After a lot of hard work behind the scenes for the past several months, I’m excited to announce that I have a book coming out! Letters to My Child is written for any parent or caregiver looking for a uniquely personal way of commemorating and celebrating the milestones of infancy and childhood.
Letters to My Child is inspired by the first letter my father ever wrote to me. On the night I was born, my father sat in the hospital waiting room and wrote a six-page letter addressed to the child he was anxiously waiting to meet. He didn’t know who I would become or how I would turn out, but he already loved me and wanted to put those feelings down on paper.
He gave me that letter when I turned thirteen years old, and it’s one of my most treasured possessions. In the years since then, that letter has stayed with me through thick and thin—through high school and university, multiple moves, parenthood, a flood, and all the other ups and downs of life.
I did not fulfill all the dreams my father had for me. Children rarely do; nor should we expect them to. But I have grown into a strong, successful, independent adult with two daughters of my own. Once I became a parent, I understood my father in a way I never had before. In the days following both my children’s births, I wrote my own letters to them, documenting their birth stories and sharing my hopes and dreams for them. I plan to give them my letters when they finish high school, and I dearly hope they find my words as meaningful as I found my father’s.
Every once in a while, I pull out my father’s letter and read it again. Sometimes it’s when I’m facing a challenge in my life and need encouragement. Sometimes it’s when I need a reminder of his love for me. No matter the occasion, I come away feeling comforted and inspired.
As a parent, you have many cherished memories you’ll want to share with your child someday. Letters to My Child will guide you in writing down your most personal thoughts, feelings, and dreams, and assist you in creating a meaningful family keepsake. In your letters, your child will feel your presence whenever they need it, even when you can’t physically be with them.
My book goes on sale 9/27/22, and I’m so excited for the big day! You can learn more about the book and support me by pre-ordering a copy on Amazon.com or Amazon.ca.
Get a Free Book to Review!
Online reviews are very important to a successful book launch, and I have a limited number of free advance hardcover copies I can send to my readers located in the US who would like to take a look and share their thoughts with an honest review on the book’s Amazon page. You are under no obligation to leave a review in exchange for claiming an advance copy, but I love hearing feedback and it makes a direct impact on the success of my book!
If you’re interested in receiving a hardcover copy of the book when it’s published, email me at olivia@thiswestcoastmommy.com with the subject line: Letters to My Child. I’ll send you instructions and a code to claim your free book. (You will also receive a digital download copy while you wait for your physical copy to arrive.) Supplies are limited, so I can’t promise everyone will get one – it’s first come, first served.
I’m so excited for your book, “Letters to My Child”! Your heartfelt approach really resonates with me. I think it’s a beautiful way to connect. It reminds me of the creativity in Geometry Dash Lite, where each level tells a story!
The first time I held my daughter, I tried to memorize everything – the weight of her, the smell of her skin, the way her tiny fingers curled around mine – because I already knew that memory would blur with time. That’s why I started writing letters to her on every birthday, not because I’m a writer, but because I’m terrified she’ll grow up and never really know who I was before she came along. Reading about your father’s letter made me realize I’m not alone in this quiet desperation to leave something real behind, something that can’t be deleted or lost in a phone upgrade. For the letters I’ve already written, I scan each one and use PDFServices to merge them into a single digital archive – the 48-hour auto-delete on uploads gives me peace of mind since I’m handling handwritten originals that can’t be replaced, and I compress the file so it sits safely in my cloud drive for the next fifteen years until she’s ready. Your book seems like a gentle push for parents who want to do this but don’t know where to start, and I think that’s exactly the kind of gift that outlasts any toy or gadget we could ever buy.