010312A Abel and Jacob

This Christmas season was one of the best I've ever experienced. Jacob BELIEVES in Santa. I can't think of anything better than watching a 6-year-old in Spongebob footie pajamas dancing around a living room so excited that Santa is really going to come! I think Abel had a pretty good Christmas, too, but it hasn't all been peaches and cream. Things have been going well, but I don't want to leave anyone with the idea that everything is okay. Mama didn't kiss the boo-boo and make it all better. (Would that I could!) Before dawn one morning recently, Abel knocked on my door and announced that he thought he was having a panic attack. His heart was beating rapidly, he couldn't sit still let alone sleep. We went downstairs to talk, and did so for more than two hours.

And here I go with another conflict. When I wrote the other posts that eventually went into the book, it was all in the past. Somehow, it seemed okay to share, as long as I protected our privacy. Now, I hesitate to discuss the details of what Abel and I discussed the other morning because I feel like I would be breaching a confidence. There was so much rage in what he shared with me, and unless you are a parent of a traumatized child, you might be shocked at the form that rage took. Truthfully, I'm going to have to do some more thinking, as well as talking more with Abel about what I should share.

I guess for now, I want you to know that it hasn't and it doesn't all go away when they become an adult. The purpose of this blog, now, is to share our experience with this transition from boy to man. I just have to figure out how to do that without betraying my son's trust.

010312 Marketing

There are many reasons I wrote RAISING ABEL.

• I knew the story could help others in a similar position.
• I believe in the saying, "Write what must not be forgotten" (Isabel Allende).
• I also wrote it to sell it.

I've had a terrible conflict about attempting to profit off this story. Somehow it doesn't seem right. At the same time, though, I have two boys and myself to raise.

So, I'm taking the gloves off. The marketing push begins in earnest. I just wanted to warn you all, probably because I'm still a bit uncomfortable with the idea of charging around the internet asking people to buy my book. Sort of seems presumptuous. However, I'm going to do it anyway. And, if any of you see fit to spread the word about RA, I'd be grateful. I'll post the link to Amazon, below, should any of you care to share it.

Thanks!

http://www.amazon.com/Raising-Abel-ebook/dp/B0063UL91U/

It took me ten minutes to push the "Publish Post" button. I think I'm going to have to get a bit more assertive with this marketing thing...