Those are words I never dreamt might apply to me. Author. Of a book. Yet here I sit. A published author. It's 
been a long journey. Three years ago, Michelle Lamar called me and asked if I might like to write about the daily happenings in my crazy life on her new blog. I'd been regaling her with stories of my ineptitude as a mother:
- How I regularly forgot to turn things in on time
- How we'd race up to school just in the nick of time
- Or better yet, leave the parking lot to get that forgotten item just as the bell was ringing, etc.
Michelle thought I'd be the perfect addition to fill in some gaps, along with stories from her own (far crazier!) life. I thought this sounded like great fun. I'd always loved writing, and this would be a creative outlet and a nice way to "vent" some pent up frustrations. Here's how the conversation went from there:
Molly: Sure, what the heck? What's the name of your blog?
Michelle: (with a sly smile): White Trash Mom
Molly: (spewing my cafe Americano): Say it again, please?
Michelle: You heard me, sister. White Trash Mom!
Molly: (visibly nervous/horrified/starting to sweat on the palms...): Why the hell did you name it THAT?
Michelle: 'Cuz' I'm a total smartass...you know that!
Molly: (soon to be Tacky Princess): Well, that goes without saying, but...I don't get it.
Michelle: (having already dubbed herself the Queen of White Trash): Look. It's really not that trashy. It's just...look at all the moms in the parking lot every day. Perfect hair. Perfectly dressed. And then look at us. Well, you look pretty good...most of the time. OK, now look at me. I take my kids to school in my pajamas every day. I'm lucky if they get there on time.
Molly: Me, too.
Michelle: See? That's what it's about. White Trash Moms embrace that.
Molly: Taking their kids to school late all the time?
Michelle: Noooo...(sighing, as if I just might not make the white trash mom grade after all...). It's about being imperfect as a mom and being OK with that. Embracing it! And to hell with all the perfect moms! As if!
Molly: Oh. Well, I can live with that.
And that was that. I started writing for White Trash Mom. In deference to "the Queen", I became Tacky Princess. And the rest is history. Our online numbers got better and better, and the next thing you know, Michelle's "little" blog started getting national attention. Then, she started talking about writing a book. There's nothing small about Michelle Lamar...
Tacky Princess: A book? Really?
Queen of White Trash: Yes, a book. Why not?
TP: Wow, I never thought about that. A book. Sounds cool.
The Queen: I've already written most of the proposal. Do you want in?
TP: Sure!
And again, we were off and running, Michelle leading the way. And the next thing you know...
- She found our super agent, Levine Greenburg
- They found our wonderful publisher, St Martin's Press
- And the rest is history
Or so the story goes. And here we are. Published. It's a little surreal, really. After countless hours of writing and edits, etc. The book is really here! OK, enough already...
Cheers.
