I’ve been asked countless times over the past 16-months “Are you crazy? Why are you writing a book about the affair and extortion attempt? Don’t you want to forget everything that happened and hope everyone else forgets it too?” But writers write, and I need to tell the parts of the story that the media didn’t capture, or chose to leave out.

Sure, there is the tawdry public story that everyone thinks they know – the story of an affair between a state senator and a staffer with the spice of extortion thrown in. The public details answered the “what”, but not the “why.” In fact, the story is much larger than even me.

Between the covers of this manuscript I share my feelings and emotions as a fledgling politician and then the inflated expectations of myself riding the rising wave in state and possibly even national politics. But the rise and fall of my political career only makes sense when I go behind the scenes about my personal life: my two marriages, the birth of my two wonderful children and the tragic stillborn death of our third child. There were internal and external strains on my marriage that I have only recently come to understand – some of which I did not know until it was too late, but nonetheless, I used politics as an enticing escape from my real world.Ex

Just as I have to share details of my personal life, I also have to explain to my readers what really happens within the walls of “The Plaza” where the Tennessee Legislature conducts its business. It’s a lot of wheeling and dealing and it’s easy to fall into emotional and physical affairs when popularity or self-preservation is your false god. I’ve got to explain how damaging it is to act on those emotions, hurting so many others along the way.

Sure, I’ll provide additional details about the extortion attempt and conviction as well as my resignation from the Senate. But that isn’t the real story of the book.

I’m writing to share the truth about the forgiveness that I have received from God in His grace and mercy, as well as forgiveness from many whom I failed. Although some have denied me forgiveness, I’ve learned a more important lesson: to forgive the people in my life who have hurt me. Only when I accepted God’s forgiveness was I then able to forgive others. These past two years have been tough, but I have seen unconditional love and forgiveness through the eyes of my two wonderful children. They exhibit love and forgiveness in its purest form.

Now that the case against Joel Watts is over, I’ll concentrate on finishing up my book in the next few months so that I can start on my second one. There may be an epilogue to write in this first book, but that isn’t up to me anymore. I’ve been relieved from that burden by the forgiveness that I have received, forgiveness that I never deserved.

I enjoy writing and am excited about the future.