A writer reflects on becoming a Sunday Times bestseller and the emotional toll of revisiting childhood trauma while writing. Her son gave her a Mother's Day poster marking the milestone. She encourages others that confronting fear and imposter syndrome can lead to success.
I just discovered that it is National Book Lovers Day. Who knew? And it made me reflect on my book and the journey with it and also why that poster is in my office and that was given to me by my son on Mother's Day last year because I'd just become a Sunday Times bestseller before that had happened and I didn't believe it. It was something, it was, it was just not, you know, it wasn't real, and so he gave that to me to kind of drum it into me that that had actually happened, which was very, very sweet, and so that's a big memory on there, but it also reminds me of the emotional journey that I went on because books are often wrapped up in so much emotion, and it was for me a hugely emotional journey, not only because I was reliving things in the book that had happened to me in childhood and through my life, but also because I didn't want to write the book. I felt I was an imposter and I would never get away with it, uh, and, uh, and I was scared, uh, and all the lack of self-confidence that came, that was there when I was a child, just all came flowing back, and I had to get over that. And I'm just really saying this because you can You can do it, honestly. The whole journey that I've been on with this has proved beyond doubt that if you face the fear and jump, honestly, you can get there, I promise you. And so happy National Book Lovers Day. Happy National Book Lovers Day.
