more attention. People started suggesting that a write a book and include the snippets. At first I laughed the idea off. I mean, I had tried that once before, and it wasn’t exactly a blockbuster idea.
Then again, this was a whole new era. People downloaded books and read them on screens. Ebooks are the norm now instead of being some novel idea that no one thought would catch on.
Huh. Maybe this was a good idea after all.
Earlier this year I started sifting through my Facebook posts and blog posts looking for material that would be interesting enough to put in a book. That took a while, like several months. I actually located blogs I had forgotten I had. I grabbed stories about mom and dad, my daughter, my ex, friends, work, writing…anything I thought might be interesting.
I selected the ones I really REALLY wanted in this book, and then wrote several more because I didn’t want the entire book to be a repeat. That didn’t seem fair or sporting. Of course, unless you’ve been friends with me on Facebook for several years, ALL of them will be new to you. But still can’t put out a book without, you know, writing a book.
And that is the story behind how I decided to write Words from the ‘Rents. I’ve had a request to explain how I felt about the process…that will be a post for another day…but soon, I promise. 🙂
Tomorrow is the BIG DAY! The book goes live. I’m sooo excited. This truly is a dream come true. Getting the proof in the mail and holding it in my hand was one of the best feelings ever. I really hope you all like the book. I can definitely get used to the feeling!
Come back tomorrow and I will have all the links to the book so you can get the version you want. Ebook? Got ya covered! Paperback? Just click the link.
See you tomorrow! 🙂
wordsfromtherents 