I talk a lot about writing to cope with difficult emotions. However, as the events of the past few weeks have unfolded, I have struggled to set pen to paper (or letter to page, as it were). Like most of the U.S., I watched in horror as the seat of our democracy was assaulted, and I have carried around a sense of dull panic ever since. Now, however, I want to share with you some thoughts - unedited and unfiltered.

This is what I mean when I say writing helps me cope.

To say Summer Twilight is my baby is to put it lightly. This is a book I've poured my heart and soul into over the past few years - I've spent countless hours working at my computer to bring Alex and Caidy's story to life, and their future is always on my mind. If you know me, that's probably not surprising to you: you've probably had me ask you to look at chapters, or listened to me talk about the world.

This pre-sale campaign has been more successful than my wildest dreams. It's completely blowing my mind that I've experienced such an outpouring of support from so many people in my life. I'm closer than I ever imagined to achieving my LAST and BIGGEST stretch goal: recording an audiobook version of Summer Twilight. With $1,482 left to raise and 14 days to do it, I'm feeling incredibly energized and excited about moving forward.

As a thank you to everyone who has supported me, I'm incredibly excited to announce that if we hit our goal of $8,000, I'm going to be donating 20 signed copies of my book to the school I taught at for two years: Duff-Allen Central Elementary (DACE), in Floyd County, Kentucky.

The past week has been a rollercoaster for me. There have been some really high peaks and some really low troughs, and I want to share it all with you. That's actually really weird for me to be saying - I'm a private person, and I don't generally like talking about things in my life. But I've also been talking to a lot of you, my friends, recently, and I value and appreciate your honesty.

I think right now - in times of COVID - it's particularly important to be honest and genuine with one another. That can be really hard and really scary, because naming the things happening in our lives has a lot of power, but it's critical. When I was teaching, my kids will tell you that I did my best to "keep it a hundred" with them - getting real about having a rough day, or facing a tough time.