I Wrote A Book
As a little girl, I would sit at the kitchen table writing stories, poems, and all around getting lost in words. I had this dream of one day, writing a book of my own.
Today, that dream becomes a reality.
A lot of people have asked similar things to “how did you write a book? Was it hard to plan everything out?” Those questions left me pondering what I did to write my book, because honestly, at surface level it seemed like a blur.
The truth is, I did what I always do;
I just started.
It was the spring of 2022 and we had rolled into Medina Lake Texas with our bus Blue Betty and our newly purchased cargo van. Our plans were to meet our friends Sandy & Jed up in Washington state to help us build our cargo van into our new VANcation home camper van.
For months, I had this yearning pull to start writing a book. While strolling Walmart one day after arriving in Texas, there was a journal that called out to me. Instinctively, I bought it and took it back to the bus. I began to write my book in it, but it’s important to note, this book I wrote in that journal is altogether different than the one that is being published today.
As I’m writing in that journal, I kept getting this nudge this wasn’t the book I was supposed to write first. Halfway through writing that one, I pivoted and opened up the note pad in my phone.
I began to write my story.
Each time I had a nudge to jot something in it, I did. No matter where I was, even if it was just a sentence or two, I leaned into my inspiration.
Fast forward to the summer of 2024, in August. I was on the phone for a monthly call with my publicist and she said “we need to see a deadline for this book.” I knew she was right, I’m the type of person that if something has a deadline, I get it done.
We agreed that October 1st was a great day because that gave us time to find an editor and work on self publishing. From August throughout September, I was writing.
The day I finished my manuscript is a day that I’ll never forget. It was September 20th, the day after what would have been Ethan’s 20th birthday and later that day, the episode we filmed with Dr. Phil back in June would be finally airing. As with any interview, anxiety can be high not knowing what the final edits are. I decided in the late morning, I’d go for a walk on our 44 acre property in northern New Mexico.
I made it to my “Zenn Jenn Rock Garden & Swing” and opened up the book folder in my phone notes to begin writing.
This book is about my life and I was writing in chronological order, currently up to my serendipitous day. After we’d found the footage of Gabby’s missing van, her mom Nichole asked me to come to her memorial service.
I took a deep breath and let the words flow. It felt like hours, yet no time had passed at all as I wrote my last word and looked up at the sun, seeming to be around 4pm. I took a big stretch and stood up out of the wooden bench swing. I couldn’t believe I’d just finished writing my book.
As I am walking back up our long easement, life just felt lighter. The leaves were greener and the birds chirping made for a cacophony of beautiful sounds. I reach the bus and I saw something that stopped me in my tracks…
There’s the most bright and beautiful rainbow, coming out of the top of our bus!
In grabbing my phone to take a picture, I caught a glimpse of the time, 4:44pm. I grinned as I felt my cheeks get rosy. In that moment, I had this beautiful feeling of calm wrap around me, like a long safe hug from a good friend or a cozy warm blanket nestled by the fire.
In just two hours, Dr. Phil would be premiering and I needed to prepare myself for that. I put my phone away and headed into our bus, Blue Betty.
My publicist was thrilled when I told her finished the book a couple weeks early. She said she would be in New York for a few days but we would find an editor when she got back. When she called me a couple days later though, I was shocked at what she had to say.
She began to tell me she’d ran into an old friend who happened to be an editor, while she was away. She told the editor about my book and the editor asked her to send it over ASAP because she wanted to read it.
Let me tell you, those few days were agony to wait. I had just put my heart and soul into 150 pages, not knowing what she was going to say.
Within two weeks I had a signed publishing deal with Post Hill Press by Simon & Schuster.
Like, what is this life?! My publicist told me a fact that had me bursting with gratitude; only between 1-2% of authors get traditionally published by a publishing company.
Hearing this made me even more thankful for following my knowing and letting the words just flow from my soul, into this book. Since September, it’s been a whirlwind of edits, cover designs, all to publish by April 15th.
I cannot believe the day is finally here.
Soulful Miles: Finding Light on Life’s Darkest Roads is a story of resilience and healing trauma, truly finding peace beyond any level of understanding, no matter what detour life takes you on. My hope is that you take what feels aligned to you and grow with it; leaving what doesn’t.
Not only do I tell my stories, I share the real things I did every single day to be able to find my calm in any chaos that I’m in, so you can too.
Through this experience, one of the many things I’m taking away is that when you follow your nudge and live in alignment, doors open for you. The practices I share in my book are the same ones I personally do every day to live in alignment.
Friend, I know peace can be a reality for you because it became one for me. Let’s walk our healing journeys with one another, and grow down the road together.
🫶jenn
P.S. you can find my book here.
P.P.S. I hope it gives you just what you need to keep growing 💛