ABOUT THE BOOK – PART I

Oh, hey! Ça va ? As you may already know, I wrote a memoir; I’m still unsure when I’ll get used to saying that or when I’ll fully register the fact that people are going to have a book written by me in their hands. In any case, today I’d like to answer some basic questions I think people may have regarding The Book. First, why do I seem to capitalize every word related to this project? Well, that is because those things are that important, and only one of each exists. 😁 

I answer four additional questions below, but if there’s anything else you’re wondering about, let me know in the comments or on Instagram. Kay, let’s go!

Contents

What is The Book about?

Did you really include journal entries?

So, why did you write a book?

How does it feel to be a book author?

Prefer to listen?

What is The Book about?

Dreams that come true. I know, I wouldn’t have guessed either.

My desire to write a book emerged after I’d gone through some very painful experiences, which I talk about in my memoir. I talk about my immigration journey in North America, first as an international student in the U.S., then as an international student and permanent resident in Canada. I talk about my pursuit of an old dream and how the fire for that dream eventually stopped burning in my heart, making space for a new dream I never knew I had. I share how I how I gradually regained hope after painful experiences stripped it away, and about how these experiences drove me away from God before eventually bringing me closer to Him. My memoir is a story of finding myself, learning the biggest lesson of my life, and giving a new meaning to the word “happiness.”

The focus is on events that occurred between 2017 and 2024, though I also explore parts of my childhood to put some of my struggles with mental health into perspective. I dive into my journals, text messages, emails, and memories to share my most vulnerable moments.

Did you really include journal entries?

Haha. Yes, I did! And I still can’t believe it. I never wrote in my journals knowing that I would one day expose my thoughts and feelings. In fact, the whole point of starting to journal again was so I could freely express myself without anyone watching, reading, hearing, or judging. I am also quite reserved, so it was frightening to write a book and include even excerpts from my journal entries.

This leads me to my next point: I did not include every single journal entry, and in some cases, I only included excerpts. No one forced me to write a book or include any specific information in it; The Book was actually a secret the entire four years I worked on it—not a single person knew I was writing a book. I deliberately chose to include journal entries and share vulnerable aspects of my journey. If someone was going through experiences like mine and didn’t know who to turn to or even doubted whether their feelings were valid, my hope was that reading my book would help them feel a little less alone. That said, I still have a private life I want to preserve, so not every single thing about me made it into The Book. You will notice, if you read it, that journal entries actually get sparser and sparser as we move closer to the end. There are two reasons for that: one, I didn’t want to eventually bore or disengage the reader with so many journal entries (my book is not a collection of journal entries or a mere transcription of them), and second, I wanted to ensure I still maintained some aspects of my private life.

Sharing what I chose to share was absolutely not easy to do, especially in a culture where vulnerability isn’t always celebrated. I struggled many times with the idea of opening myself this wide to the entire world. And as a highly sensitive person, I know first-hand just how cruel some people can be to someone who shows the slightest sign of what they consider a weakness. I’ve tried most of my life to uphold the image of a “strong” person, using other people’s perceptions as the sole basis of my definition of such a person. I am glad this is no longer the case, and my book played an important role in helping me see things differently.

It was also hard to rewrite my thoughts and feelings, first because it made me relive certain situations, and second, because of how it made me feel to know that anyone who can read could potentially read my thoughts and feelings. Sometimes, I even went back and deleted certain parts from my manuscript; I added them back when I remembered why I was writing a book in the first place.

So, why did you write a book?

This probably goes without saying, but I wanted to share my story. Sure, there are other ways to share stories, but writing is what I felt most comfortable with. At certain points during my time in the U.S., I wanted to share my experience as an international student, but I didn’t see myself starting a YouTube channel and didn’t have the courage to share that experience on other social media platforms. It’s only after overcoming a heart-shattering experience (quite literally) that I started feeling the desire to share my story more intensely.

From the very beginning, my intention with this book has been to provide a bit of comfort to someone somewhere who may be going through what they feel is the worst time of their life. I also wanted to shed light on mental health issues and how they affect people everywhere, regardless of race and religion. There’s still a lot of stigma around mental health, especially among Africans, and I hope my story raises awareness and shows that believing in God and seeing a therapist are not mutually exclusive.

How does it feel to be a book author?

Hmm… to be honest, I don’t quite know yet. I’ve worked very hard on this book and everything surrounding its launch over the past few years, and even harder since June 2024; while I am proud of myself and happy to finally share this project and dream with the world, I don’t yet know how I truly feel. It’s a bit weird. It’s been amazing seeing everything I planned for and worked on for so long come to life, but sometimes I even wonder when I did all that. I’m not exaggerating when I say I cannot believe I did everything I did. And it’s not even just about The Book or The Website or The Company. It’s about me, too. Who am I? How did I get here?

After waiting for so long, after countless setbacks and delays, after doubting my ability to even write a book, after tears of the deepest pain and a hope that was lost, I am finally here. And no word can accurately describe how I feel. So, until I find a better fit, let’s say I am happy, proud, and grateful.

Oh, I am also excited.

On another note, it’s great that I can now speak freely about The Book. I kept it a secret all along, and all along, my WhatsApp About section read “DCTMWT/RDRMDA.” People asked what that meant, but I couldn’t say. Some even got mad at me, but I couldn’t reveal it just yet (especially since I didn’t even know if it would really happen). I just said the letters represented the initials of my first baby’s name. And in a sense, that is the case, though I am delivering it slightly later than the typical nine-month period.

I’ve also found some freedom back in writing in my journals, no longer worrying that I may want to include some of my thoughts in my memoir. Though I selected entries for The Book and kept most promises to myself not to include some, there is one specific entry I initially did not intend to include in my memoir. I changed my mind later while I was writing about that period of my life; if you read The Book, you’ll understand. It’s the one from March 18, 2021.

That’s it for today! Thanks for reading, and don’t forget to comment or send me your questions for next time. Once you get The Book, feel free to tag me on social media and use #DCTMWT (Dreams Come true and Mine Will Too) if you read it in English, or #RDRMDA (Les Rêves Deviennent Réalité et les Miens le Deviendront Aussi) if you read it in French.

Or use both if you want to. 😊

Câlins,

Danielle