From Grief to Inspiration: Why I Started My Self-Publishing Journey

I started my journey as a self-published author with my first children’s book, A Girl and Her Grandpa, because I wanted to honor the legacy that my late Grandfather left behind. 

Grief is weird. One day you’re perfectly fine, and the next you feel like there is a sad, dark cloud over your head. I really missed my late Grandpa (or Papa as his grandkids affectionately called him). I missed him regularly, but due to the recent passing of our family’s favorite athlete, Kobe Bryant, just a few weeks before, it felt like a blanket of sadness was covering me on this one day in particular.

As I sat at my work desk in February 2020, staring at work I truly didn’t feel like doing, it hit me. I should write a book. The thought seemed random, but writing a book was my childhood dream and I really needed to feel passionate about something positive. Things were winding down at work due to the beginnings of the pandemic wreaking havoc and I truly had the time to write since everything else was in a disarray. 

I opened up a Google doc and it looked like a blank canvas. All these years that I wanted to write a book, and for some reason, I finally got the conviction to just go after it. I took a look at a crumpled up note in my wallet that my Papa mailed me when I was in college that reads, “I am so proud of you”. I brought it with me everywhere for comfort and on this day, it served as one of the greatest catalysts of my future.

As I started typing, the words just flowed. What did I write about? My special bond with my Papa. What better way to start my official writing career than to write about one of the most influential relationships in my life! 

That is where A Girl and Her Grandpa was born. At a work desk, on a gloomy day, on the cusp of a pandemic, in an attempt to push past grief, I wrote my first children’s book. When I got all of the words out, I sat back in my chair in awe and disbelief. I wrote this book to celebrate the special bond between a grandpas and granddaughters, highlighting some special activities that my Papa and I shared throughout my childhood.

I took the next several months to research everything I could on self-publishing, turning what once seemed like a distant goal post into one that was realistic and staring at me in the face. I put the time in, learned, failed and began to build my team to get the project completed.

I had an overwhelming response when I released the book in November 2020! It is to this day one of my bestselling books. I have recently released the book’s 2nd edition, which takes all the love from the original edition and remixes it into a beautiful and sentimental rhyming story, perfect for kids ages 4-8. To take it a step further, I also wrote a boy version titled, A Boy and His Grandpa! I want grandpas across the world to be celebrated and honored by these books.

These books are also designed to be keepsake gifts, with special activity and coloring pages to complete together in the back. I want these books to be the books from your childhood that you find in a box of your old things that has a tangible representation of the bond between a grandpa and his grandchild. A Girl and Her Grandpa has even been used to introduce my own Papa to my son and baby cousins who did not get a chance to meet him.

When I think back on that gloomy day, I now smile because I know my Papa was looking down on me and giving me the push that I needed to start walking in my purpose. Remembering my why keeps me motivated to continue to bring books to life that uplift and empower children and families around the world.