My doctoral studies, culminating in the award of my PhD in 2011, represented a significant personal and professional achievement. The years leading to this milestone were marked by substantial life transitions, including two international relocations, the birth of two children, a marital separation and subsequent new partnership, and three house moves, all at the same time I was studying, managing the demands of rigorous academic research.

The doctoral program required the completion of 15,000 words in assessed essays and a 75,000-word thesis, which I obviously had to write in a second language (English). This thesis, in particular, stood as a substantial marker of my efforts. However, the academic nature of the work, coupled with its English language composition, presented a barrier to its accessibility for my family and friends in Brazil.

To bridge this gap, I explored the use of Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). However, I published the thesis in its original format, without editorial modification. Subsequently, I undertook a translation of the textual content, while preserving the original visual elements. This process enabled the creation of a book that made the core findings of my research accessible to a wider audience, notably my family, thereby fulfilling a personal desire to share this significant accomplishment. All this happened much earlier than my decision to become an indie author, but I see it as also part of that journey even if I didn’t know this at the time.