1) When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer, and what has your path looked like to get here?
I started writing as a teen but received many (understandable) rejections and lost heart. I was a technical writer for museums for more than twenty years. My first book was a guide for museum professionals. I’ve self-published a mini-memoir about pet loss via Kickstarter, produced two successful books for migraine patients via an agent and a mid-size independent publisher, and am thrilled that my fifth book is coming out on April 7 from Woodhall Press: Bitter, Sweet: How to Heal Yourself When Your Family is Broken.
2) What sparked the idea for this particular book?
I inherited my mother’s recipe box and started writing about it. I was 15,000 words along and realized I was writing a memoir, a genre with which I had zero experience. Thankfully I found the memoir class led by Marni Freedman and Tracy Jean Jones and signed up that week. Since 2018 the book has been through a year of read-and-critique sessions, two developmental editors, 90 drafts, 12 structural reorganizations, and was turned down by 179 agents before I found my independent press. I am so proud of my perseverance, as I truly believe this book will save lives.
3) If you could go back and tell yourself one thing at the beginning of this journey, what would it be?
Get into therapy to find your self worth. You need to believe at a cellular level that your story is worth telling.
4) Where can readers connect with you? (This is a good place to share website, socials, a book ordering link, and any upcoming events!)
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