Book Launch, Kid Parties, and the Flu

The Glamorous "Behind the Scenes"

Hello ♡,

First of all Thank YOU. Thank you to each of you who messaged me in any way to celebrate or tell me you have preordered. Thank YOU for every single preorder. The old friends and the new connections here showing their support, I am so grateful. “Support is a verb” is something I read in a store in Atlanta once. And I felt that. Thank you. One dear friend tells me she ordered a few copies and she is proud of me. I feel that. I believe in the message of this book, thank you for believing in it too. I hope it serves you and every reader.

You may notice the late arrival of our regular newsletter this week… Oh what a week.

I laughed with my mom as she helped me simultaneously put on a 5th grader birthday party and edit a flyer from the publisher marketing team. I had to turn it back in immediately. “This is how it always is,” I tell her as I try to focus on profoundly important words to me, happy screaming and barking dogs in the background. In the middle of the hot chocolate and craft prep, we stooped over my computer splicing out words to get them just right.

The chaos was palpable as I repeated the lines out loud to hear the best combination. My mom weighed in. We landed on the best phrasing. My husband was traveling for work. No complaints here after experiencing massive lay offs, work is a gift. Kids kept happy screaming through the house. It was good, and loud and a lot.

I texted a friend back about my book as I rushed to my first physical therapy appointment, I’d been meaning to go for years. Maybe you can relate? I hope I remember everyone to text back, I think. What a gift that they care. I rush to the office from my own “therapy” appointment to see my wonderful clients.

I cried at lunch with three of my closest friends. This lunch had been scheduled and rescheduled maybe three times? Life is a lot for everyone, but here we were, we persevered through the schedules. I told them what they already knew about the “behind the scenes” struggles to birth this book in the world. And one of them asked the happiest part about this moment of launch. That’s when I cried. “It’s the support,” I said. Tears flowed behind my sunglasses on the restaurant patio. It’s the most unexpected part. Their support. All of you reading and messaging, your support. All of you preordering, your support. You work in isolation, and chaos (see above birthday party moment), and you just keep going because you believe it is right to do so. And then at the top of this hill I just didn’t expect to see all of you. It is the most beautiful part.

My daughter gets sick. We work around how to take care of her. I think through all the emails and tasks and marketing moves I need to make the next day, and my shoulder starts to ache, then my arm. Weird, I thought. I am so behind, I also thought. Then I go down fast with the same flu I have heard about being “the worst” this year. Let me report live to you - it’s true. Whew, this thing is the sickest I can remember being in years. I tried to push through (virtually) with tasks, but my body just couldn’t and needed to rest. My doctor confirmed the flu and prescribed Tamiflu, and I just had to stop. The amount of stupid TV I have been watching is award worthy. You’d be impressed, or horrified. I am lucky to have support to be able to rest, I recognize that with gratitude.

The chaos of everyday life never stops for a book launch, or for anything. In a world and country that is quaking and aching, there is never a quiet peaceful moment it can seem. And for many this is multiplied even more for many more reasons. And yet there has never been a more important time to do what it is you are called to do.

Whatever you are meant to do, do it now. The conditions are always impossible.

- Doris Lessing

Maybe for you that is not a book you feel called to write. Maybe it is your children you are pouring your heart into raising. Maybe it is your neighborhood that has your heart. Maybe you are in a helping profession. Maybe it is your company. Maybe it is supporting your family. Maybe it is where you volunteer. Maybe it is creating art. Maybe it is following your faith somewhere unexpected. Maybe it is using your voice. Maybe it is activism. Maybe it is writing. Maybe it is your own healing. Maybe it is just not giving up - on that thing, on yourself. I don’t know.

But what I do know? From my glamorous “behind the scenes” book launch I know that the conditions are rarely, if ever, cooperative with our calling.

And this is important.

Because far too often we conflate ease with confirmation. We think, “if this is right it will be easy.” And I must report to you live again, it never is. Something being easy, just means it is easy. Something being hard, just means it is difficult. Neither confirms nor denies the validity of your quest. So stop second guessing yourself, and keep going.

Be encouraged. If it is hard and chaotic, you may be right on track. And you may find too, in unexpected moments, like I did, beautiful support and voices that you didn’t even know were waiting for you. Maybe that will be the fruit of what you are working on, maybe it will be the fruit of not giving up, maybe it will be the kindness of a validating friend. Maybe it will be someone holding down the fort when you are sick. But keep going through your own chaos, and may this one little newsletter be a love letter of support to you, for whatever it is. Keep going. May your chaos be the background noise to the sound of your feet on the path you are meant to walk down.

With you,

Monica

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Book News!!

My book got picked up by a publisher in Indonesia!! I am so excited!!

Also, look at my new book landing page on my website: https://monicadicristina.com/book

Preorder here today! Or here! Or here! Or anywhere you want to support!