When I woke up on New Year’s Day 2026, the first words* out of my mouth were, “This is the year my book comes out.” (*I did say good morning to Hudson first. Priorities.) Still, saying it out loud mattered. It felt different than thinking it. Different than quietly working toward it, which is what I’ve been doing for a long time now. This wasn’t a resolution. It was a declaration. 2026 is the year this book steps into the world. I’ve been writing since I was thirteen, but thi

Deb, Donna, me, and Tedd. It was all smiles at the book sale with this volunteam! I made up a new word: volunteaming. I've decided it means "the state of immediately feeling like part of a team while volunteering." Read on, and you'll see why. My mom and I often laugh about the time she took me to my little hometown's public library for story hour when I was five or something. While all the other kids gathered around the librarian to hear the tale she was about to tell, I bac

" The Rules of Inheritance " was released on February 2. I woke up that morning to an email from Amazon.com , letting me know the book had been delivered to my Kindle. Up and out of bed with the excitement of a toddler on Christmas morning, I grabbed my iPad and curled up in a chair in the living room and devoured the first section while sipping the day's first cup of coffee. But it didn't stop there. It couldn't. I was riveted; compelled to keep reading. I couldn't put it do