What 5 Years as a Published Memoirist Taught Me About the Stories We Tell

Making Memoir Magic · Sep 24, 2026 · 20m

My memoir, Accidental First Lady, turns five next month.

And I’ll admit something: Sometimes I wonder whether my story has run its course.

Then I meet a reader who tells me the book stayed with her. Someone discovers it for the first time. Or a copy unexpectedly finds its way into another reader’s hands.

And I’m reminded:

We don’t get to decide how long our stories will matter—or who might need them.

In this episode of Making Memoir Magic, I’m looking back at nearly five years as a published memoirist and sharing five things I didn’t know when I decided to write my story.

In this episode…