I've neglected the blog a wee bit
lately. Sorry about that. But with good reason!
I’ve been so busy with book
promotion, (how weird is THAT
sentence?!), my real life full time job and stuff at home in my personal life
that I feel like I've barely stopped to catch my breath let alone pen a blog
post.
So here's
what's happening. My first (and hopefully not
last) book on living with Crohn’s Disease ‘Go Your Crohn Way’ came out 5th
May!
Since my
first book was published it's been an incredibly exciting time in my life, a genuine
whirlwind and I've cried a LOT of happy tears.
The outpouring of
love I have received since the book was published has been overwhelming and
completely unexpected! Not that I think
my friends and family are monsters
who wouldn’t support me; but because I have been totally single-minded in
focusing on doing the work (of which there is a LOT) to get it out into the
world. I hadn’t stopped to think that other people would particularly care, or
be in any way affected by something I had written. But at the end of the day I WANT
people to be affected by the book: isn’t that the whole point? To raise awareness
of an unspoken condition, to help give an understanding of life with chronic
illness, and to help those suffering feel they are not alone and capable of
living an AMAZING life? YESSSSSSS.
I had no idea having
a book published would all be such an emotional experience! It’s not just my
friends and family who have showered me with praise and encouragement, its
people I’ve ‘met’ online, on Twitter and Facebook and through my blog. People I
know well and people I don’t. How wonderful is that?
I suppose the
subject matter of the book and the fact that it’s so personal has emphasised
how people who love me are reacting to it. It feels to me a very cathartic
experience; I’ve also found myself in a privileged position of putting
something out into the world that may help people feel less afraid, isolated
and alone. I wrote this book because it’s something I would have loved when I
was diagnosed. I wanted to know that I’d have a life beyond my illness –
something I didn’t think possible when i was being pummelled into
insignificance with descriptions of my unsightly bowel and medical terms I
didn’t understand.
I cannot describe
how exciting it is seeing you all with your copies of MY book. When my partner saw his name on
the inside cover (it’s dedicated to him, my parents and wet wipes) it was so
incredible I wished that I could see his face could stay that way forever. It’s all such a surreal experience and one I
never thought would actually come to fruition. Every day is a treat and I don’t
care that the hype will inevitably die down because my book will be in people
bathrooms for years to come and I LOVE that fact.
I truly hope you
enjoy it. And if all else fails, it’ll make the most luxurious toilet paper.
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