A Common Misconception is launched!

It hit the shelves on June 30, (just in time for end of financial year and also my wedding anniversary) and now my new book A Common Misconception has been officially launched!

Thanks to everyone who attended The Lady Daly for the event, especially The Honourable Katrine Hildyard MP for officially launching the book, Lauren Novak for hosted the Q&A, Naomi Jellicoe who took the stunning photos, Frank Lynch on videography duties, my Matty Trainor who was my roadie, tech guy, and emotional support person who also performed his song 'Little Moments' about our first pregnancy loss. Also huge thanks to Acting Premier, Deputy Premier, Attorney General, Arts Minister, Minister for Industrial Relations and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, The Honourable Kyam Maher for making time in what I would imagine is one of the busiest schedules to ever exist in order to be there for us.

Here is part of my speech from the event and some of the aforementioned photos by Naomi Jellicoe.

Thank you for being here to launch A Common Misconception. Some of you were also at my first launch for Endo Days. If you’re only just meeting me now, this is a good introduction to my love of punny book titles.

This was a hard book to write. Not least because I told the publisher I’d written heaps more of it than I had so then I had to write really fast to get to a deadline that I missed anyway. But also because I was writing about the hardest stuff I’ve lived through and reliving it as I went.

I wanted to create the resource I wish I had when I was in my fertility era. I’m now in my menopause era so I’ll be pitching ‘Hot Flash Dance’ to my agent very soon.

I'd like to acknowledge some special and fancy guests in the room that I am also fortunate to call fancy friends. Thank you to Acting Premier Kyam Maher, Minister for Women Katrine Hildyard, Robert Simms MLC, Catherine Hutchesson MP, and representatives from the Robinson Research Institute. Your presence here tonight means a great deal.

I want to acknowledge and thank someone who’s not here, because he’s in Germany, but thank you to my wonderful literary agent, Martin Shaw, who heard my pitch about a book about pregnancy loss - but funny - and actually said, ‘yeah that’s a no-brainer’ and then pitched it far more eloquently to publishers. Echo Publishing believed in this book and took me on to bring it into the world. Thanks Echo.

Thank you to Dymocks Rundle Mall, who are selling both of my books tonight and who were incredibly welcoming and supportive when I came in to sign books and even made me a little 'welcome' sign. I loved that so much.

Around the room you'll also find information from organisations doing extraordinary work supporting people through pregnancy loss, infertility and grief. Thank you to Red Tree Foundation and Red Nose Australia for your presence here. If you're able to, please take some time to learn more about the important work they do.

Thank you to Minister Katrine Hildyard for so generously agreeing to officially launch A Common Misconception tonight, and to the wonderful and multi-award winning Lauren Novak for joining me in-conversation. Lauren is also signing copies of her own book, 'Meltdown' this evening, so please give her some love too.

You being here tonight means more than I can say but I will say it because I have a microphone and a penchant for public speaking. Tonight is big for me because this book is a big part of my story.

I really hope tonight is a celebration not just of a book, but of compassion, understanding and making sure that nobody has to go through pregnancy loss or infertility feeling alone.

I want to give my personal thanks to Matty, my husband, who when I was entertaining a whole lot of ideas about what I should write my second book about told me I should write something but knew I needed to write this thing for the eleven babies we lost together - and for everyone living with the grief of pregnancy loss or infertility. He has written his own chapter in the book and will sign it for you if you ask him to. Please ask him to.

Thank you to my girls, Niamh and Keeley. You had to live with me through our hardest time. I cannot thank you enough or apologise enough for that.

To our beautiful foster son who came to me when I was at the end of a long string of heartbreaks and he called me mama. Together we are mending each other’s broken hearts.

Thank you to everyone who shared their stories, joined my group chats, and zoom focus groups sessions. They are brave and I know how hard it was, particularly for Chloe who had five losses, so many rounds of IVF and even suffered a loss while we were writing her story but who is here tonight.

To “Carolyn” who knows who she is. You are brave and strong are beautiful. Thank you for sharing your story.

Gorgeous Stephanie who shared about her experience with surrogacy. Louise who so gently and candidly told her story of using donor eggs, and Ebony and Jake who used a sperm donor and told me so many things I would never have considered, which allowed me to gain so much more insight and empathy. I am so grateful for your generosity and courage to tell these stories to help others.

Also thanks to Alice whose passion for advocacy really drove me to keep going with this book.

Thank you to Rebecca Kerner, who got this whole journey started by asking me to tell my story at a conference, a speech that turned into the first chapter of the book. And Professor Louise Hull for answering late night texts that said things like "Hey Louise, is there a difference between antiphospholipid antibodies, antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and antiphospholipid syndrome (APS)? Or are they the same thing with different names? And is APL different to Natural Killer cells and also what does thoracic endo look like on a scan?"

Beautiful Jo Case, who started me writing books because she came to one of my shows and thought I was funny. She said have you ever considered writing a book and I said lol yeah how hard could that be? Thank you Jo.

Thanks to CreateSA who gave me a grant to write the book. And to my group chat Nona, Jacob and Bill who were a constant source of support and suggested book titles like Miscarried Away and more, that I probably can't repeat but that I spent hours laughing about.

Now, it's my absolute pleasure to welcome Minister Katrine Hildyard to officially launch A Common Misconception.