On Life and Writing

It was finals week, my senior year at college. Some of my friends were studying, others were celebrating, and I was sitting in the small library at our career center.

I was worried. I had four years of college behind me, but no idea what I wanted to do with my life. My love of English led to myriad careers. And though I was fascinated with science, two years of counting and sizing sea worm eggs taught me I loved the big ideas in science more than the painstaking work of making a discovery.

Then I stumbled on a story about a writer, and it clicked. I knew, immediately. I wanted to write.

Since then, I’ve worked as a small-town reporter, a sock sourcing manager, a data analyst, a full-time mom and a writer for our local hospital. A few years ago, I began writing again for fun – middle grade and young adult novels this time, because of course, that was always my big dream. And lots of words later, I'm still writing.

Though the writing may be slipped into the early hours before dawn or late at night after everyone’s asleep, it’s always my favorite part of the day. Even better, to create stories that teenagers might want to read feels like the most incredible work there is. Beauty and truth, pimples and love, death and finals. Where feelings are real and raw, and the search for oneself and one’s meaning is of utmost importance.

And so, that’s what I do. It’s an honor to get to share these stories with others. And though it sometimes feels like weighty work, it’s also really, really fun.

Thanks for checking out my work. You, reader, are one of the most important parts of the whole thing. And I’m grateful for you.