Labor and Delivery

It's a bouncing baby...book!

There’s nothing quite like giving birth at age 61!

Before you put me in the Guinness Book of World Records, let me clarify. I’m having a new book, not a new baby. There is much to recommend this type of labor and delivery: no huge tummy and swollen feet for me. No Lamaze classes, either, and no need for pain meds. My new book will not cry constantly, or need to be fed every two hours. Indeed, I can leave it on a shelf all alone for long stretches, assured that it will be just fine. Why, if human babies were this easy to care for, I would have had many more little Seyfrieds! Ten at least! (Pause here while Steve has his heart attack).

Yet there are some parallels between the two experiences. Both conditions have caused me sleepless nights, as I either toss and turn with expectant mom back pains, or with frustration over essays that just won’t come together. As I carry infant and manuscript to term, I alternate between euphoria and intense worry: I am so eager to see the finished product, and proud of my role in the process, yet I also feel responsible for every possible problem or flaw. Is the baby fussy? Must be that enchilada I had for dinner! Is this chapter not the knee-slapper I was envisioning? Why did I ever think I was funny, anyway?

And another thing—once babe and book are out in the world, I have absolutely no control over people’s reactions. I fantasize that everyone will ooh and aah, and ask to hold both of them, but realistically some of my acquaintances are just not nutty about kids, nor are they big fans of my style of prose. I need to focus on the folks who DO think my child is cute, and that my writing has value.

End of comparisons, promise!

The purpose of this post is to announce the impending publication of my fourth book, In Discovery: Thoughts on an Unfolding Life. In the tradition of Unhaling, Underway and Everyday Matters, this new book is about my hectic, mostly happy life and my efforts to find a deeper meaning in it all. Most of the essays are humorous (or intended to be at least); others are somewhat more serious. You will recognize the main characters (Steve, my five kiddos, plus Yaj and the grandbabies); I hope you will also see yourselves in my stories, as I believe we (all of us) share so much in common.

With my usual exquisite timing, the book probably won’t be out in time for Christmas; it’ll be more like a month or so later. Which makes it a perfect Groundhog Day gift, no?

Reading In Discovery may not be a life-changer, but I truly hope you will get a few chuckles out of it, and maybe a little food for thought. A million thanks to you, dear blog followers. You keep me going, from first sentence to last!

Expecting my fourth (baby, not book that time!)

P.S. Let me know if you'd like to pre-order a book!!