Surprise! Book Number F%cking Three with Taymour Ghazi

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[00:01:05] Hello, hello, all my beautiful freaking people. Welcome back to another episode of FML Talk. It is everybody's favorite time of the month. Tay is here for our episode today. So sit back, grab a cocktail to toast with because we have some exciting news to share with you. Welcome to FML Talk.

[00:01:28] Oh my God. Wait, how old was the other girl? 19. Do you believe that? Hey, this is Gabrielle Stone.

[00:01:33] Good book.

[00:01:33] I do not understand that.

[00:01:34] He did what? 48 hours?

[00:01:37] What a dick.

[00:01:38] Yeah, but have you seen all the photos on our Instagram?

[00:01:41] And this is FML Talk.

[00:01:43] Oh no, she didn't.

[00:01:44] Okay guys, it's time. Welcome, Tay.

[00:01:48] Hi, welcome everybody. Thank you for having me.

[00:01:52] It's time for some announcements.

[00:01:55] Let's do this.

[00:01:56] I'm pregnant.

[00:01:58] Wait, I was going to say, I was going to say they're probably thinking, oh my God, after the intro.

[00:02:02] I'm pregnant.

[00:02:02] No, absolutely not.

[00:02:05] But we do have some exciting stuff to tell you, a little secret to let you in on that we're going to talk about today.

[00:02:13] Very exciting times, folks.

[00:02:14] So you all know, if you've been following me on social media, that I am writing book three.

[00:02:22] What you don't know is that there's a twist.

[00:02:26] And I actually have a co-author to this book.

[00:02:32] And he happens to be my guest on the podcast today.

[00:02:35] Yay!

[00:02:38] So when I was thinking about writing the next book that I wanted to create, I didn't have the inspiration to do the third book in the FML series.

[00:02:52] Because how much can you write about happily ever after?

[00:02:56] Well, I mean, there's an argument right there for sure.

[00:03:00] You could have gone solo and totally.

[00:03:03] Yeah, but like it would have, I would have had to dive into so much.

[00:03:06] Like, I'm so sick of writing about the two supporting characters that were in the first two books.

[00:03:13] Yeah.

[00:03:14] And has there been drama and like, yeah, enough to write a fucking Lifetime movie about.

[00:03:20] But I'm really over like rehashing that and the anxiety that comes with releasing a book when you're writing stuff about other people.

[00:03:30] And it just, my heart wasn't in it.

[00:03:32] And I decided to do this.

[00:03:34] We decided to do this when I was pregnant.

[00:03:37] We were sitting at a cafe up in San Francisco.

[00:03:41] Looking over the bay in Tiburon to be exact.

[00:03:44] Yeah.

[00:03:44] And I was like, I think we should write a book.

[00:03:47] And I think this is what it should be about.

[00:03:49] And will you write it with me?

[00:03:51] What you don't know about Tay is that he's not necessarily a writer.

[00:03:57] Neither was I when I wrote my first two books.

[00:04:00] But he is like a Renaissance man.

[00:04:03] Like the notes, the love notes that he has written me over the years.

[00:04:06] Oh my God.

[00:04:07] The text messages that have come through in paragraphs.

[00:04:11] I do play a pretty strong text game.

[00:04:13] Yeah.

[00:04:14] He is a brilliant writer.

[00:04:17] And I knew that he could handle this completely.

[00:04:21] And I wanted to write a book that was going to be able to span over my entire life.

[00:04:31] So going back to different times throughout my life that like really changed me as a person.

[00:04:37] Well, we kind of figured all of that out that day.

[00:04:39] Yeah, we sat down and like outlined all the different things.

[00:04:42] So let us tell you a little bit about this book.

[00:04:45] Right.

[00:04:45] Which is.

[00:04:48] We I'm going to say it's coming in 2025.

[00:04:52] We are on track for all of that.

[00:04:54] But there are some elements at play that are being discussed that I can't give you like an exact release date, depending on like what avenue we end up taking.

[00:05:05] Right.

[00:05:05] Right.

[00:05:06] Guys, so just if this was a live studio audience, I'm going to just break it down for you.

[00:05:11] You would be seeing me with this quizzical look at looking at her going, what the fuck is she talking about?

[00:05:16] I don't know what she's got in store or what she's talking about.

[00:05:19] No, but really, what are you talking about?

[00:05:23] It's anyways, there's stuff that's still being worked out in the what avenue we're going to take for the release and dah, dah, dah, dah, dah.

[00:05:29] Um, so we will keep you posted as it goes, but let's tell them a little bit about the book, what to expect, um, and kind of like the different things that we go into.

[00:05:43] The book is called finding you through finding me.

[00:05:46] And it is really about how you need to heal yourself and learn these lessons that the experiences in life give you in order to attract the person and find the relationship that you want to have in your life.

[00:06:04] Now, that's all good and fine if you're single.

[00:06:07] What about if you're like, wait, I'm happily married or not happily married or in some type of relationship.

[00:06:12] This book will help you see how you can heal and grow in that relationship together to make it stronger and come back to either the point you wanted it to be at in the first place or the realization of maybe it's time to leave that relationship.

[00:06:33] So we really made it to make it for people all across the board, single in relationships, just wanting to read a good fun story.

[00:06:45] It's written very similar to a la FML style that you've all come to know and love.

[00:06:50] Um, but we basically go through all of the different big things in our lives, like the big moments, the big traumas, big celebrations,

[00:07:02] the things that we have both experienced and write our own experience and how we healed from that to then be able to get closer to finding that person that we wanted to be with and ultimately finding ourselves.

[00:07:18] Right.

[00:07:19] What has been the most fun part for you about this and the most difficult part for you besides the fact that we were like, yeah, let's write a book.

[00:07:30] Yeah.

[00:07:31] Right.

[00:07:31] As we had a fucking baby.

[00:07:32] Well, well, yeah, I'm never going to forget writing one of the chapters and he was literally like sleeping on my chest.

[00:07:38] Yeah.

[00:07:38] And I was like, this is bananas.

[00:07:39] And if it, if I had decided to write a book myself during that time, I probably would have like spontaneously combusted.

[00:07:46] But it was like, I was able to be like, well, I'm only writing half a book so I can do this.

[00:07:50] Right.

[00:07:50] Right.

[00:07:50] This is manageable.

[00:07:51] Yeah.

[00:07:52] Um, you know, for me, I didn't have the, the know-how, uh, like you, you did with the two prior.

[00:08:00] Um, I also, and, uh, this is, I don't care about making this public at all.

[00:08:05] I don't have the discipline that you do.

[00:08:07] Like when you, you also have a certain knack for writing that when you sit down, I've seen you do it.

[00:08:14] I saw you do it with a large chunk of, of, uh, your second book.

[00:08:18] Actually, the most of that, I was a witness to that where you just write down and you actually like stream of conscious, right?

[00:08:25] Mm-hmm.

[00:08:26] That shit is kind of something I, I like, I'm in awe of because it takes me, I formulate sentences, I formulate structure, and then like I write it and then I don't like it.

[00:08:40] And then, you know, like I, every once in a while, and I do write a lot, I would hit these stream of conscious moments.

[00:08:47] And that was very fulfilling.

[00:08:50] So those are, those parts are the best part, you ask.

[00:08:53] Mm-hmm.

[00:09:25] Mm-hmm.

[00:09:26] Like where I really couldn't find the hours in the day to like sit down clear-minded and actually write about my past or, uh, whatever chapter I was working on.

[00:09:38] So I decided to get up at like four fucking 16 in the morning.

[00:09:44] So specific.

[00:09:45] It is specific.

[00:09:46] There's a reason.

[00:09:47] Mm-hmm.

[00:09:48] Um, and I would get up, uh, and I did that for a couple weeks.

[00:09:52] And I thought, I was, and I got a lot of really clear, concise writing done.

[00:09:58] Some stream of consciousness moments were happening then as well.

[00:10:02] Mm-hmm.

[00:10:03] Um, you know, so I think that is where I'm kind of proving to myself that there is discipline in there now just like somehow learn how to use it.

[00:10:13] Yeah.

[00:10:13] Um, the negative parts.

[00:10:15] You guys, this has been a very difficult, it's not like I'm fucking sitting here writing an action story.

[00:10:20] Mm-hmm.

[00:10:20] Like it's not, I'm like I'm sitting with a writing partner writing one of our action scripts that my buddy and I do or whatever.

[00:10:27] However, it's my own life that's not that comfortable.

[00:10:32] Welcome.

[00:10:33] Yeah.

[00:10:35] So it's bringing that up and having to relive some of that.

[00:10:38] And, you know, you have to relive some of your bad choices, some of the tough times that you've experienced only to prove to yourself within the chapter that, oh, you did this.

[00:10:50] This is all happening for a reason to better yourself, to then become a better person, to open the door for somebody like you.

[00:10:57] Um, but when you're writing that like that, you're not thinking that.

[00:11:01] Mm-hmm.

[00:11:02] You're like, fuck, this sucks.

[00:11:04] Yeah.

[00:11:05] And it's not that comfortable.

[00:11:07] And I'll write like four or five sentences or a couple paragraphs and I'll get up and I'll be like, oh, and I'll have to walk away.

[00:11:14] Mm-hmm.

[00:11:15] I can't just sit there for two hours and be like, da-da-da, tacking on the keyboard.

[00:11:20] Yeah.

[00:11:20] It doesn't work like that for me.

[00:11:21] I'm too visceral with the thoughts.

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[00:13:04] I write my chunk, and then it goes to Tay, and then Tay writes his chunk.

[00:13:09] So they're two totally separate voices and stories that are then put into one chapter, one right after another.

[00:13:17] There's a chapter on addiction, and some of the stuff in that chapter that I've written, it's heartbreaking to read as a mom.

[00:13:28] Wow.

[00:13:30] And there's, I don't know, there's some stuff where I'm just like, oh, man, I don't know.

[00:13:36] I mean, I dedicate a very, I think, a paragraph here, a paragraph there in different chapters throughout the book of just stating like, this is fucking difficult because I have children that are going to read this.

[00:13:51] And to me, that is the creme de la creme.

[00:13:58] It's the chair.

[00:13:59] It's the thing on the very top that is the most paramount.

[00:14:04] Mm-hmm.

[00:14:04] And I don't hold back.

[00:14:07] Mm-hmm.

[00:14:07] You know, I didn't, thus far, I have not held back.

[00:14:12] Well, you can't because then I think it's inauthentic to not only yourself, but to the people that are going to read and heal from it.

[00:14:19] Um, and I think that whenever the kids are older and old enough to read any of these books, which I'm putting an 18 plus on, just like my first two, for Stone at least.

[00:14:36] Yeah, there's going to.

[00:14:38] I think they, it would be a disservice to them to hold back too once they're of the age where they're mature enough to read it.

[00:14:47] Because at the end of the day, you're people and you've gone through these experiences and those experiences shaped you into the parent that you are today for them.

[00:14:55] It's also a cold realization when you have that moment and you're like, oh, wait, my parent's a person?

[00:15:01] Yeah.

[00:15:01] Like, I remember when I like had that distinction in my mom and I was like, oh, she's just trying to figure shit out the same as.

[00:15:06] Yeah, the same as she was.

[00:15:07] And that was even a little more different because she had me so much later in life.

[00:15:10] Right.

[00:15:11] So she actually was more prepared than a lot of us are.

[00:15:14] Sometimes I look at people and I'm like, they just let people be parents?

[00:15:17] Like, there's no fucking test you have to take to like be approved to go on this journey?

[00:15:24] It's kind of fucking wild.

[00:15:27] Look, doctors, we got a pre-approval letter.

[00:15:29] I mean, you have to do that to buy a fucking house.

[00:15:31] Why don't you have to do that to bring a human into the world?

[00:15:35] Another glaring realization is that in my, I mean, I'm not comparing or contrasting to anybody else who's listening to this, but I have fucking books worth of shit along the chapters, even just the chapters that we wrote upon that are.

[00:15:53] I mean, there's just so that was another kind of tough issue of like, what am I going to write about?

[00:15:59] There's so many ideas and stories.

[00:16:02] How do I filter out which one's the right one?

[00:16:06] That was very difficult.

[00:16:07] As a matter of fact, I'm still struggling with that because we're not done yet.

[00:16:11] Yeah.

[00:16:12] We're still going, guys.

[00:16:13] We're close, man.

[00:16:14] We're close.

[00:16:14] Have you processed the fact that once this comes out, you're going to have to call yourself an author?

[00:16:22] Because for me, I remember after E-Pri-FML came out, even after it hit bestseller multiple times, I was like, yeah, I wrote a book.

[00:16:31] But I couldn't be like, I'm an author.

[00:16:34] It took me a while.

[00:16:35] I think until the second book came out, I wasn't able to say that with confidence and not feel fraudy.

[00:16:41] So weird.

[00:16:42] I have not thought about that one time.

[00:16:44] I didn't even think that I would call myself an author.

[00:16:47] I didn't.

[00:16:49] I think I'm in your stage of that first.

[00:16:52] Yeah, dude, I'm just sitting in my fucking room writing my feelings.

[00:16:56] Punched over, crying in silence.

[00:16:58] Yeah, like, you know, okay, you want to go sell it?

[00:17:01] Fine, let's go sell it.

[00:17:02] I don't feel author-ish, if you will.

[00:17:06] Yeah, it takes time.

[00:17:07] Do you have anxiety about people in your life who are included in this book because they've been part of your story reading it?

[00:17:19] Because that's the one thing that I was obviously, like, fully engrossed with.

[00:17:25] Yeah, massive, massive amounts of anxiety.

[00:17:28] And it's daunting to think that, well, because a lot of the experiences that we're talking about, unfortunately, you know, some of them are great and fun and happy and blah, blah, blah.

[00:17:41] But not all of them are.

[00:17:42] And we have a divorce chapter in there.

[00:17:44] So, of course, I'm a little nervous.

[00:17:47] You can't, you know.

[00:17:48] So, yeah, there's nerves around it and a lot of anxiety.

[00:17:52] I have informed the people that who are going to be making an appearance into the book of it.

[00:17:59] And it seems, you know, everything seems to be...

[00:18:02] Okay for now.

[00:18:04] Somewhat okay for now.

[00:18:05] I was so thankful to not have that fear of this book.

[00:18:11] And then we decided to add a chapter at the last final hour.

[00:18:17] And lo and behold, I got that creeping feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach and was like, oh, fun.

[00:18:25] This is what I was so not missing from the first two books.

[00:18:29] Right.

[00:18:30] Although it's on a lesser scale, I would say.

[00:18:34] Yeah.

[00:18:35] Yeah, no, that fear is there.

[00:18:37] I mean, yeah, I don't have that as much as like just, you know, my kid reading it.

[00:18:43] Right.

[00:18:44] But that's not to say that I regret...

[00:18:46] I mean, you got lots of years for Stone.

[00:18:48] Yeah, for Stone, yeah.

[00:18:49] That's not to say that I live with regret.

[00:18:51] I just, you know, I'm impressionable to my kids.

[00:18:56] And I want to set the right example.

[00:18:59] And back in the day, there was times where I wasn't setting the right example for myself, let alone my children.

[00:19:05] Right.

[00:19:06] Um, so now I'm trying to like, you know, that it's a tough hill to climb.

[00:19:13] What is the chapter that you're most excited for people to read?

[00:19:17] Where like when you read it back, you're like, I really like this.

[00:19:23] Oh.

[00:19:24] Do you want me to answer first while you think about it?

[00:19:26] Yeah.

[00:19:27] Mine is the chapter on first love, which is odd because it's still dark as fuck.

[00:19:34] Like all of these chapters, I was like, okay, I'll be able to find one thing in life to write that's just only good stuff.

[00:19:41] And I mean, I guess there's like one or two.

[00:19:43] But for the majority, it's pretty dark shit because we're looking at like past traumas and stuff and like big life lessons.

[00:19:51] But, you know, a la FML style.

[00:19:54] I always find the way to write it in a fun way that's going to make people laugh as they're reading about the hardcore shit.

[00:20:03] And that chapter specifically was just like, it takes, takes you back to the nostalgia of fun high school free puppy love romance.

[00:20:13] Yeah.

[00:20:14] I mean, that's the lightest of the chapters probably.

[00:20:19] Well, not mine.

[00:20:23] I mean, I'm like thinking back.

[00:20:25] I'm like, what other chapter is.

[00:20:26] I mean, but it doesn't have to be light.

[00:20:28] I'm saying like, what's your, what's a chapter that you're excited for people to read?

[00:20:31] Honestly, also guys, I have to apologize for how bad my vocal fry is right now.

[00:20:36] I'm sick and it's probably worse than normal.

[00:20:42] I think that I don't want to be morbid or anything, but the loss of a parent chapter is pretty, pretty indicative of my, of my life.

[00:20:53] And how it has gone.

[00:20:55] Yeah.

[00:20:55] Um, I mean, that's great because of, or in lieu of, you know, the loss of a parent.

[00:21:02] Um, but the, like the first love was, yeah, that was a fun chapter.

[00:21:06] That's lighter for me.

[00:21:07] Um, it's pretty wild though.

[00:21:10] Like to, you know, look at the fact that we both lost a parent young and we both were the person who discovered them.

[00:21:21] Yeah.

[00:21:21] That's a very specific rare trauma to go through that you then end up sharing with your significant other.

[00:21:29] Mm hmm.

[00:21:30] Mm hmm.

[00:21:31] Like if you got to kind of believe in universal shit and like people like finding each other.

[00:21:37] Yeah.

[00:21:38] Well, and now that we're writing about it and kind of.

[00:21:43] I, I, I think that's why the book is going to be powerful and meaningful to a lot of people because maybe they haven't experienced some of the same things, but we, we, we're kind of, that's a wide array of experiences, human experiences that we're putting out in this book.

[00:22:01] And, you know, it, it kind of gives a lot of people something to, to relate to.

[00:22:07] Yeah.

[00:22:07] Um, I just, I, I still think back at that time at breakfast when we were coming up with this idea and it was such a fun conversation.

[00:22:16] And I actually can't, when was that?

[00:22:19] When was that?

[00:22:20] I can't believe like now we're actually like about to turn in our second edit.

[00:22:24] I know.

[00:22:24] Um, I was very pregnant, so it was sometime in.

[00:22:28] Oh, you were very.

[00:22:30] 2023.

[00:22:32] Yeah.

[00:22:33] We were up there for some holiday.

[00:22:36] I think, I don't know.

[00:22:37] I don't remember.

[00:22:46] How has it been going through this writing process and now edit process with a type A wife who is constantly like, have you finished this?

[00:22:56] What are you like?

[00:22:57] Are you on schedule?

[00:22:59] Miserable.

[00:23:00] Cause look guys, look guys.

[00:23:01] Did I blow off the speaker?

[00:23:03] Because I hope I did.

[00:23:04] It's been fucking horrendous.

[00:23:07] Look guys, not to throw my wonderful unicorn husband under the bus.

[00:23:13] But the only reason we had to push back our edit was not because of Gabrielle.

[00:23:17] That's true.

[00:23:18] Because Gabrielle just goes into her little office and stream of conscious writes it all about unicorns and fucking gold.

[00:23:25] Okay.

[00:23:26] Yeah.

[00:23:26] It's fucking stream of conscious shit.

[00:23:28] Okay.

[00:23:28] Okay.

[00:23:28] Now you're streaming.

[00:23:29] Okay.

[00:23:32] That shit is stream of conscious for you.

[00:23:35] Yeah.

[00:23:35] It's been, and I'm totally playing like you.

[00:23:39] Thank you.

[00:23:40] In my first breath, it's fuck off.

[00:23:44] And in my right after the fuck off is like not even out of my mouth.

[00:23:48] It's like, dude, thank you.

[00:23:50] Really?

[00:23:50] I do need that push.

[00:23:52] Yeah.

[00:23:52] Because it is the discipline that I should have.

[00:23:58] I mean, I am disciplined when I want to be.

[00:24:01] I was disciplined in cranking out the first edit.

[00:24:04] And now I'm disciplined again.

[00:24:06] I found discipline in getting up at 416 AM.

[00:24:09] You know, all those things.

[00:24:12] Yeah.

[00:24:12] But no, babe.

[00:24:13] Thank you.

[00:24:14] You fucking like as annoying as it is.

[00:24:17] And it's great.

[00:24:19] At least I know it.

[00:24:20] At least I know I'm a pain in the ass.

[00:24:22] Yeah.

[00:24:23] Yeah.

[00:24:25] To answer really the question, not only of you being a pain in the ass, but this whole

[00:24:29] thing has been fucking difficult because it's not easy to go write about your feelings,

[00:24:35] but also then be told by an editor, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

[00:24:40] And you're just like, I just fucking spilled my guts over here.

[00:24:44] Yeah.

[00:24:45] And now, but you know, I, I have, I really, she's amazing.

[00:24:50] Yeah.

[00:24:51] Shout out to Erica Ellis at Ink Deep Editing.

[00:24:53] I've sent many of people to her and will continue to.

[00:24:57] She's amazing.

[00:24:58] She did all three of my books.

[00:25:00] Yeah.

[00:25:00] And she just understands structure and story and, you know, it's, it's, yeah, really

[00:25:08] very helpful.

[00:25:10] Yeah.

[00:25:11] Yeah.

[00:25:11] Yeah.

[00:25:12] It's been an interesting ride for me because there was many months when we were, had gotten

[00:25:20] the first edit letter back and we were diving into the second edit where I wasn't excited

[00:25:24] about it.

[00:25:25] And I kept putting it off and putting it off mostly because, and I mean this lovingly,

[00:25:29] I knew it was going to take you longer and I didn't want to dive in and finish everything

[00:25:33] and then be like, are you done?

[00:25:35] Are you done?

[00:25:36] Are you done?

[00:25:36] Um, so I waited on it for a long time and then I started to be like, Oh, I'm not excited

[00:25:40] about it anymore.

[00:25:41] And then when I finally dove back into it and started like really like piecing everything

[00:25:46] together and getting your chapters and putting it all like in one document, I was like, Oh

[00:25:52] fuck, this is actually really good.

[00:25:54] And it's, um, a lot of times when I go back and read the things that I wrote because I

[00:25:58] write stream of conscious, my mom would say it's like a channel that kind of just like

[00:26:02] comes through.

[00:26:03] I like go back and read it and I'm like, wait, I wrote this.

[00:26:06] Like I'll read a sentence and I'm like, Oh wow.

[00:26:09] That's like a fucking truth bomb right there.

[00:26:11] That's pretty good.

[00:26:11] Um, I've done that.

[00:26:12] I'm impressed with myself.

[00:26:13] Yeah.

[00:26:14] I stopped and like read a sentence.

[00:26:16] I'm like, Oh, that's pretty good.

[00:26:16] Yeah.

[00:26:17] And so it, it got me excited about it again.

[00:26:20] And I, I saw that change in you.

[00:26:22] Yeah.

[00:26:22] And I think it's going to really affect people and reach people in the same way that FML

[00:26:30] did like writing a fun, in a fun way and a fun writing style, but they're learning all

[00:26:38] these lessons as they're reading a fun journey.

[00:26:41] Well, and also it's not preachy self-help at all.

[00:26:44] It's an, especially for the people who already are on your journey.

[00:26:50] It's going to be amazing because it's, you're not, you're not, you're not like writing much

[00:26:55] that you've already had.

[00:26:56] No, not at all.

[00:26:56] This is all new shit.

[00:26:58] Yeah.

[00:26:58] People are going to get a new side.

[00:27:00] They're going to get the introduction of me and, and some of my ideas.

[00:27:04] It's interesting because sometimes I'm like, I'm going to tell my friend, my boards, the

[00:27:09] boards, the group of friends of mine, um, that I'm writing this book and, and I, I can

[00:27:14] always play out the conversation because all they like to do is give me shit.

[00:27:17] I can always play out the conversation of like, what are you writing about?

[00:27:20] And I'm like, well, our lives and, you know, some experiences in our life.

[00:27:24] And I think the first thing, some of my friends giving me shit would say is why would anybody

[00:27:30] care to read it?

[00:27:31] Yeah.

[00:27:32] I mean, like, I mean, because if you think about it, why would I write a biography?

[00:27:38] Right?

[00:27:39] Like, who am I that people are going to be like, let's read his biography.

[00:27:43] Hello.

[00:27:43] Who was I to write FML?

[00:27:46] Well, you had an experience to, that was a, that was a little more of a highlight experience

[00:27:54] of my life.

[00:27:54] And now we're just doing that in a bigger capacity.

[00:27:56] In a bigger capacity.

[00:27:57] Yeah.

[00:27:57] I don't know.

[00:27:58] Anyways, I mean, I get it because I had that same imposter syndrome feeling too, of like,

[00:28:03] who am I to be writing a book right now?

[00:28:04] To be writing a book.

[00:28:05] Actually, I never fucking had that thought.

[00:28:07] I was like, this is what I'm meant to do.

[00:28:08] And this is supposed to be happening.

[00:28:09] Yeah, that's right.

[00:28:10] That's totally not you.

[00:28:12] That's more, that's me.

[00:28:13] You just described me to a T.

[00:28:16] Well, I think that it's also going to allow male readers to feel more comfortable in opening

[00:28:26] up this book.

[00:28:27] I do have a great handful of male readers and listeners once they get past like the pink

[00:28:33] writing and me drinking wine on the cover.

[00:28:36] Because heartbreak and grief and human experiences are like completely universal.

[00:28:42] But I think the fact that there is a co-male author in this book, it's going to allow people

[00:28:48] and men specifically to feel safer picking up the book and like going on the journey, which

[00:28:53] I'm excited about.

[00:28:56] Yeah, absolutely.

[00:28:57] I think more people need to hear from men speaking their authentic truth in the good and

[00:29:06] the bad and the ones who have healed and done the work.

[00:29:09] So I'm proud to be putting that out.

[00:29:11] Well, it's interesting because I said, just as that's perfect piggyback to what I was saying,

[00:29:16] like how I'm like, who the hell am I to be writing this?

[00:29:19] And who cares about my ideas and my visual vision through it other than your fans who

[00:29:26] care about you, right?

[00:29:28] But there does need to be more people writing about the male experience in a positive light.

[00:29:35] Yeah.

[00:29:36] And try to.

[00:29:38] Well, look, one of the first in the first chapter, I start writing about like how this

[00:29:43] is just writing this book alone is like a step in my therapeutic journey, like in my

[00:29:50] in my therapy.

[00:29:51] Yeah.

[00:29:51] By, you know, like it's not like making amends, but it's just it's really like letting it

[00:29:57] out there.

[00:29:57] And as I write it, I continue to get better through it.

[00:30:02] Yeah.

[00:30:03] So it is it's there's a lot of positive things that are happening with it for me.

[00:30:08] Yeah.

[00:30:09] Same.

[00:30:09] We're very excited to get it finished, to get it out to you guys.

[00:30:13] I promise to keep you posted.

[00:30:15] And as always, thank you for your love, support and for going on this journey with us.

[00:30:21] I think you all are really going to love it and find something special in it.

[00:30:26] I am now going to take a little bit of a turn.

[00:30:31] One of my readers who has been a longtime FML or like from the get go, I've talked about

[00:30:39] her on the podcast before because she came to the release party of the Ridiculous Misadventures

[00:30:44] where she then met another one of my FMLers and they became, quote, best friends.

[00:30:50] They were both straight when they went to that party.

[00:30:52] They left in love, in a relationship.

[00:30:55] They are now married and they're the cutest fucking couple ever.

[00:30:59] They came to Portugal with us and one of them has written a book.

[00:31:04] Did you know this?

[00:31:05] No.

[00:31:05] Yeah.

[00:31:06] And while you all are listening to this November episode, it is officially available.

[00:31:10] I am going to read you the synopsis of it.

[00:31:15] And I highly suggest you guys go pick it up because she's amazing.

[00:31:22] She's obviously an FMLer from this community, but more so.

[00:31:26] Oh, yeah.

[00:31:27] Maya.

[00:31:28] Oh, nice.

[00:31:29] So I am going to read you the synopsis to Maya Colway's debut book that is called All

[00:31:39] Because of a Book.

[00:31:41] Okay.

[00:31:42] At 11 years old, I kissed my best friend, a girl who meant the world to me.

[00:31:46] All Because of a Book, the Bible, I went through therapy with my pastor to break this sinful

[00:31:52] habit.

[00:31:52] When I was 21, I married a man to please my family and the church.

[00:31:58] After six years of abuse, I filed for divorce and left.

[00:32:02] With a shattered heart and no idea how to heal, I read a book by Gabrielle Stone that changed

[00:32:07] my life.

[00:32:08] I stepped out of my comfort zone and attended the book release of her second book where I

[00:32:13] met the love of my life.

[00:32:14] She happened to be a girl.

[00:32:16] Now I had a decision to make.

[00:32:18] I could suppress my feelings for her as I had been taught and be straight for the rest

[00:32:23] of my life, or I could face down my religious trauma and allow myself to fall in love with

[00:32:29] her knowing my family would never accept our relationship.

[00:32:32] I chose the second path and so began my healing journey.

[00:32:36] I had been living my life based on my family's beliefs and my life had fallen apart.

[00:32:42] Now I had to pick up the pieces and heal the wounds within.

[00:32:44] I had to learn to not care what others think, live for myself, kiss my best friend and fall

[00:32:50] in love.

[00:32:51] The best part?

[00:32:52] I learned to love myself and embrace the love I deserve.

[00:32:57] Currently available on Amazon.

[00:32:59] Maya, we are so freaking proud of you.

[00:33:02] I am so glad you picked up Eat Pray FML and it sent you on this journey.

[00:33:07] It is such an honor to be a part of your guys's story.

[00:33:10] I'm so glad you both came to Portugal.

[00:33:12] I'm so glad you guys are both coming to Costa Rica.

[00:33:16] You are part of our circle, our family, our friends now.

[00:33:22] Yeah, I love you, Maya.

[00:33:22] I mean, she came and shot the photos of mine and Tay's wedding.

[00:33:26] Just I'm like over the moon excited for you, girl.

[00:33:29] So I hope everybody goes to Amazon right now and grabs a copy of All Because of a Book.

[00:33:34] We love you guys.

[00:33:35] Thank you for being here, hanging with us.

[00:33:38] Love you.

[00:33:38] We will see you next month.

[00:33:40] Cheers.

[00:33:40] Bye.

[00:33:45] All right, FMLers.

[00:33:46] If you don't want to miss an episode, make sure to follow on your favorite podcast app.

[00:33:51] And if you're loving the show, drop us a five-star rating and leave a review.

[00:33:56] You can keep up with me on Instagram at Gabrielle Stone or the podcast page at FML Talk Podcast.

[00:34:02] For all the merch and books signed personally by me, you can shop the FML line on eatpreyfml.com.

[00:34:10] And as always, have a fucking self-love cocktail on me.

[00:34:15] Cheers.

[00:34:21] This podcast has been brought to you by Podcast Nation.