Читать книгу Three For The Road - Shannon Waverly, Shannon Waverly - Страница 2

Dear Reader,

I have to admit, I had an ideal research arrangement during the writing of this “Nine Months Later” story. My daughter was expecting her first baby, which allowed me to become intimately reacquainted with pregnancy and its many joys and woes.

One of those joys was a baby shower that I hosted, an affair my daughter really, really wanted. Not for the presents, she said. She merely wanted a get-together with friends and family to celebrate her pregnancy. She was especially looking forward to the stories women typically swap at showers, about morning sickness and bloated ankles, stretch marks and fifty-hour labors.

I didn’t fully understand until the day of the shower, when thirty women were gathered in my living room. And there in the middle of them was my daughter, enthusiastically swapping stories with the best of them. Entering the sisterhood of motherhood.

It’s difficult to explain my feelings at the time. I just know I was suddenly very glad I’d had the shower and given my daughter her moment.

For as joyous as pregnancy is, it can also be a frightening time. Ready or not, one’s life is about to change, drastically and forever. I can’t imagine going through it without a wide net of support—a loving husband, friends, family. Not only do they minimize the terror of impending motherhood, through their joy they expand one’s own joy, as well.

Writing Three for the Road gave me a new appreciation for the importance of support systems. My pregnant heroine has no one. Not only is Mary Elizabeth unmarried, she’s also leaving home, job and everyone she’s ever known. I found this a most distressing situation! The mother in me wanted to throw a shower for her, surround her with friends and family who’d assure her she was not alone. The writer in me gave her Pete. I hope you approve.

All the best,

Shannon Waverly