In the January edition of my author newsletter, Writing by Heart, I wrote about how music inspires my creative process and shared links to the specific songs that inspired Eli, Red, and Libby. To hear these songs AND read a free sample of LIFELINE, subscribe to my newsletter here. This week I'll be wrapping up my focus on music as a lifeline. Next month, I'll be interviewing the founders of two art-related service organizations, Rock to the Future and Tea and Textiles. To find out about these amazing projects and how you can get involved, make sure to check back here in February. Today, however, I’m so excited to have had the opportunity to sit down with my friend and local musician, Aurelle

I am so excited about the upcoming release of my YA novel, LIFELINE. I was thrilled when I read the independent Kirkus review of my book. If you haven’t yet had a chance to read a synopsis or review, you can check out both here. I've shared before that LIFELINE was inspired by my family's experience with addiction. I think this story is important, not only because of the potential to reach readers who may be living with similar issues, but also because as survivors and family members, it's important to tell our truth. Writing LIFELINE helped me to cope with my brother's addiction; in its completed state, it's a prayer for him and the millions of other teenagers for whom sobriety is a daily s

I’ve been thinking a lot about stories lately—who writes them, who they belong to. When I spoke at Arcadia last month, one student, in hearing that LIFELINE was inspired by my family’s experience with addiction, asked, “How can you ethically write a story about someone else’s addiction?” My answer to her was twofold: First, I told her that LIFELINE was inspired by my family’s experience, in that living the addiction story prompted the premise of the novel, but the characters and events are purely fiction. And secondly, (and perhaps a little facetiously), Anne Lamott says that if people didn’t want to be in our books, they’d behave better. But I think if I were to address this question today,

Music has always been an important part of the creative process for me. When listening to music in the car or while running, it’s not unusual for the lyrics to inspire emotion that ends up turning into a scene. In fact, part of my prewriting process is to create a playlist for each of my characters. I’ll be including a taste of each character’s playlist in my January newsletter, so if you’re curious about the sound that inspired Eli or Libby, stay tuned about how to subscribe. In the meantime, however, this month in the #whatsyourlifeline series, I’ll be focusing on local musicians. This morning, I’m lucky enough to sit down with Michelle Chapin, the self-described, “chick with the ukulele,”

Hope has always been a challenging concept for me. Having loved someone who has struggled with addiction for over eight years, hope can feel like a perpetual carrot dangled in front of the nose—nothing but a series of unfulfilled promises. Hope, when attached to a specific outcome, is a fragile lifeline, indeed. For many, the holidays are a time of renewed faith in humanity and hope for the coming year. For addicts and those who love them, the holidays can be especially trying, as they are not only filled with temptation but also with triggers, including challenging family dynamics and heightened emotions. The addict in my life relapsed this holiday season, five days before Christmas. While