You Don't Need a Prince: A Letter to My Daughter

by Cheryl Shireman

Timeless advice on love for women of all ages!

As women, so many of us buy into the myth that we need a prince to live happily ever after - or at least our verson of a prince. In reality, like the Good Witch tells Dorothy, YOU always had the power. You don't need a prince to be happy. The power to be happy lies within.

Now, instead of a fairytale, let a true story inspire you (or your daughter or a friend).

This book began as an email from a mother to a daughter in college at Indiana University. The daughter was going through a tough time in her relationship. She had mixed emotions about ending her current relationship because she simply did not want to hurt him. To make matters worse, she had just met another man. A man she was head over heels in love with. Amid this turmoil, her mother sent her an email with words of advice about love and relationships. About the myth that every girl needs a Prince.

The daughter loved the email so much that she began forwarding it to her friends. And so the chain began, women reaching out to women.

And now that email has been turned into a book for you to share with the women in your life.

NOTE FROM THE My daughter and I are honored and delighted that so many other women have gained hope and inspiration from this book that started as a simple gift of love. May this little book help you to find your own happily ever after!

"ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND MOVING BOOKS I'VE EVER READ. This is for anybody who has, or will have, a daughter. If Caroline Ingalls had ever had a computer, she would have written emails like this to Carrie, Mary and Laura. It’s a book that will remain forever on my Kindle, and when my daughter is old enough to understand it then it will be compulsory reading for her.
But even if you’ve not got a daughter, this book is a must-read. It’s about relationships. It applies to everybody. It is short and powerful. Download it today and you’ll have read it all in thirty minutes. But the sentiments will stay with you forever."
Mark Williams, co-author (under Saffina Desforges) of the best-selling UK crime thriller Sugar and Spice and the Rose Red series.


FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS "I am one of the lucky girls who received an actual copy of the original email this book is based on. I have saved it, and re read it now. It is beautiful and well written. The email is filled with wonderful life lessons everyone should know, share, and read again! I am very happy this is now becoming a book and I know it will be a must read for girls and women off all ages!! :)" (From a Barnes & Noble Review)

If you are a woman, You Don’t Need a A Letter to My Daughter is a perfect gift.

To give yourself
To give to a friend
To give to your daughter
To give your granddaughter

Because, no matter what our age…

We are all little girls.
We all want to live happily ever after.
And we all have a little princess in us.

Note - this is a short book with 2500 words and 40 FULL COLOR PHOTOS !

Written by the author of the novels in the Life Is But a Dream series, Cooper Moon series, and Broken Resolutions.

93 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 13, 2011

About the author

Cheryl Shireman is the author of several novels including Life Is But a Dream and Broken Resolutions. She is also the author of the popular Cooper Moon series (the first book in the series - Cooper Moon: The Calling - is now available for free as an ebook at all of your favorite online book retailers.

Cheryl has also written several books for children and created the 2 Old 2 Color series of adult coloring books.

Cheryl is available for Book Club chats via Skype for book clubs who would like to discuss her novels. She may be reached via the contact form on her website - www.cherylshireman.com

Reviews

[Michele at A Belle's Tales · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a touching and inspiring book! I am raising an independent, tween daughter, and this book was perfect for both of us.

I love that this started out as an email from a wise and loving mother to her college-aged daughter who was caught in the midst of some serious, we've-all-been-there boy drama. What incredible words and support she had to offer. This was just too good to not be made into a book.

What really impressed me is what I was able to take from the book. See, I’ve been married for 15 years. I didn’t marry a prince. I married a good guy. After 15 years, it’s easy, at times, to ask, “Why did I do that, again?” Cheryl’s book reminded me exactly why.

The pictures are absolutely adorable: from the beautiful cover to all the sweet photos inside. I could fill my review with quotes, but I don’t want to give too much away, so I will settle for including this favorite gem:

Dream big, but learn to love reality.

This is a book for all of us: the ones who grew up wondering how many frogs we would have to kiss and when Prince Charming would ride up on his white horse. Well, the princes aren’t always the heroes, and life isn’t a fairytale. And you know what? That’s okay. You don’t need a prince to be happy.

Thank you, Cheryl, for putting that into words better than I ever could have. Thank you for giving me a book to use as a guide when my daughter comes to me with her first broken heart. And my husband thanks you for the extra-big hug I just gave him. ;D

　
I received a copy of this ebook for free via Amazon and reviewed it at the request of the author.

Review originally posted at: A Belle's Tales

[Karin Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many of the critics of self-publishing cite reasons such as "anyone can publish anything, even a letter to a relative" as one of the main drawbacks of buying an independently published book. As Cheryl Shireman's touching missive to her daughter Scarlett shows, sometimes the personal touch brings a poignant, human element to the written word and I, for one, am glad Shireman shared these private musings with the world. Shireman's letter is not just a cautionary, emotive and well-written epistle to her child, it is also sound, heartfelt advice for a generation of young women raised to expect Prince Charming to one day ride over the horizon. Motherly advice as it should be -- honest, from the heart,and laced with love -- this book should be read by all single twenty- or thirty-something girls still searching for that elusive "Mr Right."

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

“You Don't Need a Prince: A Letter to My Daughter” by Cheryl Shireman

Don’t let this cover of this book fool you! It is NOT a book for “little girls”, just the little girl in us who grew up believing there really is a “Prince Charming”! ‘Lo and behold’, if there ‘is’ a Prince Charming, we had better stay away from him!
I wish my mother had been as open, honest, and frank enough about love and men like this mother was with her daughter.
This mother/author sat down and wrote an email to her daughter about love, after she found out her daughter who was away from home and in college had met a new man from Denmark, when she was currently already in a long-term relationship. She did not know what to do and talked to her mother about it. Her mother was so worried about her daughter, she could not sleep. It was 3:00am and she had to sit down and write an email to her daughter all about love. Her daughter was so open to this letter she embraced it and forwarded it to all of her friends. Thus, this book was born.
We all may face this same or similar situation in our lives where we may not know what to do, and question what love truly should be. This letter is a complete description of the ‘reality’ of life and love and what one should honestly expect from it and put into it. We all should be armed with the information from this book as it is needed to be able to confront love head on and allows us to make realistic decisions about love like her daughter did. It would alter our lives like it did her daughter’s. Love and life could turn out completely different for us.
Her daughter chose the man from Denmark. Not the man she had been in the long-term relationship with.
I HIGHLY suggest EVERYONE purchase this book for their daughters, or even your son’s, and for yourself! Why shouldn’t the young men learn what part ‘they’ need to play in being a “good man”? If everyone could all truly know what love is and isn’t by learning from this book, just think if everyone on earth loved in this manner? Imagine!
I found this book during the Women’s Literary Café Blog Hop that we just had on Wednesday, November 11th, this week. After reading the description on the Blog it was featured on, I couldn’t help but to go to Amazon and purchase it immediately and dive right in and read it! I LOVE this book! It will go a LONG way in your daughter’s life, or anyone’s, for that matter.
I am purchasing a paperback copy of this book for my daughter for Christmas. She is in college right now, as well! I can only hope my daughter will be as open as this daughter was to her mother.
The opinions expressed for and about this book are ‘of my own opinion’.

[Albert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Normally when I review a book on this blog I have several criteria that I run through in order to give an idea to readers on if it will be worth the read. In saying this I had to modify the review template in order to review this one seeing as how this is a short story of about 2500 words. Now on to the review:

Without going into explicit details I can honestly say that this is a book(email) that is going to make it to the shelves of all the women still searching for happiness and love in my life. Shireman's email to her daughter Scarlett is an emotional, touching ride full of undiluted truths. She points out to her daughter (and many other women) what pitfalls they create for themselves and that setting expectations on others that are impossible to accomplish is self destructive to oneself. This heartfelt advise should be preached, painted and told to every girl in every corner of the globe. I also believe that this is a book that boys should read. While boys may find it difficult at first to comprehend or understand how this applies to them maybe they can see the bigger picture. Sometimes in our lives we meet that perfect woman (for me RJ Palmer) and we fail to see that by pushing us away harder and setting higher expectations on us we are only finding ourselves closer to their hearts. If we can recognize this and practice the patience spoken of in this book, along with sharing honesty with them we shall find the path together. If you have yet to read this book (email) take a moment to download and read this one. Once you are done, read it again. Now sit and think of the choices that you have made in your life, the relationships won and lost and I dare you not to see that at one time you were the same. This is not about settling for "Mr. or Ms. Right" it is about knowing that our expectations of them ruins and prevents finding them.

[Karin Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many of the critics of self-publishing cite reasons such as "anyone can publish anything, even a letter to a relative" as one of the main drawbacks of buying an independently published ebook. As Cheryl Shireman's touching missive to her daughter Scarlett shows, sometimes the personal touch brings a poignant, human element to the written word and I, for one, am glad she shared these private musings with the world. Shireman's letter is not just a cautionary, emotive and well-written epistle to her child, it is also sound, heartfelt advice for a generation of young women raised to expect Prince Charming to one day ride over the horizon. Motherly advice as it should be — honest, from the heart,and laced with love — this book should be read by all single twenty- or thirty-something girls still searching for that elusive "Mr Right."

[Marla Blowers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this quick little read. It was originally emailed out to friends after it was written. I will have to see to it that I get a copy of this wonderful ebook to my children and grandchildren. This should be made into a poster maybe without all the pictures, just one very special on at the very top. And placed in all little girls bedrooms.
Thank you for all the reminders.
Marla

[Dierdra McGill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an E-mail that a mother wrote to her daughter when she was confused about what to do about a her current boyfriend and a guy she just met.
It is a story that I think any mother who has a daughter should give there daughter to read, heartwarming and very short so even if you don't like to read you could get through this in a few moments. :)

[Emerald Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every teenage girl and single woman should read this letter! The love Cheryl has for her daughter is evident but the words ring true for every girl/woman who is looking for Mr. Right.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short, but very moving, letter written by the author to her daughter, dispensing advice to her about life, love, and faith. A neat kindle freebie.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every woman should read this and share with as many other woman as possible!!!!