So, I’ve Got an Essay in Good Housekeeping (Print!) Magazine…

Alright, so I know the title of this post sort of gives away the surprise, but I had to grab your attention, after all. And now that I do have your undivided attention, you might as well stay for the party! What’s that, you ask? A Party? Oh. YES. You know there is most definitely going to be a party because…I’VE GOT AN ESSAY IN GOOD HOUSEKEEPING PRINT MAGAZINE!!!

Yes, you DID read that correctly! My newest writing clip is in a national glossy women’s magazine! The holy grail of my dreams as a freelance writer!

(Side note: Since I’ve always been a keeper of dates, it’s interesting to note that it’s been exactly 10 years since my last byline in a glossy! Isn’t it funny how things work out sometimes?)

Anyway, I’m *still* on a publication high and have been SO EXCITED to share this story with you for a few months now! The essay is called “My Dad Made Me Feel Beautiful” and appears in the June issue, which is on newsstands NOW. In a nutshell, it’s about the intersection of beauty and my physical disability and how I’ve reconciled the two over the years with the help of my father. It was with my father, not my mother, that I remember taking me on my first trips down the beauty aisle — something he was perfectly comfortable doing — and from whom I learned my first lessons about true beauty and where it comes from.

The Backstory: I’d actually had the idea for this essay floating around in my head for a good year or so before I even pitched it. I knew I wanted to aim for print with this one and Good Housekeeping has long been one of my favorite magazines! Seriously, even as a teenager, I loved the magazine — shout-out to Heloise, one of the magazine’s long-time, classic columnists!

Anyway, I submitted a pitch to an editor in February and she replied that she was interested in the idea and asked me to write the essay. After I sent the first draft, she said there would be some edits to get it in shape for the mag and asked if I was up for it — YESSS, I thought. I revised the piece and she ultimately accepted it in early April.

It was certainly a whirlwind couple of months, but the experience was amazing and totally worth it! I can’t say enough nice things about the editors — they gave amazing feedback and were really supportive of my vision for the piece. Whenever I write about my father, I sometimes get a little nervous because I wonder what he’d think. I just hope he’d be proud of me and I wish he were here to read it.

Make sure you check out the magazine this month if you get a chance! Thank you to everyone who’s emailed me with your thoughts about the piece! I hope you know just how much it means to me! I love hearing from you, so feel free to email me (mellow1422@aol.com), Tweet me or send a message on Facebook and we can chat!! xoxo