Madeline Sheppard and Rachel Durocher released their first book in early July which takes a comedic look at motherhood and raising children. \u00a0The illustrated book is aimed at parents, and Durocher emphasized, \u201cIt\u2019s like Dr. Seuss from sassy moms, a children\u2019s style book written for adults.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will make other moms and parents feel validated and seen and know that they\u2019re not alone out there,\u201d Durocher added. \u201cWe\u2019re all in the thick of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sheppard crafted the prose and Durocher illustrated the book. The title provides an apt description of what lies upon the pages \u2014 Pure Bliss – A Hilarious Parody Book About Pregnancy, Early Parenting, and Total Chaos\/Bliss: A Picture Book for Those Navigating the Messy, Exhausting Stages of Pre and Post Early Parenting.<\/p>\n
Durocher elaborated on the \u2018Pure Bliss\u2019 of the title. \u201cSince our kids were little, whenever things became chaotic, we would say to each other, \u2018this is pure bliss.\u2019\u201d The phrase stuck, and became somewhat of a motto for the mothers, each of whom is raising two young children.<\/p>\n
Sheppard noted, \u201cMost of the book is based on true stories, and we also spoke with other parents and grandparents about what their experiences were raising babies, and it appears that everyone collectively agrees that it is pure bliss.\u201d<\/p>\n
The promotional copy for the book noted readers can expect, \u201cwitty, rhyming commentary on every wild parenting stage [and] beautiful, full-colour illustrations that exaggerate the mayhem we all recognize.\u201d<\/p>\n
The two authors are sisters-in-law, and Durocher lives just north of Orillia, while Sheppard, originally from Burlington, now calls Newfoundland home. The distance didn\u2019t dampen the writing process, as the two shared long phone calls and online discussions to hone the material for the book, most of which came from personal experiences, or from hearing stories from other parents.<\/p>\n
While in the draft stages, the two found a publisher, Courtney St Croix of LeadHer Publishing, and now the book is selling well on Amazon, and is earning rave reviews from readers.<\/p>\n
\u201cAmazing reviews,\u201d Durocher said, adding many readers are finding the book very relatable. \u201cWe quickly hit the Amazon bestseller list, and everyone seems to be loving it.\u201d<\/p>\n
With such great reviews and feedback, the two intend to launch another title in the future. The authors told BayToday a new one is in the works. \u201cWe\u2019re going into school aged children this time,” Sheppard mentioned. \u201cWe started with pregnancy and toddlers, and the next one is going to be school aged pure bliss.\u201d<\/p>\n
While fans wait for that, Durocher and Sheppard will enjoy the pure bliss of knowing their debut book is finding its way in the world and providing lots of laughs along the way.<\/p>\n