They say there’s something irredeemable about death. It’s something beyond repair; hopeless; not able to be helped, saved, or made better. They say this, and it’s true. It’s why I’m…
I’ve been frustrated with the writing community and publication process lately. Thus my absence. But finally I found a reason to laugh. The following is a piece I wrote along…
For six weeks I won’t be able to run. It makes me sad. Running shoes…parting is such sweet sorrow/That I shall say goodbye ’til it it be January’s morrow. Parting…
There’s a scene in commercials or in movies or in television shows where a guy or girl is standing somewhere in the world and there’s just a blur of action…
For the longest time, the secret of Santa’s identity was a mystery. My brother thought he’d figured it out one year when we were small. After Santa visited our house,…
I closed my eyes last night, and a brightly-colored picture appeared. I sit nervously in the front seat of that red Datsun. My hand holds the door handle, then my…
My tiny shoes made clicking sounds on the black-and-white tiled floor. All around were those chairs with their cushioned seats and silver wire backs. The whole place smelled like a…
I love a first kiss. Who doesn’t, right? Here is Mallory’s first kiss, from my (sadly) unpublished manuscript Lottery Girl. We found a spot, and he pulled me close, wrapping…
Today I wish I only had sixteen years rattling inside me like pennies in a tin Band-Aid box. If I was only sixteen, I’d still have hope, that youthful hope…
The hills were alive with the sound of heavy breathing and running shoes. My love of running started when I was a dejected 22-year-old living in Palo Alto all alone…
I wordled my new YA Contemporary manuscript THE MARY KENNEDYS. I’m finished! And yes, wordle can be used as a verb. Because I said so. Introducing….The Mary Kennedys brought to…
I moved to California at the beginning of fourth grade, and it didn’t take me long to find a cute, blond-haired boy to fall in love with. He was the…
I don’t go to Hollywood that often. The constant hounding by the paparazzi and the pointing fingers and the autograph seekers make it difficult. But recently I braved the crowds…
Time machine. A sweatshirt. Something thick and metal so I can bash in Jenny Martin’s knees. I wish I had any of these things instead of this blossom of blood-red…
In the epic film Sixteen Candles, the Geek and his two friends, Cliff and Bryce, go to a senior party at totally hot Jake Ryan’s house. They try to fit…
I have once done a particular something that brings two blooms of shame to my cheeks. It’s the kind of thing that you do while looking over your shoulder. Or…
A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about the craziness of deeming a work “uninteresting” if there aren’t explosions in the first 250 words. Perfect Chemistry, a very popular…
What do I love about college sports? I love the excitement, the thrill that only comes from school pride rooted deep inside the heart. I love the fist pump after…
If you’ve ever had a big disappointment like I had today, perhaps this will help. All you can do is keep trying hard and believing in yourself. Even while eating…