Ask the Author: Meaghan O'Connell
Answered Questions (2)
Meaghan O'Connell
I took notes in pregnancy and then wrote the birth story at about three months postpartum, which was how I was able to remember so much! When I sent my birth story out as a tinyletter i realized I wanted to write a whole book, and imagined it would touch on pregnancy, breastfeeding, etc. but didn’t know it would be so chronological. Before we moved out of New York (when my son was 5-6 months) I met with literary agents, and worked on the book proposal until his first birthday! And yes started making real progress once he was sleep-trained and in daycare 😂 Then I sold the book when he was about 15 months old and spent the next two years writing and editing it. A few months after the book came out he turned four and I had his little brother, who is asleep on my chest right now ❤️ So a lot has changed and a lot of my perspective has shifted since those early days, but I really wanted to capture the lived experience and what it was like emotionally, to keep it immediate and in the head of my “character” at the time. I wanted to end on a hopeful note, one that wasn’t too tidy but felt true.
Meaghan O'Connell
Very surreal! That people seem to be connecting with it is a huge relief and so wild to me. I am proud, mostly that I actually wrote and finished it. I had so many hang-ups and fears that the writing and editing process forced me to face down and conquer. Now I feel so...free?
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