What an incredible feeling to cross the finish line: We are published authors!
We received our author copies on September 13th, and holding the finished book in our hands felt surreal. It truly felt like giving birth and holding our newborn for the first time.
My previous Substack poetry post, “A Labor of Love,” expresses the wonder and awe of nurturing a creative project and finally releasing it into the world. Seeing our book listed on Amazon and Barnes & Noble (and sharing copies with family and friends) has been one of the most gratifying experiences of my writing life.
Several of my poems have appeared in anthologies, and my master’s thesis in education went through the university publication process. But this book is our baby, our creative firstborn, and we couldn’t be prouder.
So, where do we go from here?
Our mission is to use our book, Waves of Resilience: 12 Principles of Interabled Love as a platform to support people navigating disability, chronic or acute illness, caregiving, and interdependent relationships—experiences that may eventually touch all of us. We hope the 12 Principles for Interabled Love can help relationships weather life’s storms, regardless of external circumstances.
Major life changes can reshape how people communicate, share responsibilities, and support one another. Drawing on our own experience, we want to offer practical ways for couples and families to remain connected as their circumstances change.
We would especially like to serve disability and chronic-illness communities, older adults, veterans and military families, caregivers, and community groups interested in relationships, connection, and resilience. Ultimately, we hope to develop an interactive workshop focused on strengthening relationships through disability, illness, aging, and caregiving.
Now we’d like to hear from you: Is this a conversation your community needs? If so, where do you think it could be most useful?
Please share your thoughts in the comments. Your feedback will help guide our next steps.
