Carol Wyllie, a retired stay-at-home mom and breast cancer survivor, has transformed her personal journey into a career as a best-selling, genre-hopping author. From her beloved children’s book series to two powerful nonfiction works on breast cancer, Carol’s writing spans ages and genres, blending inspiration, humor, and empowerment.
Boobs Are Overrated is Carol’s second nonfiction book that follows her breast reconstruction experience and provides hope for healing as well as tips for how to be your own best advocate in the confusing (often scary) medical world.
We interviewed her to learn more about her process, purpose, and goals as a full-time, self-published author.
Book Title: Boobs Are Overrated: Breast Reconstruction, Cancer Scars, and the Unfiltered Truth
Genre: Women’s Health, Self-Help
Website: WyllieGirl.com
Who is this book for?
I primarily wrote this for breast cancer patients, breast reconstruction patients, and their caregivers or loved ones.
Maybe breast cancer medical providers would want to read it, though they might not like everything I have to say!
You’ve written multiple books already – why now and why this book?
I’d always dreamed of being a writer, but having a family was a dream too.
After “retiring” from my role as a stay-at-home mom, I was eager to pursue my other passion. And then, just as I became an empty-nester, life took a sharp turn with a breast cancer diagnosis.
The short version? I transformed that journey into a career.
Now, as a best-selling, self-published author, my work spans ages and genres, from two nonfiction books to a children’s book series.
My books on breast cancer were never in my original plans, but I found myself with a wealth of material—and countless conversations—just waiting to be turned into books.
I’d just finished two long, rocky years of breast reconstruction and was outlining a fiction project that has been on my heart to write. Meanwhile, my first breast cancer book was selling books every day. I knew I needed to write down this experience too. I knew that there were people who needed to hear it.
So, I put my fiction project on hold to get this story into the world.
What those impacted by breast cancer learn from this book?
While my debut nonfiction book, Chemo Pissed Me Off began with a cancer diagnosis, Boobs Are Overrated picks up where that one left off and exposes the myths of achieving the “perfect” post-cancer body with equal parts humor and vulnerability.
Readers will learn three main things from this book:
- How to advocate for yourself throughout the reconstruction journey
- How to heal beyond surgery
- Tips for living healthier after breast cancer
What was your process for self-publishing this and your previous books?
I followed the Published. book blueprint that’s also taught in the Author Accelerator Elite Program. I’ve done that with every book I’ve written and published so far. And I plan to continue it with future books.
It’s a tried-and-true process and I’m living proof!
It goes: mindmap, book outline, rough draft (not editing ’til done), self edits, formal edits.
I think we authors can over-complicate things and overthink the process to the point of not doing it. Following these steps made it a no-brainer and got the thing written and published.
It’s been a process I’ve used five times now.
What is your favorite part about writing a book?
The creative process of writing is by far my favorite. When writing nonfiction about events I’ve gone through, the book almost writes itself.
Getting it all out on paper is cathartic. Helping others through my book makes it feel like there’s a bigger purpose for what I went through.
For fiction projects, creating stories is almost indescribable. It’s one of my favorite things to do and has been since I was a child. I hope I end up being really good at it because it feels like what I was meant to do!
What are your plans for the future?
I plan to continue to market the book so it will reach the people who need it. I hope it negates having repeat conversations about some of my darkest experiences.
This book can be that conversation instead.
Now that Carol is a full-time author living her lifelong dream, she’s currently working on a young adult fiction novel that promises to captivate and uplift readers. Follow her on Instagram and Facebook as she shares updates about both her nonfiction books and her journey into the fiction genre!
Interested in learning about the writing and publishing process Carol used to self-publish multiple best-selling books and become a full-time author?
We invite you to schedule a free consultation to learn more about Author Accelerator Elite and the other programs we have to help authors realize their goals!
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