My biggest regret...

After my life collapsed for the third time,?a close friend said to me, “You?need to write a book to help others with what you’ve been through”.

I had the same knowing, but I had been putting it off as we got settled into our new house and our new life.

I felt overwhelmed with doubts and questioned if I was the author’s equivalent of a one-trick pony!

I had written?'The Girl Who Refused to Quit',?but could I write a self-help book? ?

Two weeks later I received a devastating phone call from my dad at 7 am to say that my mum had gone missing and the police had been called. Thankfully, my mum, who had?Alzheimer’s, was quickly found safe and well, but unfortunately, the emotional trauma of realising how bad her disease had got, lasted long after that awful morning she went missing.

It completely threw my newly-settled life off kilter, which had a knock-on effect on my business and income.

I knew I didn’t want to quit my business, but I needed to take the financial pressure off myself while I sorted my head out.

Long story short, I began working on a freelance basis for two companies. ?

A few months later I knew that I wanted to get back on track with my business and to finally get my second book finished.

Two weeks later, my mum was rushed into hospital with multiple blood clots. We were told there was a good chance she wouldn’t live.

Somehow, she pulled through and made a miraculous recovery, but once again the stress affected me on a deeper level.?

On the 1st June 2017, I knew it was time to pick my pen up again, I had this overwhelming desire within me.

I knew that I had to get my book finished, and quickly. I was still running my business, working two freelance jobs whilst working around school hours bringing up my children.

I kept my focus, and made sacrifices, and I was so proud to publish my second book,?Rule Your World,?just five months later, on the 1st of November 2017.

My mum and dad were due to arrive at my house later that afternoon, so I proudly?handed them their copy when they arrived.

My dad’s face lit up as he told me how proud he was and how he loved the front cover.

He then passed it to my mum, who looked me straight in the eye and exclaimed,

“Wow, this book looks amazing. Did somebody give it to you?”?

My mum was holding my book in her hand, yet she did not know that the author, her daughter, was standing in front of her.

I walked out of the room with tears in my eyes. My mum passed away in December 2020 and I still?live with the painful regret of not writing my second and subsequent?books fast enough.

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The moral of the story

Nobody has a guarantee for tomorrow.

You may think that you have all the time in the world, but we never know what is around the corner for us or our loved ones.

You may think that this is morbid, but I like to use this sadness as a positive reminder not to?hesitate when you are making a heart-led decision.?

Trust your instincts and if your heart is nudging you forward, follow that feeling.

I have learned my lesson the hard way.

I have shared this story with you in the hope that you will not make the same mistake.

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Do you want to share your story, but you feel overwhelmed by the process of writing and publishing? Becoming an author as part of a team collaboration book is the perfect first step as this can give you a taste of making a difference with your story but without the stress of publishing alone. Click here to find out how you could become an author in my next collaboration book.

It's ok to feel apprehensive - I will be writing a chapter in the new book and I still get writers' wobbles, I just never let them stop me... ...because nobody has a guarantee of tomorrow.

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Cassandra

Director of Welford Publishing

Author of eight books with over 500 reviews.

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