Book four made it into the world on April 30th, 2009 at midnite.  Both mother and baby are doing fine despite two weeks of pushing through travel delays and Oprah closing up shop for the season before the birth.

Seriously, writing and getting a book out into the world is like gestating and delivering a baby.  So many unknowns, so much hope and so much a labor of love.

For me, my early book-babies were also entwined with human babies. I signed a contract for Take Yourself to the Top, found out I was pregnant three weeks later and had a bouncing baby boy 9 months after that!  Book two, Living Your Best Life, also had a pregnancy confirmed three weeks after signing the contract but this time there were two babies (twins!).  It took a long time before I was ready to write book three! (Now What? 90 Days to a New Life Direction)

When it came to book four, The Little Book on Meaning, something had changed.  My human babies were a bit older and I had less time to write but much more to say.  I changed genres.  No more straight out, tip-oriented, exercise-based , client justified material.  This time it was from my personal experience and it felt (and feels) difficult to let that out into the world.  It’s like letting one my children go off to school on the first day.  I know they have to go.  I know they are ready in a way, but I have to let go and just let them be who they are and have their experiences good or bad.  So this book had to be let go from the safe clutches of my hands and a few private sets of eyes that have read it and let it go out into the world to be look at, judged, loved, hated or critiqued.

And now, it’s done. It’s out there. So far, the feedback has been really good and I hope it will grow up, do the right thing and serve others well.  Just like I wish for my kids.