What better day to release a book for single mothers than on International Women’s Day?

How’s it hanging, awesome readers!

First off, do not ever let me say that again. How’s it hanging??? What are we? The 1960s?

Okay. Now that I got that off my chest, let me start again. Today is pub day for my book, SUPERWOMAN: A Funny and Reflective Look at Single Motherhood.

This book has been living inside of me for decades and it’s now out in the world. The significance of it being released on International Women’s Day is HUGE. If you’re a single mother, you know what I mean by that. International Women’s Day, a day dedicated to celebrating women’s achievements, is practically “single mother” spelled backwards.

This will forever be a day more important than my birthday. It’s the day that I get an opportunity to share a message with other single mothers. I’ve been there. It’s damn hard. It’s a journey of tears, frustration, and confusion. It’s also a journey of laughter, discovery, and wonder. You feel alone, and at the same time you realize that you’re stronger than you ever thought you could be. You’re a bad ass. You kick ass. And yet on many days, you feel like a dumb ass.

There’s something humbling about writing and sharing parts of your life that make you cringe. Parts of your life that, now that you know better because you’re so much wiser … older … more experienced in the ways of life, you wish you could go back and redo. But you can’t because that’s not how life works. What you CAN do though is share your dumbassness with others so that they can perhaps learn from your experiences. 

Except SUPERWOMAN is not just about spilling regret or guilt on the page. It’s also about remembering the good things. The things that you absolutely never want to forget. 

As I write this, I’m imagining me at 90 *fingers crossed* and re-reading a book I will believe to have been written by a stranger because by then I may not even remember who I am. As I read my own story, I’m imagining 90-year-old me thinking, “Oh I would have loved to hang out with her!” And then, “Hey waaaaaait a minute. This story sounds vaguely familiar.”

And then I’ll ring for my nurse and ask her who this stranger is and how she managed to stalk my life and the nurse will give me a handful of pretty, pink pills and I’ll fall asleep until it’s time for afternoon tea and social biscuits. Ah yes. My future is definitely looking good.

But wait. I’m getting ahead of myself because SUPERWOMAN is not just my story. I want to thank all the women who shared their triumphs and challenges with me so that I can give you, awesome readers, a glimpse into their lives. A peek at the day-to-day strength it takes to face the challenges of solo parenting. 

In SUPERWOMAN, you’ll read about a woman who became a mother when she was still a teenager. You’ll read about a woman who was coerced into pregnancy because she was raped. You’ll read about a woman who alone, raised a special-needs child. You’ll read about a woman who realized that she was giving all of herself and her love to many men; different faces, but they were all the same lesson. You’ll read about a woman who put her career on hold to focus on her children. And so many more. What do these women have in common? They are all Superwomen. Thank you for sharing your stories with me.   

I want to thank everyone that pre-ordered the book. Your support and encouragement mean the world to me. Thank you.

I want to thank everyone that received an advanced reader edition and who took the time to either leave a review or reach out to me to tell me how much the book meant to you. Thank you. 

And of course, this long-winded thank-you would not be complete if I didn’t thank Holly from Cynren Press. She found my book proposal, read it, and SHARED MY VISION. As a writer of quirky thoughts, and unicorn of the unconventional, you have no idea how much this validated my existence and all the crap I survived as a young, single mother. Thank you.

Am I rambling? I’m rambling. But it’s an important ramble. I feel all this gratitude that I’m able to do what I believe is the reason why I’ve been put on this planet. We’ll call it “my purpose.” And what is that, you ask? It’s sharing my words with y’all. Whether it’s to entertain or inform, it’s telling the stories in such a way that you’ll get something from them. Sometimes that something is a simple smile or chuckle. Other times that something is deep and meaningful.

As you may have heard me say eleventy thousand times since the journey of this book began, I wrote SUPERWOMAN to remind other single mothers that they are not alone. This is important to me because feeling alone while at the same time carrying the world on your shoulders … there’s no other way to say it. It sucks.

My other reason for writing this book is because I believe that the saddest thing in the world is forgotten potential. SUPERWOMAN is my way of reminding single mothers, and women in general, that you need a purpose. Without a sense of purpose, life can feel pretty empty. Now of course being parent to little mini-mes is one of the most important roles any human can play in another’s life. The key to doing it well, I believe, is in finding the balance between giving your all to your children, while still keeping a piece of yourself FOR yourself.

So now let me tell you what this book is not. SUPERWOMAN is NOT a man-bashing spillage of resentment. SUPERWOMAN is NOT a pretentious pity party.

This is the book I would have needed to read when I was a young, single mother and felt alone in my freak circus-act of juggling all the things. The kids. The job. The homework. The meals. The budget. And don’t even get me started on the laundry. 

My wish for you, dear reader, is that SUPERWOMAN remind you to appreciate your kids TODAY. Treat your role in their lives with precious sincerity. Treasure your time with them as you teach them things like respect, and courtesy, and kindness, and integrity, and self-confidence. Teach them by showing … not telling. 

And do not ever forget who you are. A mother. Yes. And that is important. But before that you are an individual with hopes, dreams, and aspirations of your very own. 

Want to know more? Here are a few Goodreads reviews. 

SUPERWOMAN is available wherever books are sold, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Chapters Indigo.

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