10-9-8-7-6-5... Launching a brand-new ebook!

I've been working on a secret project. And now it's no secret anymore. I am proud and pleased and thrilled and [insert all manner of adjectives] to announce the launch of a brand-new anthology. An ebook anthology. An anthology of pieces by 32 Australian parenting bloggers.

Seriously. The excitement!

Things They Didn't Tell You About Parenting ($4.99, buy it here) came from a late-night idea, some late-night emails, and many more late nights of writing and editing and Skyping and pleading and cajoling. It came from a desire to help one Australian mum help 12 orphaned Indonesian girls to enjoy a better life, and to help many others to acquire an education. All proceeds from the book go to Foundation18, established by humanitarian Cate Bolt, whose passion and drive and sheer bloodymindedness are second to none.

One thing about Cate is that she makes you think. She's all over injustice and getting involved and making a difference. She's not averse to making people uncomfortable about their own comfortable lives, if it helps her to help others.

She made me think about what I could do.

It's easy to have an idea. Not so easy to bring it to fruition. "An ebook would be good," I thought.

Next thought: "I have no idea how to make an ebook."

Fortunately, I knew someone who did. So I called Tracy and Mal at Ebooks Need Editors and, just like that, the ball was rolling. It picked up momentum as soon as we approached our wonderful, talented bloggers - every email we sent out ("Er, we're thinking of doing this... will you write something for us?") was met with a resounding YES. And soon the pieces came flooding in.

Mrs Woog wrote about raising an individual.

Naomi from Seven Cherubs wrote about how she's not the parent she thought she would be.

Kerri Sackville wrote about the crushing responsibility of being a mother.

Eden wrote about the best and worst day of her life.

Maxabella wrote about Smacking (because she does love a good argument).

Chantelle from FatMumSlim wrote about the anxiety that comes with overwhelming love.

Carol Duncan wrote about handling the stiff questions.

Lori from Random Ramblings of a Stay at Home Mum wrote about unexpectedly becoming a single parent.

An Idle Dad drew clever lines between conversations about colic and conversations about potholes. 

Jo McComiskey from Beautiful South created a cover image to sum it all up.

And that's just a sample. Some of the pieces made us laugh. Some of them made us want to cry. And some of them gave us those goosebumps you get when the writing creeps under your skin.

Some are voices that you will know. Some will be new. And when the inimitable Wendy Harmer added her voice to our mix, writing the foreword for our book... well, picture me dancing around my study.

I am so proud to be part of this wonderful anthology. I am so proud of the wonderful team of editors and bloggers who banded together to write a terrific book and raise money for Foundation 18.

Just... proud.

You can learn more about Things They Didn't Tell About Parenting and buy it here for $4.99. Please do!