Writing has always felt like a conversation—sometimes with the characters on the page, and sometimes with the echoes of the past. As I sit down to brainstorm my next project, I’ve been reflecting on the journey that brought me here and the people I wish were still in the front row to see it.
The Chaos of the Spark
People often ask how I come up with my ideas. For me, brainstorming isn't a tidy process. It’s a bit like a Southern thunderstorm—sudden, intense, and a little bit messy. It starts with a "what if" that refuses to leave me alone. I don’t usually sit at a desk to find it; it finds me while I'm working in the garage, driving down a long stretch of highway, or just watching the world go by. I look for the tension in the everyday—the secrets people keep and the courage it takes to reveal them.
A Seat Left Empty
There is a bittersweet layer to my success. I’ve published my first books, reached milestones I once only dreamed of, and yet there is a specific silence where I wish there was a voice. I often think about my father and how much I wish he could have seen this chapter of my life.
There’s a unique kind of ache in achieving something big and realizing the person who helped shape you isn't there to hold the physical book in their hands. I’d like to think he’d be proud, perhaps even surprised, to see these stories out in the world. But more than anything, I just wish we could have shared a coffee and talked about the "how" and the "why" of it all.
Distance and Decisions
Life is rarely a straight line. It’s a series of decisions—some made by us, some made for us—and the physical or emotional distance that follows. We often look back and wonder how things ended up the way they did.
In my writing, I explore that theme often: how the choices we make today ripple through the years, keeping certain things frozen in time while everything else moves forward. Sometimes, distance is what allows us to grow, but it also leaves us with "if onlys." Those quiet reflections are exactly what I pour into my characters. They grapple with the same things we all do—the weight of the past and the hope for a second chance.
To my readers: Thank you for being part of this journey. Every story I write is a piece of that ongoing conversation.
What about you? Is there a milestone you’ve reached that felt bittersweet? How do you find your creative spark?
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