From time to time in this space, Balboa Press publishes articles written by our authors in which they share some aspect of their self-publishing journeys. These  are the words of Donna Faye Randall, author of “Menopause or Lunacy…That is the Question“. You can find out more about her book at her website menopauseorlunacy.com and her Facebook page. Download our free publishing guide to receive more information on self-publishing your book with Balboa Press. 

Think of Menopause or Lunacy…That is the Question as a very funny sister or girlfriend you can carry in your back pocket, there to answer your questions often before you’ve asked them. Equipped with experience in sexuality education and menopause, a wicked sense of humor, and a couple of degrees in literature and writing, I help women identify their lunacy as menopause, and assure them they are not alone in their menopausal mania. My mission is to provide valuable information in the form of short stories that inspire tears, laughter, and conversation. Also in the mix are ideas about how to navigate the menopause minefield of mayhem and arrive on the other side relatively unscathed. 

The tipping point for me to write Menopause or Lunacy involved a panic attack when the $5000 (or thereabouts, but of course I can’t remember exactly, as usual) payment I’d made via electronic banking (or so I thought) to the credit card company failed to appear on my e-banking records. On the third day of madly checking on the bank website, I made an old-fashioned phone call to learn that I’d mistakenly made the payment to my phone company, who apparently thought I was planning to make lots of long-distance calls, so didn’t call to advise me of my over-payment. Having narrowly averted heart failure and enlisted the help of the bank manager on call on a Saturday morning, once all was sorted out I made another one of those old-time phone calls to thank said bank manager for her help. When I made reference to my banking blunder as being menopause induced, she laughed and confessed to knowing exactly what I meant. I then got one of my then very few bright ideas and asked her if she would buy a funny book of short stories about women in menopausal chaos. Before I had a chance to embellish, she told me to get writing pronto, for the benefit of menopausal women everywhere. So, Menopause or Lunacy was born! I invite you aboard through Feeling Up, Feeling Down; A Mind Brewing Experience; I’ll Never Look Like That!; and Finding Myself, before we get to the other side.

Often people ask me how long it took me to write my book, and when I tell them 10 years they are blown away. I wrote Menopause or Lunacy as I experienced menopause, which I think adds urgency to my finished product. In this case, this is a good thing, given the menopausal journey often seems urgent.

I encourage every person who has a book in them to get it written. You owe that to yourself and to your potential audience. Then be prepared that the editing and publishing process has a life of its own. I chose a local editor who was pretty much through menopause herself, so understood what I was trying to accomplish with the book. I chose Balboa Press because of the affiliation with Hay House, and the idea of my book helping others by way of my own journey. And last but not least, I chose to self-publish because I wanted control over my finished product from bow to stern.

Now here I am in the marketing stage, giving it my all within the confines of my budget. I still marvel at myself to having become a published author and look forward to writing book number two! I strongly recommend that you bite the bullet and work with a publicist from the get go. I’ve waited and now realize I have lost valuable time and energy. I want you to learn from my delay. All that said, go forth and create the book of your dreams!

Balboa Press authors who’d like to share a 350-600 word experience related to the self-publishing of their books, are invited to do so by sending a message through our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BalboaPress, by tweeting us at @BalboaPress, or by emailing dghosh@ balboapress.com. We may not be able to use every story, but we will read and consider all of them. Balboa Press reserves the right to edit stories for content, grammar and punctuation accuracy; as well as for space.