About the Author

MELISSA A. MACDONALD

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Melissa A. Macdonald is a Solo Mother by Choice (SMBC) by way of donor conception. After three years and several assisted reproductive procedures, in 2018, at the age of 42, Melissa was blessed with the birth of her son Aidan.

Melissa and Aidan live in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They enjoy exploring waterfalls, riding trains and making smoothies together.

Hey, friends!

Did you ever read those choose-your-own-adventure books when you were a kid? You know…the ones where you get to select what the heroine/hero of the story does next and then you flip to THAT page to see where the story goes.

Do they jump on the bus to get to school or do they wait outside their friend’s house for a ride? Do they go through the super mysterious door or do they ride their bike in the other direction?

Inevitably, their choice shapes the entire direction of the story. Does the protagonist end up in the same place? Hard to tell, but you’ll have to make more choices to see how it all turns out.

Little did I know back then that it’s the series of choices that we make in life that take us to where we are actually supposed to be. And sometimes, other forces and just plain old luck intervene, too!

Here’s how my adventure unfolded: I had been working in corporate communications for nearly 20 years, and all of a sudden amid a global pandemic, the universe told me it was time for a change.

I choose to take this as a sign, an opportunity to steer a different course, or possibly it’s just a brief layover (time will tell).

You see, something magnificent happened to me just a few years before: I decided to start a family on my own and took the often difficult steps to make it happen. To say it was “life-changing”, is a sheer understatement. It was so many things: more arduous than I ever imagined, and insanely hard to balance given the global circumstances, but also immensely rewarding.

Starting a family in this non-traditional way means I have to work extra hard, not only as a single parent and sole provider but as a role model, educator, and example for my son. I had delayed my dream of having children into my 40s and also put off my dreams of writing a book, starting a business, and unleashing my creativity for far too long. Realizing that my 3-year-old is always observing how we live life, I wanted him to teach him the invaluable lesson of how to live it fully – meaning, now was the time for me to show him how we bring our dreams to life.

My first book, Mimi, the Solo Magician Mom, and Cameron was born soon after and in early 2022 appeared on virtual bookshelves around the world. I’m super excited that this project, that’s near and dear to my heart, will be a resource for parents raising donor-conceived children and will help others start conversations about non-traditional families, like ours.

I have a few other super fun ideas that will be born very soon (metaphorically, and far less painfully), and I hope you’ll join my mailing list so you’ll be the first to know what’s coming up next and be in line for promotions and giveaways

Melissa

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