#MustRead Getting Back To Me by @scottiejeanette #transgender #autobio

Please welcome, Scottie Jeanette Madden, highly respected Discovery and History Channels adventure/survival filmmaker on a completely different Journey of Discovery. This is not the scripted Hollywood, highly choreographed for sensationalized reality TV version of events, but the honest, raw and lifetime account of the Real Scottie Jeanette Madden's, M to F Transition... 

“Getting Back to Me”

from girl to boy to woman in just fifty years

By Scottie Jeanette Madden

Summary

The real-time account of the coming out of a respected adventure survival filmmaker taken from her journal entries as she leaves behind fear and “white male privilege” to embrace truth, grace and womanhood. Her gut-wrenching journey of love, acceptance and honesty becomes the ultimate survival show.

Scottie didn’t make it easy on herself. Like many late-stage trans women, Scottie had made one helluva guy; succeeding as husband of 26 years, the only son, the big brother to three sisters and the legendary adventurer uncle to their children. Everything in her life screamed “alpha male,” “ultimate man,” “best boy ever,” “the dude,” and “the man.” 

No one could guess that Scottie, a top survival showrunner for Discovery Channel and the History Channel, known for leading übermale productions into the world’s most dangerous and remote locations, was losing a lifelong battle for her soul. It takes true love from her wife of 26 years for Scottie to shake off fifty years of expectations from her family, society and herself. 

Move over Caitlyn, adventure filmmaker went from girl to boy to woman in just fifty years.


 Zuzubean Press is excited to announce the Nov. 10, 2015 release of "Getting Back to Me” from girl to boy to woman in just fifty years. The real-time account of the coming out and M to F transition of an alpha-dog.
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) November 05, 2015

In the wake of the Caitlyn Jenner’s privileged transition in the public eye comes the real world transition of a down-to-earth trans woman in real-time. Scottie Madden uses her journal entries to shed fresh light on the trans experience as she leaves behind fear and “white male privilege” to embrace truth, grace and womanhood. Her gut-wrenching journey of love, acceptance and honesty becomes the ultimate survival show.
 
Scottie didn’t make it easy on herself. Like many late-stage trans women, Scottie had made one helluva guy; succeeding as husband of 26 years, the only son, the big brother to three sisters and the legendary adventurer uncle to their children. Everything in her life screamed “alpha male,” but no one could guess that Scottie, a top survival showrunner for Discovery Channel and the History Channel, known for leading übermale productions into the world’s most dangerous and remote locations was losing a lifelong battle for her soul. It takes true love from her wife of 26 years for Scottie to shake off fifty years of expectations from her family, society and herself. But first she had to face the denial that she had embraced to shield herself from the heartache of a life that would go on unlived.
 
Scottie shines her laser sharp instincts for the truth (finally) on herself, and reveals the inner workings of the human soul as it strives to reconcile fear, love, happiness and the truth of who we all are. Her ability to articulate the deepest murmurs of the heart translates to anyone who has ever tried to deal with the insidious malady that goes by the name of denial.
 
Formidable, fearless, lively, and, above all, charmingly fun, Scottie brings you along with her to the outer edges of the showdown with dangerous private truths. “Getting Back to Me” shows that love does conquer all. Scottie’s unshakable faith in love and her family, friends and community, and her belief in them to be the best that they can be, pays off in inspiring ways.
 
~ Sally Park Rubin, author of” The Overfunctioning Woman's Handbook,” says, “Riveting! Tragic hero turns triumphant heroine. If you believe love conquers all, this book will inspire you to go for more of THAT. Formidable, fearless, lively, and, above all, charmingly fun, Scottie, a Hollywood survival show showrunner, brings you safely along with her to the outer edges of anyone's ability to confront dangerous private truths...takes you on a wild ride overlooking the breathtaking canyons of the soul of a woman."
 
Read an excerpt at http://www.zuzubean.com/excerpts.html
Scottie Madden is a showrunner of adventure reality TV with recent shows on Discovery Channel (“Land Rush,” “Dude, You’re Screwed”) and The History Channel (“The Ark”). She has written for children’s television (“Pug and Zero’s Field Trip”), games shows (“Duel,” “Do you trust me?” “Last to Survive”), and feature film (“the kiss”). She lives in Woodland Hills with her wife, her dog Aria and her beloved oak trees in the shadow of “dirt Mulholland.”
 
Praise for: “Getting Back to Me” from girl to boy to woman in just fifty years By Scottie Jeanette Madden

“Scottie Madden has written an intimate, and at turns (times?) funny, outspoken memoir of personal transformation that kept me turning the page for the next eye-opening revelation.”
-Valerie C. Woods, Author, Screenwriter, Publisher, BooksEndependent LLC

 
“Riveting! Tragic hero turns triumphant heroine. If you believe love conquers all, this book will inspire you to go for more of THAT. Formidable, fearless, lively, and, above all, charmingly fun, Scottie, a Hollywood survival show showrunner, brings you safely along with her to the outer edges of anyone's ability to confront dangerous private truths...takes you on a wild ride overlooking the breathtaking canyons of the soul of a woman.”
~ Sally Park Rubin, author: “The Overfunctioning Woman's Handbook: Uncommon Sense to Deal With Impossible Jobs and Impossible People”
 
“OK I have goose bumps and a tear. I think I will need to read this again, so much to grasp. This is so helpful to me to understand the depth and complexity of the transformation and journey that so many face.”
~ Audrey, Realtor, Los Angeles
 
“Scottie’s words broaden our definition, understanding, and experience of love. Thank you again for your generous opening of your own heart for us all to see how it can be done – no matter what challenges we face.”
~ Katherine, family therapist, Santa Monica
 
“Thank you Ms. Madden. If only we knew then what we know now.  Thank you for showing the acceptance that this era brings. It breaks my heart to know the struggle that trans people go through growing up and thinking somehow we all should have seen the pain... You are a leader with your courage and openness. You are beautiful inside and out. Once again Thank You!”
~ Holly, mother of three, Lake Arrowhead
 
“Thank you, Ms. Madden for sharing this with the world. You write so beautifully, eloquently and honestly from the heart. Your story is uplifting and inspiring, not just to those who are going through or experiencing something similar but for anyone living a life where they feel they are not embracing, loving and sharing who they really are. I found it moving and also helpful to understand your journey and your wife’s. You have inspired me to be more me and honest about who I am and who I want to share with the world.”
~ Danielle, journalist, Australia
 
“This book is truly amazing. I'm sure it will be of great inspiration to so many others that have been feeling like this without having the courage and/or opportunity and/or support to actually do something about it.”  
~ Francesca, Music Teacher, Italy 
Interview with author Scottie Jeanette Madden
“Getting Back to Me” from girl to boy to woman in just fifty years  
Can you give us a summary of your book? 

This is a real-time account of my coming out. I was a respected adventure survival television series Executive Producer and filmmaker at the time, and I’ve used my journal entries as “play by play” as I left behind fear and “white male privilege” to embrace truth, grace and womanhood. You could say it’s a gut-wrenching journey of love, acceptance and honesty, where my life suddenly becomes the ultimate survival show.

I didn’t make it easy on myself. Like many late-stage trans women, I had made one helluva guy; succeeding as husband (a hopeless romantic whose gifts and affection were the gold standard for women and the bane of men), I was the “only son,” I was the “big brother” to three sisters and I was the legendary “wild uncle” to their children. Everything in my life screamed “Alpha Male,” “The Ultimate Man,” “Best Boy Ever,” “the Dude,” and “The Man.”

No one could guess that I, a top survival showrunner for the Discovery and History Channels, who had developed quite the resume for leading übermale productions to the world’s most dangerous and remote locations, was losing a lifelong battle for my soul.

SPOILER ALERT: It took true love from my wife of 26 years, for me to shake off fifty years of expectations from my family, society and myself. But first I had to face my own denial if I was going to dismantle the walls of a self-imposed prison. 

In this time of Janet Mock, Jenny Boylan & Caitlyn Jenner, why did you want to write your story? 

Well, it is interesting after all this time to suddenly be an “it girl” – but that’s why I knew I had to get it out there. For some, waking up in the wrong body day after day is something that too many of us simply spend a lifetime fighting down –it’s a losing battle.  For most of the books by the well known trans women, their journey was obvious (both to them and the reader). A life or death push made their decision for them. But what about those out there like me, who don’t know what to do when life is looking so right on the outside but has never been right on the inside.  I knew that not everyone had been able to articulate their true identity until it was too late and the die was cast. Being who you are is not a choice, but so is “not being” who you are. As a woman, I was trapped not only in the wrong body, but in the wrong-ish life. I had to have the unshakable faith in my heart that what I was feeling was true, without God hitting me upside the head with 2x4, despite what the world was telling me about me. It was a subtle psychological “cold war” for my soul, where my sanity was questioned everyday. A war that lasted almost fifty years. I hope I’ve been able to illumine my trans experience in a way that will help the non-trans audience understand us all better and hopefully discover an example of how to face their own challenges, facades and coping mechanisms in their lives, what ever their identity, gender, or view.

When did you know you wanted to become a writer? 

I have written all my life. I talked every teacher from middle school through high school into accepted screenplays instead of term papers (not a hard sell – scripts are 112 pages vs. a mere five pages for a book report, they thought I was nuts). I created and wrote for my own children’s show for two seasons, I’ve written for game shows, feature films and television drama & documentary. All were preparing for writing the next Lord of the Rings… but “Getting Back to Me” is what came out of the lamp when I summoned the Genie. And, well, I am very pleased.  

Have you always been interested in memoirs? 

Ha… okay, it’s like this: I was leery of my commitment to write a “good one.” As a reality television showrunner, my stock in trade is in really getting to know a real person and then drawing “that character” of a person out through interviews – and I know when someone is not being their true self. The same is true in memoirs. The best ones light up two lives, the author’s and the reader’s. So, I was a little, shall we say apprehensive, exposing myself in this way – not because of the potential for “coloring” the experience, but for not being able to articulate the truth. And, well… failing to illumine either my or the reader’s life.
 
How long did it take you to write your book from start to finish?
 
This always gets me in trouble, but remember I’m a professional writer who’s used to working against deadlines. I wrote the first draft in April and May of 2015 and did the editing in June, July.  Both my editor and I were “all in,” and we worked 12 hour days until the end when we were sending chapters back and forth until 3:00 am… I don’t recommend it, but when it’s time to write… you write, right?
 
What was the most challenging part about writing your book?
 
The most challenging part was trying to remain detached enough to write coherently about deeply painful moments. I will confess that I didn’t ever give myself permission to think about many of these events for most of my adult life. And I had to force myself to look unflinchingly and honestly at the people I love without protecting them.  I’m sure I still sugarcoat my experiences of my father; love will do that to you. And I’m not sure if you’re ever supposed to give that up, nor if I want to, but he did raise me to be strong and tell it like it is, so… after some struggle, I was able to accomplish it.
 
What are your writing goals for the next 12 months?
 
In the next 12 months I hope to write a dramatic television series based on my book. I’ve been developing it alongside the book, with a treasured colleague and mentor. She was the one who saw the series potential and encouraged me (actually her involvement as co-creator is the best encouragement there is). Oh, and finish my cookbook. I’ve got 75 recipes; my goal is 100. So far my family is very happy with the R&D stage. (Sorry for the extra pounds!)

Which authors have influenced you the most?
 
That’s a tough question and sort of like the desert island games (if you could only have one food…). I’ve written fiction all my life, so I try to make anything I write a good story. My “big three” are those who’ve written books that kept me “chasing the light.” So… first up is J.R.R Tolkien. Yes, I’m a that girl. Geek with a capital G. I had blue jeans in high school and college that had permanent stretch marks in the back pocket from my ever-present and thoroughly thrashed copy of whatever one of the trinity (yes, I meant to say that) I was currently engrossed in, again. It was my security blankie and the beacon of hope that spread light throughout my darkest days. 

J.K Rowling – call me a sucker for wizards & witches, J.K became my secret mentor, and like most teenage girls (of forty…) I practically inhaled both print and audio books of her saga. She showed a deft and gracious stroke of the subtlest shades of story.
 
And the writer who touched my heart and aspirations as writer the most is the revered Ray Bradbury – I had the great good fortune to sit at Ray’s feet (three times in three years) for an entire day while he was interviewed via satellite. He was 86 the first time, and he let us set-up cameras and lights during his morning writing session, while he sat in the center of chaos and quietly wrote in long hand on a legal pad what would be the first of his last three books. He would then turn it over to his assistant who would type it while he napped, ate lunch, and sat for rehearsal. He edited the typed material while the interviewers did their final checks, and then he set it down and stared into the camera and talked non-stop for 2 hours about the glory of the libraries. The following year, and the year after that, he did the same – same Ray NEW masterpiece… until the day he left his body. May we all have that commitment to the word!

Author: Scottie Jeanette Madden

About the Author

Though this is Ms. Madden’s first book, she is no stranger to the craft, with credits for creating and writing children's television (Pug & Zero’s Field Trip), feature film (the kiss), gameshows (Do You Trust Me? Duel, On the Cover and Last to Survive), primetime (Blood of Queens, The Other Woman, Out of the Wild, Dude, You're Screwed), and award winning screenplays (The Babe on Sunset, the kiss). Ms. Madden balances her time between being writing and producer/showrunner in the adventure documentary world. Known for her engaging storytelling and bold visual style, Scottie has over 30 years in the trenches. Rising through the technical ranks as camera operator and editor, she brings front line experience to her work as writer, director and showrunner. Her feature writing and directing debut, the kiss, was decorated in film festivals and was featured at AFM. As showrunner, Her recent work, Discovery’s Land Rush and the legendary Dude, You’re Screwed (Suvive That! Internationally) and Nat Geo’s The Ark.  Her directing credits include Hot Tamales Live! and The Best of It’s Showtime at the Apollo comedy series.

To learn more about the author, visit zuzubean.com/authors

Getting Back To Me