It’s been a long time coming.
As my mom enters her twilight years, time feels more precious than ever. Ever since my dad passed away, the story of his life has undergone countless iterations—on paper, in my head, and in my heart. Their love—and every complex, beautiful piece of it—is what brought me into existence. I exist as a continuation of their lives, and the thought of leaving their story untold was something my heart simply couldn’t accept.
In my short story, St. Elmo’s Fire Storm, the main characters Davi and Jer are inspired by my parents, two people who are extraordinarily dear to my heart. (Can you spot Davi nestled in the picture above?)
We have this one life, one opportunity to carry the memory and essence of our ancestors,while embodying the blueprint for future generations. What a high calling it is to be human—to take the breath of life we’re given and become part of God’s amazing love story. In spite of our human frailties, He weaves us in and situates us beautifully within His perfect will.
Getting this story (albeit short) out of my head and onto the page required confronting grief, facing the fears of loss, and grappling with my own sense of purpose, identity and place in this world. I couldn’t have done it without one of my high school besties, Dr. Ann Marie Bryan who acted as the doula through this entire storybirthing process. She held space for me through self-doubt, and gave me the push I needed to take the plunge into fiction. I am eternally grateful, because I now know for sure: I am writing for my life
With the help of Ann’s incredible team at her publishing company, VictoriousbyDesign and power-packed promotion courtesy of Jacqueline Cox at Listen Linda Media, my short story found its home inside the newly released anthology, Pieces of Us.
Thanks to an incredible community of readers, our anthology debuted at #1 on the Amazon bestseller list!
I’m so grateful for the courage to be vulnerable and brave. You can read my story and the other wonderful contributions in the Pieces of Us anthology HERE.
St. Elmo’s Fire Storm is just an excerpt – a placeholder for an eventual trilogy about Davi, Jer and Zora. But right now, I’m simply enjoying the afterglow of a new author-mother. Beyond the story itself, this process brought the gift of new and renewed friendship connections and reminded me of the warmth of finding your tribe.
