Oops, I did it again. I self published a book without much preparation or following any real guidelines at all.

When the new year began, I had been toying with the idea of a spring release of another self-published piece. I had quite a few poems done and thought if I hunkered down and pounded out some more poems, I could get it done by Mother’s Day. I had the title planned out, Laugh Like A Mother, and had a few ideas for a cover. The poems were going to be funny poems about day to day things that Mothers encounter. I also wanted to add at least 5 anecdotes to end the book. The anecdotes were also already written, they just needed some fine tuning.

I became excited and got a surge of creativity from January-February. It was fun and I was excited to be working on a new project. It’s funny how I’m busier than I’ve ever been, what with three children aged 5 and under and a husband to take care of, but I have a greater urge to write than ever before. Maybe because it’s such a good mental release for me and I have an endless amount of inspiration. But I guess the greatest motivation is, it’s something I do just for me. And most everything I do daily is for my kids and husband. Well, I guess the books are for other people because I want people to read the stuff, but I alone am producing the work is what I am getting at.

ANYWAY, March came along and the kids were sick. I got sick. My husband got sick. It was a round robin situation for the whole month. I knew something was going to come because we had been sort of on the healthy side at the start of the year. Anyway, Laugh Like A Mother fell to the wayside. I swear, I personally was sick all of March. I hardly had a voice. I remember my daughter saying to me, “Mommy, I miss your voice. It’s beautiful.” That month was a big inspiration for one of the pieces entitled “The Sickness Cycle.”

April started and we all began to come out of the sickness cloud of March. I finally started to get energy back to write again. My timeline was completely thrown off. I had really wanted to promote this project at least a month or two ahead of time. I wanted to try and do things a little better than my first project, Please Read Me. My first attempt went well and people are still interested in it, but I didn’t really follow any “self publishing rules,” and I wanted to try and be more streamlined with the second one. My husband keeps saying, “so what if you don’t follow the guidelines. The point is you did it and it’s out there now so you can continuously work on promoting it.” And, I mean, he is right. But, SHHH, don’t tell him I said that.

Well, you know what they say about best laid plans. I lit a fire under my rear and finished the book. Another race to the finish. I promoted it a little bit on my social media for about a week and then released it. Now I have two books out on Amazon and I am bumbling around trying to figure out how to get more people to read them. This process has been a lot like Motherhood itself, winging it, learning as I go, fake it till you make it type thing. I have gotten immense support from my family and friends, old coworkers, and classmates. It’s made me realize how many people are willing to show up for something I’ve created. It’s been humbling and I appreciate everyone’s willingness to humor me.

My Mom was a contributor with this book. She helped me pen one of my favorite pieces, “Night Wars,” an epic poem about a sleepless night with children who keep getting out of bed. Story of my life. She also was kind enough to lend her talents by drawing funny illustrations for a few of the pieces. She’s always been good at drawing funny, bizarre doodles, so I asked her to illustrate for me. She was hesitant at first, but I think she really enjoyed it.

The fact that my Mom collaborated with me for this book makes it all the more special that it was released for Mother’s Day! A mother/daughter creative piece. I like to think I get my humor and lyrical talents from her.

So, if you please, spread the word about my latest creation. It’s a hoot!

@katesprandioells

LAUGH LIKE A MOTHER available on Amazon. Humorous, relatable poetry about Motherhood! Get it in time for Mother’s Day!! #motherhoodunplugged #selfpublishinglfpublishedauthor #momlifebelike #mombloggersofig #amazonkdpcreator

♬ Lion King – Big-Reg