This book has been a long time coming. I vowed a long time ago to share my daughter’s profound words with a wide audience and decided that as a former journalist, my best option was the written word.

But as a journalist, I have to confess that creative writing did not come naturally to me, especially given the young audience. I tried several iterations but could never get the attention, let alone the approval, of a publisher. Had it simply been my message, I am confident I would have given up. But this wasn’t my message, it was my daughters and I owed it to her to see it through. I therefore owe a huge debt of gratitude to Stephen Davis of Phrenetic Press and Chris Whitman, Authorly CEO, for believing in this heartfelt project and turning it into a reality. Obviously, I am also incredibly grateful to the illustrator, Jennifer Nicol, for her instrumental role. I can’t believe we are only a few weeks away from the launch.

“Never give up on a dream,” I told her. “Especially when your children are involved.”

A friend, who had  first heard me enthuse about a potential book, recently found out it was about to be launched. “You never gave up!” she noted, perhaps with a little surprise. “Never give up on a dream,” I told her. “Especially when your children are involved.”

Dreams do sometimes come true. I hope that will someday inspire my children, as they regularly inspire me.