. “…It’s very obvious that my body has no freaking idea what it’s supposed to be doing, or otherwise it wouldn’t be trying to kick this baby out of me. ” [The Stuff That Never Happened, Maddie Dawson] There are so many themes in The Stuff That Never Happened that struck a chord with me, but none more than the plight of the main character’s daughter, Sophie. Part way into her first pregnancy, she goes into a bathroom stall and sees blood everywhere. She panics, assuming that she’s losing the baby. And, although this does not happen to the main character, it is a catalyst for everything that follows. I…

This is the year of good things. Why? Because I am declaring it to be. I’m where I want to be and I’m doing what I want to be doing. It’s amazing! In the past few months, I’ve really started to see my hard work pay off in way I couldn’t have imagined. It’s not just about money, which really doesn’t motivate me to push myself further. Instead, it’s paying off in relationships, experiences, joy, energy, etc. There is something about following your instincts and ending up exactly where you ought to be. Because of that, I’ve been so fortunate to find new writing gigs, contracts and relationships with people…