Help me make my dream become a reality!

Big Time Journey of a Small Town Girl has been a personal project that I started writing when my husband and I moved to Barcelona a little over four years ago. Now, living in Washington DC, I feel it is time to share my story with others. I am collaborating with Publishizer, a crowdfunding platform that works with new authors, helps them promote their books, and matches them with publishers. By increasing pre-sales, it demonstrates to potential publishers that there is an already established audience for the book and that it is a good investment for the publishing house to make. P

Inspired by a childhood friend, Ellie Hawkins, who gave me the title of the book, Big Time Journey of a Small Town Girl, and motivated me with her kind words of encouragement. I have taken my life growing up in middle America, sharing life’s triumphs and pit falls so many of you can relate to, and put it into print. It is by sharing my wisdom, that I hope you will find resonance.

Growing up in Iowa, my adolescence wasn’t just characterized by the stereotypical Friday night football games and homecoming parades, but it had been plagued by my mother’s infidelity. I, her 13-year old daughter, was charged to keep her secret hidden until one night the burden of grief became too much to bear. That was the beginning to their relationship’s dismal end. The lies no longer weighed heavy on my heart, but that did not offer any solace to the rejection I felt at home. My mother felt betrayed and my father thought I was creating unwarranted drama. It wasn’t until years later he threw in his white flag and finally let his high school sweetheart run off with her lover. My parent’s melodrama set the stage for my early twenties. Having marred my vision of a healthy relationship, I was left grasping for affection from every angle. 

One day, I woke up from the daze I was living in, realizing it was a complete lie. My heart was crushed to find out my boyfriend got engaged the day before he broke up with me. This slap in the face forced me to open my eyes to all the red flags, his addictions, my exhaustingly long working hours and stagnant career. I had been naive. The harsh reality I then faced head on revealed to me, more clearly than anything, that I was no longer living the life I had envisioned. I was stuck. I stopped dreaming. I had put in so much of myself in a man, that what remained of me was a sorry figure of a woman. 

Moving abroad was a change and an investment. Leaving behind all the familiarity and security I once called home, life started when I dared say goodbye to my past. 

“Change is scary, but you know what is scarier? Allowing fear to stop you from growing, evolving, and progressing.” – Mandy Hale

I set out on a mission to be selfish, to follow my hopes and all my desires. I had been dependent long enough and had to shed the hurt and fear that only served to cripple me. I sought to redefine my life. Living out of a backpack was liberating. Trekking across Europe, I met individuals who inspired me, taught me lessons about what life could and should be like. 

In this inspirational travel memoir, I share my life’s experiences growing up in small town middle America to landing on the international stage in Brussels, Belgium and Barcelona, Spain. Having been shaped by the misgivings of toxic parents to realizing my worth through a failed relationship, I ultimately won. I paved the life of my dreams through challenging circumstances and want to help others do the same.  

How can you help? I can’t do this without you! You are imperative in the process. I would love to see you buy 1, 2 or even 3 books. That would be fantastic! Please share the word and help me meet my goal of pre-selling 500 copies of Big Time Journey of a Small Town Girl and landing a traditional publisher!

I wish you all the best on your life’s journey!