Embracing Imperfection

There are many cultures around the world that purposefully damage their manmade crafts in some small way to symbolize the imperfection of life. It took me a good portion of my life to fully embrace this imperfection idea. That being said, I found out there is a minor error on the cover of my recently released book. The importance of a perfect cover in the publishing world is a big deal as it speaks to the quality of the work, but all I can say is It Is What It Is, and it is an easy fix. That's the beauty of print-on-demand publishing. Although, you may find you are are not able to purchase it for a day or two - but not to worry.

This Just In...

My first book reviews for It Is What It Is, An Inspired Guide to Transforming Your Life are now showing up on Amazon! I have also added them to the Book Buzz page in the tabs above. AND Amazon is currently offering my book at 20% off list price, something they do for new authors from time to time. You should note, I have no idea how long the price drop will be in effect. And who knows, maybe someday that first printed book cover may be more valuable!

On a personal note...

Once It Is What It Is was officially available, I felt a quiet excitement and stillness envelope me that I’m still full of three weeks later. Perhaps it’s a huge universal embrace and an outpouring of the gratitude I feel. All I know is that it is something I physically feel like an extended goosebumps moment While I don’t know where any of this book business is going, I’m satisfied that my gift to the universe is finally available. Even though there is an error on the cover, I still feel the quiet excitement and stillness - that's just how I roll these days.

Sharing...

In the book release post, I mentioned how you can help share the love by becoming part of my marketing team. On that note, there have been a couple suggestions from blog followers and I thought I should pass them along to you:

• Donate It Is What It Is to local libraries
• Create a buzz of your own by stopping in at area book stores, show them the book, tell them about it, order copies, see if they might be interested in carrying it.

These are great suggestions and I will follow through on my end as I travel from town to town. If you have any ideas for sharing this book with others, please let me know.


I often feel as if the universe is testing me over and over again. I've come to terms with that by being my best self and not letting things get to me. It's just not worth it - ever! When I initially found out about the cover, I could feel my body letting go of the moment as I let out a big breath. Ironic was the first word that came to mind and I could feel a smile forming as I shook my head and the next words formed - It Is What It Is! I'm going to make sure I keep this edition of the cover to remind me how important embracing imperfection is.

Michelle

Butterfly at Cloudtop photo courtesy of Glenn Scoffield Williams

The Birth of a Book

This is so exciting! I can finally tell you - the water has broken, and I am pleased to announce the birth of my 12.8-ounce book It Is What It Is - An Inspired Guide to Transforming Your Life. And now it’s up to you! What do I mean by that? Since I'm self-published I don’t have a marketing team working with me, and I can only do so much. I would rather continue to write and advance the next chapter, so to speak. If you enjoy the book it will be up to you to be part of something much larger - my marketing team!

Once you’ve read the book, I would like you to consider how you can share the love. If you felt it would be a good read for someone you know, pass it along or buy them a copy and ask them to pay it forward. I would also appreciate it if you would go back to Amazon and comment on this book as that's how books move up in the rankings which will help get this book seen by more people - my intention from the very start. And just so you know, I'll share the love on my end by donating a portion of the sales of It Is What It Is to the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation Research Education and Support Fund, and Seattle Children’s Hospital Uncompensated Care Fund.

I've been updating this website for the book release. Please note my pages have been moved under the header photo and now appear as tabs, and there is an additional page entitled Book Buzz. I've also made it easy for you to buy - just click on the book in the right-hand column.

With the hope of helping others be the best they can be by learning from the circumstances of their lives, I can finally share my very personal journey with you.

A sincere thank you for buying It Is What It Is,

Michelle  💚

3D It Is What It Is photo courtesy of Jim McDavid

Sharing Joy

When I received the proof of my soon to be published first book, It Is What It Is, I didn’t read through it right away. I placed it here and there around the house we were staying at so I could see it wherever I may be. I made sure it was the first thing I saw in the morning and last thing I saw at night. It made me smile from the inside out to see it as a real book - just as I had imagined.

Days later, when I finally held my book in my hands to read, I didn’t get past the first few lines of the preface before tears streamed down my face. As I began reading, missing key loved ones who have died and not being able to share my book with them surfaced and filled me with an instant waterfall of tears. These loved ones were people I always shared my joys with. They were friends and family members that had impacted my life in significant ways as I grew into the person I am today. The tears subsided as quickly as they began the moment I realized what started the waterworks. The brief feeling of melancholy turned to an overwhelming feeling of love. Some may have died years ago, some more recently, but I still feel the love they all had for me. And you know what? I could hear them cheering me on and feel them sharing my joy as I read each word.

Michelle

Book status: the second proof has been ordered and I will receive it soon. While I’ve read the manuscript many times, seeing and reading the real thing showed me a few things I still needed to take care of. But after the second proof, I’ll let this child of mine out into the world. It's been quite a long birthing process! I know there will always be something for me to catch as if it was an insane puzzle constantly hiding errors - word processing can seem to have a mind of its own!  I just have to remind myself to get over it because it doesn’t need to be perfect - it is what it is. I’ll let you know when I have the release date...

3D It Is What It Is photo courtesy of Jim McDavid

Shut My Mouth

I’m a very disciplined person. That may come from nearly 8 years of Catholic school. It was there I learned how discipline could work in my favor; because by listening, I was paying closer attention; by paying closer attention, my grades improved, and getting good grades in Catholic school moved me into the “golden child” level – in other words, I could get away with all sorts of things. So,when I embraced the word Listen for my word theme of 2018, it didn’t surprise me how quickly I adapted to shutting my mouth. Interestingly enough, I’m even sitting up straighter! Sister Angela would be proud.

During the first few days of listening, I was surprised by how much quieter I was. When I was by myself, my brain even stopped reeling with a myriad of jumbled thoughts! I like this. I like this a lot. While I try and live a quieter existence in my head, there’s always been a lot going on up there, so the focus of the year on listening will hopefully guide me to a renewed habit and way of being.

So here’s the thing, there’s listening, and there’s intently listening. I’ve been noticing this when engaged in a conversation and other people are oblivious to the fact that I haven’t even finished the answer to their question when they move on and begin talking about something else. Sometimes I’m mid-sentence! Sister Angela would call that interrupting, and you may have to stand in the corner for a time! I used to try and move the conversation back to the rest of my answer to their question, but I’m finding it best to just shut my mouth and see if anyone notices. So far, that hasn’t happened. I find this oddly amusing.

By reminding myself daily to listen, I can see we really don’t listen as much or as well as we think we do. Whether I’m observing, thinking about something, or in conversation - by intently listening, I’m more engaged and paying more attention. I find my mind is less likely to wander away from whatever it is I’m paying attention to. My awareness to listening is guiding me to see and hear things I might otherwise miss. Funny thing, I’m even more likely to shut my mouth. Sister Angela would give me a gold star for that!

Michelle

Angry Nun photo - I was not able to find a link to credit properly

It Is What It Is - The Book

It Is What It Is

An Inspired Guide to Transforming Your Life

A self-help memoir, It Is What It Is tells the story of how I saved myself from the despair of my out of control health issues after my husband Dennis' stage IV cancer diagnosis. His cancer diagnosis in 2002 was the beginning of a series of changes in our lives that ultimately led to downsizing the safe and secure life we had - to our uncertain nomadic wandering as full-time travelers living in other people's homes. Now, for the first time, I'm sharing how it all began.

I started the first draft of It Is What It Is in 2004 and finished it in 2006. During this initial writing, I did not read what I had written, because emotionally I wasn't ready to revisit what I had written about Dennis' cancer journey. I guess you could say that my emotions were still a bit tender. Over the years, I've continued to edit, edit, and edit my manuscript as life evolved and we moved forward to what has been a massive lifestyle change. Last year, I spent 3 months taking time out of our travels to seriously address the edits. Recently, I was able to tackle the final book layout, and tweaked this and that for self-publishing in CreateSpace, an Amazon.com company. At this writing, I have received the author's proof - as in the real book to review before the release in the next few months. It Is What It Is will be available to you on Amazon.com to order as a soft cover book, and you, my friend, will be the first to know when I announce a release date. I've considered a Kindle version, but have decided to wait on that as it requires different formatting and I didn't want to delay publication any longer!

Self-publishing It Is What It Is has been a complicated process. The writing was the fun stuff! I even enjoyed the editing process to some extent, but it's everything else that became a journey unto itself. Beyond the rules of language and sentence structure, there have been many things to consider such as formatting every single element on the page while working through the steps of the print on demand (POD) publishing world. Friends and family members helped review the manuscript, and I was fortunate to know a very talented graphic artist who helped bring my vision of the cover design to life.

For those who don't know me, I'm a resistant tech geek, of a sort. Dennis is the true tech geek and he makes sure we are up to date on all the latest devices and technologies. I considered traditional publishing, but even a resistant tech geek doesn't necessarily follow traditional ways. So, it seemed more to my way of thinking to do this on my own with the new, at the time, print on demand publishing. POD works this way, you order a book and they print it out just for you. There's not a stockpile of books held in a warehouse. It's your own personal copy! How cool is that? I've always pictured It Is What It Is as a soft cover format with a matte finish - my favorite style of book to hold in my hands. When I began this undertaking, matte finish was not available in the new POD publishing world. Maybe it's a good thing I took this long to publish because matte finish is now available.

This blog began in 2010 as my attempt to continue writing while striving to work through the publishing process. It has taken time away from the forward progress of the book at times, but it's helped me hone my voice and improve my manuscript. From its conception, It Is What It Is had a purpose and became my mission. That purpose was to share with others how I found a way to take control of the circumstances of my life, and see that life in an entirely different way. I knew my story could have a positive impact on anyone at any time they may read my words. I can't wait for you to read It Is What It Is!

Michelle

Photo courtesy of damclark's