09/12/2022
Thank you everyone for your patience while I worked on finishing my memoir. I want to thank everyone for purchasing the book back in July, but it was never edited, so now the new revised book is available on Amazon at this link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BDXLYPGN/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1BVNP8OLRUJHG&keywords=when+being+strong+is+your+only+option+book&qid=1662933953&sprefix=When+Being+%2Caps%2C104&sr=8-3
Below is the new introduction which explains everything. Thanks for reading and please share with your friends.
Love, Merica
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Throughout my extremely dramatic life I’ve frequently thought about writing my story. In 2015, my friend Nicole’s mother, Diane Jacobson, said, “Merica, I want to help you write your book!” I was excited to finally get this process started.
We spent many hours talking and recording my stories that she intended to later transcribe. After a long fight with breast cancer, Diane passed away two days before my birthday in 2018. As sad as I was at her death, I was still determined to continue the process and finish the book.
After several attempts at making my story come alive — and lots of dead ends — I decided to hire a ghostwriter. She helped me with conducting the interviews, separating the individual perspectives, and transcribing all of the stories so that they flowed together.
Now that I had my first manuscript I contacted a publishing company. I was so excited to be part of this organization. So I managed to come up with $4,500 for the “whole publishing package” that supposedly would include copyediting, an original title and cover design, marketing mentorship and a company retreat! To make a long story short... I got ripped off. No copyediting was performed, no title possibilities were offered, no cover design was provided, no marketing mentoring was offered. Nevertheless the “publisher” still uploaded this sub-standard/unedited version of my book to KDP/Amazon.
I made so many sales with this version of the book that it quickly reached “ #1 New Release” status. Then, I needed to take it down from Amazon to correct manuscript and design a proper cover, and lost my #1 status.
Eventually, I found a local editor/book designer who applied her copyediting knowledge and book design skills to create a much better read and a beautiful book.
Please keep in mind while you read each of these stories that everyone involved had different perspectives and memories of the same events.
Life doesn’t come with instructions, but it’s in these difficult moments of our lives where we truly find ourselves. This is an inspiring book based on true events, taking you on an emotional journey through the life of Merica Erato. Merica walks the reader through the heartfelt, intensely power...
