Letter writing is a technologically obsolete art. However, that doesn’t necessarily make it useless. Letters can be as therapeutic, profound, and juicy as journal entries. And letters are meant to be read by someone other than the writer. Author A.Y. Berthiaume took this concept and ran with it, constructing a memoir based entirely on letters titled Dear Universe I Get it Now: Letters on the Art and Journey of Being Brave and Being Me. Check out my interview with Berthiaume below.
About A.Y. Berthiaume and her books
Author names
A.Y. Berthiaume (pen name)
Born Alyssa (first name)
Known as Ally (nick name)
Author links (links open in a new tab)
Genres
Nonfiction
BODY, MIND & SPIRIT / Inspiration & Personal Growth
SELF-HELP / Personal Growth / General
BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Personal Memoirs
Book summary
Dear Universe, I Get it Now is the work of A.Y. Berthiaume, a lifelong dreamer and exuberant professional writer. Berthiaume reflects on her journey through a series of letters written to her pal the Universe. With each letter, she sees that her path was a series of purposeful, cosmic invitations to be brave. She is asked again and again to become who she was born to be.
For anyone questioning their purpose on this planet… who once dared to dream or still does … or who’s on the hunt to find themselves – this book is for you. Dear Universe, I Get it Now will beg you to consider what you need to ask the Universe about your own journey and invite you to finally brave the path that leads straight to you.
Book excerpt
From Letter 3: Wielding a Mighty Pen
Hey, Universe,
I’m pretty sure becoming a writer stemmed from one of the earliest instances of sexism I can remember and not entirely because we were required to practice our letters and spelling in our journal every week, which I loved as soon as I could hold my pencil straight. That one group of five and six-year old boys told me I couldn’t be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle because I was a girl. And because I was a girl, I needed to be the girl reporter, April O’Neil.
(I’m not sure why You’re laughing. This was a serious injustice.)
Though I attempted to make a case for myself, it was useless. They couldn’t conceive of rotating who played which turtle and who played April—which would have been a completely fair and compromising solution, in my opinion. They were boys, therefore they were the turtles. I was a girl, therefore I was April. (Or Splinter, the rat, because that was the only other option.)
I mean if this was not sexism and an illustration of how early gender roles and norms are identified, assigned, and carried out, then I want someone to explain to me what it was. Of course, I didn’t see it all like that at five. I didn’t know the word sexism, and sure as shit I wouldn’t have known how to spell it, define it, or use it in a sentence.
But looking back, I can see it so clearly.
Boys were heroes. Boys were protectors. Boys were strong and powerful. Boys were in charge. Boys could be ninjas. Boys made the rules. Boys provided ultimatums.
Review excerpts
5 Stars from Indies Today
“…A.Y. Berthiaume has a clear, casual and captivating writing style that, right from the start of the book, makes you feel like you’re a close friend of hers. More than simply an entertaining and enthralling read, however, Dear Universe, I Get it Now will grab your emotions and take them to unexpected places…Dear Universe, I Get it Now: Letters on the Art and Journey of Being Brave and Being Me is more than just a memoir, it is an inspirational and thoughtful guidebook, led by one woman’s intriguing and often dramatic life’s experiences.”
“Berthiaume’s debut memoir traces critical moments that laid the groundwork for her present career as a writer…The book also encourages readers to embark on their own brave journeys…Writers-in-the-making will feel buoyed and validated by this offbeat remembrance.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Talking Shop
What do you want readers to take away from your books?
I want readers to feel empowered to seek answers to their deepest questions; to choose to live more authentically and find the ways to do that in a way that works for them; to go after their dream or pursue their passion.
Honestly, I want them to define what their life means to them and how they want to live it – because we only get to be here (in this current form/state depending on what you believe) once and we don’t know how long we have. And it’s all of this that underlies my tag line: Be Brave. Be You. It’s Time.
What is a fun or strange source of inspiration that ended up in your book?
The cover design with the black and white composition notebook mirrors the very first notebook I ever had back in kindergarten when I began to learn my letters for the first time.
That’s how old my love for writing is. It dates back to being five years old and writing terrible sentences inside our school notebooks which were those speckled black a white comp books.
This book kind of is like the “comes full circle” celebration of the journey that began 30 years ago. One person who read my book said that this book was not just about being brave to be myself but it was like my love letter to writing. I suppose when I look at it that way, the black and white cover is like saying, “I’ve always loved you writing. From the very beginning.”
How long have you considered yourself a writer? Did you have any formal training, or is it something you learned as you went?
This is a tricky question for me. In reality, I have been a writer always. Since I was 5 which was when my love of writing began. And I wrote the whole time. I published my own stories into folders or filled journals with stories and shared them with friends. I entered contests and went to writing conferences.
When I was in college, one of my majors was creative writing. And in grad school I finally decided to go all-in and get my Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (concentration nonfiction). But then I graduated and I couldn’t find a job back in Vermont where my MFA translated to paying job with benefits. The closest I came to being steeped in my writing life was being a part of a statewide writing organization.
Despite having this love my whole life and formal training, I never truly considered myself a real writer. I kept thinking that real writers had books. You weren’t real until you were published. And even though I had been published, I had this narrow idea that published meant traditional publication.
Somewhere around the time that my son was close to turning two, my marriage was falling apart, and I was rethinking all areas of my life, I started to look at myself and my journey differently. And by the time I sat down to write this book I finally had discovered that I was not only born to be a writer, but had been one all along.
In a lot of ways, this book is tackling this very journey and personal dilemma.
What were your expectations for writing and publishing your first book?
Honestly, in the beginning I set the bar really low for myself. I basically told myself let’s get it, “Done and good enough.” This was a mental trick I played on myself. I’ve been so tied to either perfectionism or the belief that I don’t have anything good enough to say that I’ve walked away from projects when they get too difficult. Even if I had ridiculous momentum when I first conceived of the project or began to draft.
So, by telling myself it didn’t need to be long and it didn’t need to be perfect, it helped me keep both my perfectionism and my inferiority in check. I didn’t start out wanting to write my magnum opus. I wanted the book to be an actual tangible product that I could place in front of leads for my business and say, “I’ve written a book (here it is), now let’s talk about how I can write yours.” For me, having it published, professional, and polished were the main ideas. For the longest time I even referred to this work as a “marketing stunt.”
Have they changed since then?
Somewhere along the way my companion called me out. “Stop calling it that,” he said. “It’s more than that and you know it.” He was right and it made me really think about what exactly I wanted for this work. My original idea – to use it with potential clients – was still true, but it was no stunt. I wasn’t half-assing the writing or the process or the revisions even if I was trying to keep my perfectionism in check. And as I wrote, revised, and let readers review, not only did I feel the only worth of my words but readers’ feedback was always overwhelmingly positive. My imposter syndrome (“I didn’t have anything to say.”) really eased.
About two drafts in and I realized I felt really, really good about this book. Like in my heart, my gut. My intuition started to say, “Hey, you have no idea where this book could go. So why not shoot for the stars.” I decided then I was going to go after Amazon Bestseller status. I was going to bust out all the stops. I was going to have launches and giveaways and get it into as many hands as possible. I was going to let it be my big debut into the world of books as I had always dreamed.
The book didn’t make it to Bestselling #1 but it was #11 one day on Amazon for ebooks and I felt pretty damn happy about that. Now I’m thrilled to have a published book and to talk to people about it. And my favorite part is hearing how it makes people feel when they’ve read it.
This book is just the beginning for me.
What is the most fun part about writing? The most difficult?
I LOVE revising. Give me words on the page and I’m like, woohoo, we can cut there, add here, go deeper over there. I’m not a sculptor but I’m guessing it’s like taking clay and shaping it into the final thing. Whereas the blank page is like oof. So many thoughts and ideas, so many possibilities, so many directions. If my ideas and thoughts were cars, it would be like all of them trying to rush to the concert at the exact same time and instead of getting anywhere, they get nowhere. So, yeah, drafting is painful, revising is magical. At least for me.
“What If” Scenarios
If your book ever becomes a movie and you get final say over the cast, which actors would you hire to play your characters?
I don’t have it all figured out yet, but Jennifer Goodwin would play me. Tom Hanks would play my dad. I originally thought Susan Sarandon for my mom but then I found out she can’t stand her, so now I’m thinking Bette Midler. Kathy Bates would play Lonnie.
If you could be in a writer’s group with up to four famous writers, who would they be?
Only four? Elizabeth Gilbert, Maya Angelou, Dorothy Allison, Jen Sincero
You’re offered a contract to rewrite your book in another genre. Which genre do you choose and why?
I feel like there are a lot of themes and discussions in here that would be good to have had more a grip on as a young adult.
Your book becomes a best seller. What do you do next?
Decide that I don’t have to write for other people and make money and finally go ALL IN in writing for myself, full time.
Would you rather own your own bookstore or your own publishing house, and what would you sell or publish?
Such a tough choice! I think publishing house so I could help marginalized voices become published and have their stories told.
Just for Fun
Favorite place you’ve visited/place you want to visit.
I really want to go to Prince Edward Island to see where Anne of Green Gables took place, but I also LOVED Florence, Italy when I went and I would totally go back and stay for weeks.
Food you’d like to win a lifetime supply of.
Peanut butter cups. Does that count?
Celebrity you’d want to be friends with.
Kristen Bell.
Your most unrealistic dream job.
Gift giver. I love putting together gifts for others, not just picking them out, but also packaging them up in lovely ways.
When time travel is achieved, do you go forward or backward?
Backward. We can learn from our past so that our present is more of a gift and our future is more secure.
Buy it!
Buy a copy of Dear Universe I Get it Now: Letters on the Art and Journey of Being Brave and Being Me here, and help support local bookstores! This is an affiliate link, and I will earn a commission on any sales.
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Sounds terrific.