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I’m just about to start Chapter 7 of The Penny Book, as I am affectionately calling it. What’s interesting is how I am discovering what the book is about and what each chapter really means…as I write it... about begging for love.

Is it any easier or harder to reconcile the loss of a person through their choices and their behavior, rather than their physical death?

My words feel inadequate. Even as a type them, I feel shame lodging in my throat. I know it’s misplaced.

I've been trying to recall what traditions my family had when I was growing up, and wondering if "traditions" are the stuff of only the privileged few.

When I can really stop and feel the remaining vestiges of his abuse, I can also feel compassion for myself. When I can feel compassion for myself, I can extend that to others. When I feel compassion and empathy for others, I’m a better person. The world is a slightly better place.

I wondered what Penny would think of Sassy, whom we immediately saw as her much smaller doppelganger.

A “runaway” with a checkered past of multiple rejections, Penny showed clear signs of trauma. As you might imagine, I could relate and felt a connection to her right away.

Some of my favorite moments of writing Wreckage really have nothing to do with the writing process itself. What stands out most is the unexpected connections with and reactions of others who have heard certain essays.

I’m not sure if I truly lacked the time, which is what I told myself.

In November of 2023, my essay titled “Missing Parts” was published in the North Coast Squid, a bi-annual literary journal supported by the H

The Things They Taught Us Without Saying a Word

One subject I avoided for as long as I could: the fate of my oldest sister, who suffered the worst of my father’s abuse.

After he met my mother and before they got married, my stepfather went to prison for a year or so for a variety of mostly petty crimes.

The influence of “best men” in my life – my son, my husband, my brother, my friends, and so many others- is part of the healing process.

Of all the choirs I’ve ever been in, though, certainly the most influential and significant was the Encina High School Madrigals.

When I was a kid, having an above-ground backyard pool was something I dreamed about. And how Deeper Scars became a story...

When I first started writing Wreckage just over three years ago, I had no intention of publishing it.

I've written a book, "Wreckage: Breaking the Chain of Family Trauma."