Living Life at a Big Age: The Book That Wrote Me Back

I'm not sure if storytelling is a typical trait of the average introvert, but then again, I'm not average in most of my thought processes or in how I operate in this complex world. There's just something about telling a story, painting the picture, setting the perfect backdrop to a world of words that opens, expands, and deeply penetrates the mind. If you've been with me over the past weeks, months, even years, you know I don't just love to write; it's what keeps me sane, grounded and fulfilled. It's the outlet that reminds me the overthinking that happens in this pretty little head of mine isn't a curse; it's a gift that keeps on giving. To me, and to those who take the time to digest what I write.

I've been told I often say what other people are thinking but are either too afraid to say, or just don't have the words to turn into digestible dialogue. And although I'm not screaming it from the mountaintops, I am quietly putting heart to mind and pen to paper to say what needs to be said. So, if you haven't noticed already, I wrote a new book. It's called The Chronicles of Living Life at a Big Age, Volume 1, and it was born out of pure frustration on a random day, me sitting in my apartment, in my recliner, journaling, which to me is freedom in the form of ink and paper. I was releasing the shenanigans of the day the way I always do, like I'm telling a story to someone, even though my journals have never met the eyes of anyone but me. Yet there I was, penning this whole monologue, and it hit me. I can't be the only one feeling like this. So, I shifted to my laptop and started typing. Over a year later, I birthed this gem that spoke to me through tears, belly laughs, and far too many "ah-ha" moments to count.

Big Age is not a number., it's a posture. A refusal to keep tolerating and shrinking just so other people feel comfortable.

Let's talk about the title for a second, because "Big Age" is not just a cute phrase I slapped on the cover. Big Age isn't about how old you are; it's about how clear you've become. It's the moment you stop performing your life for an audience and start actually living it for yourself. It's the wrinkle you stop hiding and start earning. It's the boundary you used to apologize for that you now set without blinking. It's realizing that "growth" isn't a destination you arrive at with confetti and a parade; it's messy, it's inconvenient, and half the time it looks like crying in your car before you walk into a room like everything's fine. That's Big Age. Not a number. A posture. A refusal to keep shrinking just so other people feel comfortable. There's a chapter in this book where I talk about the exact day I stopped explaining myself to people who never asked for an explanation in the first place, and I remember sitting there after I wrote it, just staring at the page like, "well, damn, Talisha, there it is." That's the kind of book this is. The kind that makes you sit back in your own chair and say "well, damn" right along with me.

I was speaking to myself on every page. I was speaking to my family and my friends. I was speaking to strangers, one word, one sentence, one page at a time, because there's nothing better than opening a book and feeling like the author wrote it just for you. It was never my goal to write that way; it just happened, and it's the one thing people tell me most in their feedback: "I feel like you're speaking directly to me." Out of all the books I've written over the years, some reflective, some fun, one deeply personal- this one hit differently. I can actually look back and see how far I've come.

That's the kind of book this is. The kind that makes you sit back in your own chair and say "well, damn" right along with me.

I can tell you exactly where the laughter and the tears live in this book, because I lived them first. There's a chapter called "Hot Flashes, Chin Hairs, and the Audacity of It All" where I genuinely was not going to add a certain comment, I had talked myself out of it twice, and then I thought about it and typed it anyway because it wouldn't be me if I didn't, and I actually laughed out loud rereading it, alone, in my apartment, like I hadn't written it myself. And then there's "Crumbs Are Not a Meal" and "Cleanse Me from the Residue of Old Pain," the two chapters that had me in full tears, not the pretty kind either, the kind where you have to stop typing for a second and just sit with what you wrote because it's true and it's yours and you finally said it out loud. That's the range of this book. It'll have you cackling in one chapter and needing a tissue two chapters later, and honestly, that's exactly how healing actually works, so why would the book that talks about it be any different?

When I told my therapist how excited I was for this release, she asked me why. And after sitting with that question for a minute, I realized this book is me. Unapologetically and authentically Talisha. The sarcasm, the depth, the "I can't believe she just said that," it's all in there, and I couldn't be happier about it. To be on the other side of the things that used to hold me hostage, the things I genuinely wasn't sure I'd survive, is one of the best feelings I've ever had. To be on the other side of wondering what healing actually looks like, what "overcoming" actually feels like, and to realize I didn't just survive all of that; I thrived- that's a miracle in itself.

Maybe that's why I don't want to rush this one out the door the way I usually do. I have a habit of writing something, releasing it, and moving on to the next. But this little gem is different. I want to linger here. I want to bask in the glow of this one a little longer. I'm letting every part of it marinate in the present. I'm not obsessing over sales; I'm paying attention to how it's already shifting perspectives, and how it's going to keep doing that long after the release honeymoon phase wears off. And if you know me, you know I thrive on not trying to please everybody. I'm a niche kind of woman. Not for everyone. But absolutely for the right ones.

If you're wondering whether this book is for you, let me save you some time. It's for the person sitting in their own version of that recliner, journaling their frustrations, wondering if anyone else feels this specific kind of tired. It's not for people looking for a light, breezy read they can skim on autopilot, because I don't write those. Like I said, not for everyone. Absolutely for the right ones. And if you've read this far, I have a strong feeling you already know which one you are.

So, here's my honest ask: if any part of what I just said made you nod, laugh, or feel a little too seen, that's your sign. The Chronicles of Living Life at a Big Age, Volume 1 is out now, available exclusively as an eBook, which means there's genuinely nothing standing between you and this book except a click.

No waiting on shipping, no trip to the store, just you, a device, and a book that's about to read you right back. [DOWNLOAD YOUR EBOOK COPY HERE ] Once you've sat with it, tell me about it by leaving a review or leaving me a note on the blog so we can keep the dialogue going.

Thank you in advance, and as always,

Be Inspired!