By Cindy Clark, USA TODAY  "Bring it on! I'm in such a cool moment of my life," says Martin, calling from his home in Miami.  The 38-year-old international superstar has inner peace, healthy twin boys, and yes, a certain someone special in his life. The fact that Martin is comfortable enough to share that his someone special is a man comes after more than 30 years of soul-searching, a journey that culminated in the August 2008 birth of his sons, Valentino and Matteo, born via surrogate.  "The moment I sat down and held my children in my arms, I said enough is enough," says Martin. "I need to tell the world what I'm about, my nature, because not doing so would be teaching my children how to lie. I didn't want it to be, 'At home, we're one thing, but when we go out, we're another.' "  It was the push he needed to finally set the record straight after years spent sidestepping rumors about his sexuality. A combination of cultural issues, worries about how it would affect his fame and pressure from some advisers kept him from speaking out sooner on his sexuality, writes Martin in his memoir, Me (Celebra, $26.95). The book is dedicated to his twins and takes readers on Martin's journey throughout his childhood, early rise to fame, spiritual awakening, charity work with children and fatherhood. And knowing that the book would be a truthful account of his life, Martin wrote a letter on his blog in March stating that he was a "fortunate homosexual man."  "If I knew (coming out) was going to be this easy, I would have done it 10 years ago," Martin says during a phone call from his office while the babies are "chillin' " in another room.  The response from the letter "was just so beautiful. The love that I've felt coming from the audience, from the media, it's been amazing. Why it took me so long, I don't have an answer for that. All I know is that everybody has to go through their journey, through a spiritual process, to confront themselves. Some people are able to do it when they're 17, some people can't do it until their 30s."  It's a message that's especially timely, given several recent high-profile cases of young gays who committed suicide after being bullied.  "I'm trying to say that everybody has their own time. When it happens, it happens. ... It's tragic. People don't understand that this is our nature and this is how we are born. Some religions, they tell you, 'You are wrong and your thoughts are evil.' Just try to run away from your emotions, and you start beating yourself up.  "It's ignorance. It's something that must stop. We must change hate."  From the start of his book, Martin makes it clear that this isn't a tell-all where he's naming names, but he is very forthcoming about sexual experiences with both men and women.  "I grew up Catholic. I was even an altar boy," Martin says. "I tried every possible way not to be gay, because unfortunately according to my faith, because being a rock star at the age of 12 ... it just wasn't allowed. ... Unfortunately, most people were telling me, 'Come, we love you, we can change you.'"  A secret only to the public  Martin writes of feeling the need to keep separate "Ricky," his onstage "Latin Lover" persona, and "Kiki," a nickname that comes from his given name, Enrique Martin Morales, which is how he is known to those closest to him.  He recalls being pressed on the subject of his sexuality after being interviewed during a Barbara Walters TV special. Years later, Walters expressed regret for asking the question. "I have to tell you, Walters was not the first journalist who asked me (if I was gay). I had my lines. I had my little monologue. 'It's no one's business.' I had like a precise script."  In private, those around Martin knew the truth. When he told his mother he was in love, she asked if it was with a man. "I was like, 'Whoa, this is going to be easier than I thought,' " he says. "She gave me a hug and she said, 'Kiki, everything's going to be fine, I'm right here for you.' " There was support from his father, too. "I kind of told him without saying anything," says Martin. "When my babies were born, my father said, 'Now it's time to come out!' So imagine the support system that I had."  A family was always in the cards, and in 2007, Martin felt his time had come.  "I always saw myself as a father. I have amazing memories of moments I spent with my dad," he says. "To be quite honest, I didn't know it was going to be two (babies). ... Your priorities change. Even the way I drive is different. Once again, it's not about me anymore, now I know what unconditional love is."  Writing Me was therapeutic, as was working on his first studio album in six years (due in February), a project that he had to scrap and start over once he decided to come out. The first single from the album, The Best Thing About Me Is You (featuring Joss Stone), is out on iTunes.  "This year has been about letting it all out," Martin says. "I never wrote so much in my life. ... When I started working on the album, I was one person, then along the way everything changed and opened up. I said, 'I'm going to start from zero, blank canvas.' My album is not about preaching. It talks about what's going on around me."  Martin seems genuinely excited about the future and is more ready than ever to forge ahead. "My life is very, very balanced. It feels incredible. To be with someone who loves my children, someone who my children love. A modern family!"  Are more kids in the future? "Yeah, definitely. Not now, because next year's going to be really intense. I would like for my kids to be in school (before having more). You know what, I love surrogacy, (but) adoption is also there. A very beautiful route, and I have many friends who have gone that way."  You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference.
Writing the book was mostly therapeutic for the popular Latin singer and sex symbol, who revealed in March that he is gay.