And From This Experience I Learned Lessons on Book Writing, and Some Book News

My book, Finding Our Way Forward: When the Children we Love Become Adults , will be in the world on February 21, 2023, and just in the nick of time, because Lord, do I need to read what I wrote.

I had a short-lived conflict with one of the now-adult children I love, and instead of following my own advice, I dove headlong into the argument, centering myself rather than considering my child’s needs and where he’s at right now. (He’s on an air craft carrier, in a geopolitical hot zone. One would think his mom would be more cognizant about the ways this reality might be affecting him.)

Writing this book was hard, but raising young adults can often be harder. I’m hoping Finding Your Way Forward can be helpful for fellow travelers on this parenting journey, as well as for teachers, pastors, and mentors who love the young adults with whom they are working.

The time we’re in right now is especially difficult for young adults, what with pandemics and climate crises and the threat of World War Three. We need all the support we can to help guide them, and I’m hoping Finding Your Way Forward can be part of your toolbox.

This morning, I submitted the final edits for my book, after several rounds of revisions and copy-editing. My immediate take-aways? That developmental and copy editors are brilliant, and also, that I really don’t know the first thing about comma rules.

Here are a few other lessons learned while writing Finding Our Way Forward:

1)    I miss my kids. A lot. Writing this book gave me the opportunity to honor the young men they are becoming, but man would I love to hug them right now.

2)    I know some extraordinary young people, whose voices at the heart of this book; several also read drafts of my work, and were courageous enough to tell me what I’d gotten wrong.

3)    Teaching students to edit is far easier than having to edit my own work.

4)    My writing process includes a lot of time on Twitter. Rage scrolling is a hard habit to break.

5)    Writing can be aspirational, and sometimes we write the world we hope to see, not the world we’re living in.

Now begins the really hard work of marketing my book, with the clock ticking towards its release. If you want me to speak at your retreat, book group, or Sunday service, I have time, and am happy to travel. I’m also planning some other incentives for those willing to purchase and help promote my work.

 You can pre-order Finding Our Way Forward from your local bookstore; from a corporate book seller; or directly from Herald Press. You can also read more at Publisher’s Weekly, which featured my book this week.