THE CLIENT
Two co-authors, both respected leaders in the third party reproduction field and mothers via egg donation: Marna Gatlin is the founder and executive director of PVED (Parents Via Egg Donation) and Carole LieberWilkins, is a psychotherapist widely regarded for being among the first mental health professionals to teach parents how to talk to their children about donor conception.
THE MEMO
Help two people co-write the book the egg donation community had long been asking for.
THE WORK
As content editor, I designed a questionnaire for people at all stages of egg/embryo donation—from those just starting out on their fertility journey, to parents of adult children conceived this way. I ensured the questions were inclusive of all family constellations (e.g. single parents, LGBTQIA+ parents, blended families). We received hundreds of responses, and I lifted quotations that were either most representative of the collective donor egg IVF experience or offered a singular perspective. I lightly edited responses for clarity, but otherwise preserved each respondent’s distinct voice.
From there, I suggested a framework for the co-authors to write in. The corner stone of the book is the chapter on how to talk to your kid about egg donation, but I suggested chapters on diagnosis, LGBTQIA+ families, single parents, pregnancy after egg donation, as well as a final chapter from the perspective of egg donor-conceived adults. I also made rewrites and line edits, while ensuring a consistent narrator’s voice.
I was also a key contact during the production phase, liaising with the publisher’s design team. I also designed the book cover, and created graphics for social media and the book’s website, LetsTalkAboutEggDonation.com.
THE CHALLENGE
Ensuring that both authors’ personalities and writing styles were preserved, while maintaining a cohesive voice throughout the book.
TESTIMONIAL
Lauren is truly a renaissance woman. Her diverse skills touch the artistic in her graphic designs and the linguistic in her extraordinary writing ability. She can articulate what others feel and describe the process of infertility and pregnancy loss so poetically that it touches the reader’s heart. I look forward to any blog, book, journal or article or design that Lauren creates.
Carole LieberWilkins, co-author
AMAZON REVIEWS
This book is full of accurate information, real-life experiences and heartfelt stories. People share their journeys in an honest and engaging way. This book talks “to you” not “at you”. Highly recommended.
If I had to recommend one book for parents via egg donation it would be this one.
…an excellent resource for people who are considering family creation via donor eggs and / or raising a family formed in this manner. This book includes case histories which are relatable and informative. As a Psychologist specializing in family building, infertility and reproduction, this is a must on the recommendation list I share with clients.
– More About Let’s Talk About Egg Donation –
Let’s Talk About Egg Donation was written by, for, and about families built through egg and embryo donation. It takes the reader on a journey—from infertility diagnosis, to pregnancy, to how to talk to your child about egg donation. Let’s Talk About Egg Donation is filled with true stories from dozens of real families parenting via egg and embryo donation. These stories are woven throughout the book to craft an informative, easy-to-read narrative that focuses on positive language choices. This book also gives parents age-appropriate scripts for how to take the scary out of talking to kids about the special way in which they were conceived.
Let’s Talk About Egg Donation is available to purchase from Amazon in paperback, hardcover, and ebook.
