When we look back at our worst of times, we find it's our friends' and family's support that brought us through.

When we look back at our best of times, we find it's our friends and family who cheered us on with the loudest of voice.

Without friends and family, we live a lonely life.

Without the support of my friends and family, my book would be sitting idle, collecting virtual dust in the back room of Amazon.com and my website.

Heck, I wouldn't have invested the money to publish it in the first place.

One friend has not only cheered me on, shared her knowledge in indie publishing, but also helped boost my book's exposure to more potential readers.

She interviewed me a few days ago, and included it on her website:

www.elucidations.us/interviews/almarquardt.htm

She has written and self-published three books so far, two as part of a larger series centered around a rock band trying to make a name for themselves in the 1970s. Her characters are well-developed, and she deftly immerses the reader into what the 70s were really like for musicians and other artists struggling for success.

You can find out more about all her books as well as purchase them direct at her online store:

www.elucidations.us/store.htm

With the economy sour and most of us not willing to spend a lot of money on high-dollar items, books are a great alternative.

When my husband and I first married, children were out of the question.

He was adamant about not wanting children, and I could have gone either way. Besides, children aren't something couples can compromise on.

Fast forward thirteen years.

My husband entered a slight midlife crisis, and he realized once he left this earth, he would leave no legacy behind.

The weird part was I changed my mind at the same time he did, although neither one of us mentioned it to the other for at least a few months.

My husband made an offhand comment about children, and a small voice whispered, "Pursue this."

One expensive and painful procedure and three years later, we now have a little boy, nine months old today.

A friend of mine who recently had a little girl herself asked me what the biggest surprise after having my baby was.

All throughout my pregnancy I worried whether or not I would resent the little guy for taking away our freedom (and our sleep). After all, my husband is in his early 40s and I'm in my late 30s. I feared we would be so set in our ways we wouldn't love or give the attention our baby deserved.

I'm a career woman after all. Could I even tolerate three months off work without going insane?

Ha!

The moment I saw my little boy's face, a profound change occurred within me. He became my life. If I had a choice, I would have stayed home.

Here's where being a career woman was not a smart move. My income is greater than my husband's, so we can't afford living just on his.

We worked it out so he works nights and me days, so we don't have to pay for daycare (a $500/month savings at least). Still, even though I come home for lunch every day, those four hours at a time I can't spend with my boy is difficult. My only consolation (and probably to my co-workers' annoyances), are the many pictures of him I keep plastered all over my office and on my computer.

The answer to my friend was this: That I could love another human being so completely, and how much I would love being a mother.

Yes, I get grumpy when he refuses to sleep more than four hours during the night, and frustrated when he fusses and I have no idea why, but the moment my son smiles at me or laughs, all is right with the world.