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| The engine is of the 1979 Harley Davidson Dyna Wide Glide, the bike my Daddy rode Cover art by Bryan Giardinelli, Hire The Stache. Bryan is a brilliant artist! |
After we arrived in San Diego in the Autumn of 2013, I sat down in Rebecca's Coffee Shop and started writing about our Road Pickle Motorcycle Bohemia. I wanted to share all of the amazing things I had learned on the road, each lesson as it unfolded, but I found my blog alone to be restrictive. So many of my lessons had huge back stories that accompanied them, making it nearly impossible to condense each story into individual articles.
"I'll just write this now and see where it goes. . ."
Even though Steve and I ended up going back on the road, I was determined to finish my manuscript. I wrote each week until finally, I had nothing more to say.
I needed an editor, so my friend Bonnie referred me to Jules of Novel Doctors. Jules was a godsend, arranging my scattered mess into something that better resembled a single story, making plenty of notes.
"I want to hear more about this," she wrote time and time again.
I tackled each note in the first round of edits, and then came the second round.
"Tell me more about this!" she wrote with enthusiasm and kindness.
Jules did a wonderful job of coaxing that little girl out of the dark to tell her story. She was so reaffirming, so kind, so gentle and so loving, that child inside of me felt safe to step out and speak. I realized I had to open the Pandora's Box of pain, so I needed to know that I would be treated with kindness and protected. Jules saw to it that these things were accomplished.
I sat in the Residence Inn in Scottsdale, AZ and poured out my soul. All of the painful memories tied with these huge realizations came through my keyboard. I spent hours sobbing, being consoled by Steve, as I plodded the course to completion. (My poor, sweet, patient hubs!)Finally, in December 2014, the manuscript was complete. Steve and I put together the final pieces with the help of Bryan Giardinelli who created my cover art, Lisa Brouwer who wrote the Foreword, and Janet Doré who took my headshot. I've submitted the completed files to a friend who is loading it onto the eBook retailer sites for us.
It took a year to ride, a year to write, but a lifetime to create. The tale is of my abusive childhood, my miserable marriage, my mistakes and my lessons, all rolled into a year on the road.
That "Helmet Time" is some powerful healing, as any long road rider can attest.
People often tell me how lucky I am, and in a certain way, I agree. But I wonder if they had to live my entire life if they would still classify me as "lucky". I don't particularly think of myself as lucky, or special, or unfortunate. We all have our stories and mine is just as unique as anyone's. Perhaps I'm just lucky enough to share it with others.
I feel blessed to be a writer, a poet, and an author. It sure feels good to give a voice to a little girl that spent her childhood needing to be heard. That's what this book is. It is that little girl coming out of the shadows and to have her say.
"This wasn't right. You treated me wrong. I deserved better."
The power to create a better life for oneself is amazing and within us all.
Rude Biker Chick: Lessons From My Daddy will be available as an eBook Valentine's Day from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Smashwords for $9.99. Thank you in advance for your purchase! If you would like to purchase a printed copy, I will hopefully be releasing those in the summer. I'm hoping to earn enough money through eBook sales to offset some of the printing costs.
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