It’s been a whirlwind two weeks since my book, Unmoored: Coming of Age in Troubled Waters, launched on May 1st.

One of the clear findings in Dr. Robert Waldinger & Dr. Marc Schultz’s new book, The Good Life: Lessons From the World's Longest Scientific Study of Happiness, was that strong relationships and the bonds they create improve your “social fitness” and form a foundation for a happy life.

Bet you didn’t know that your finished book is just the tip of the iceberg…below the surface is the massive task of marketing on social media.

What happens after you sell your book and why does it take so darn long to publish it?

Don’t congratulate me just yet.

The photo you see of me was taken in Panama fifty years ago. I was seventeen. Wow. Just writing that throws me into panic mode.

If writing and publishing your life story is on your bucket list, here are five things to keep in mind as you begin your journey.

So much has happened in the world. The pandemic is worse. Death tolls are climbing. Hospitals are at full capacity. Then there's the election…

It never occurred to me that one could, like the Monty Python song, “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.”

Today is Father's Day and there will be a constant stream of posts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, videos on YouTube, and even dance routines on TicTok, all celebrating the great dads of the world.

This post is for those whose dads were less than stellar.

While my desire has been to share my book journey toward publishing with as much transparency as possible--including detailing and revealing every success or failure--the roller coaster of events that played out almost daily this past week gave me pause for thought.

One requirement that is now standard is the breadth and depth of your social media reach. God help you if you don't have an Instagram or a YouTube account, never mind the now démodé, boomer-favorite, Facebook.

When I saw that friends of mine were venturing out for groceries and other essential trips without any face protection, I hauled out my rusty sewing machine from my closet, rummaged around for material scraps, and started sewing.

In terms of writing, what will be your POV? Red…or blue?

Yeah, that's me smiling. Happy that I wrote my book. Happy that I signed with a great agent. But completely oblivious to the work ahead.

While the view outside was serene, the ten writers, including myself, were getting a good thrashing inside by our mentor, who, after listening intently to our unrehearsed pitches, proceeded to eviscerate our work.

"Never, ever use that word." This was the advice given to me by a hardened, retired veteran editor, who had perused my query letter as a favor, before I sent it out to the list of agents I'd culled from the tomb, Writer's Digest's Guide to Literary Agents.

After searching YouTube and blog after blog to learn what happens between the start of a book and its publication, I came up with zilch, zero, nada. So, I thought, why not share with those of you who are interested, as I navigate the murky waters of the publishing world.