The hardest thing I’ve ever done is share a piece of my soul with others. It makes me feel vulnerable. Like a thief who just got spotted by the police with his pants down. Can’t run away now. Gotta face whatever judgement awaits. That’s how I feel when I share my stories. I cringe like a baby tasting a lemon and look at the reader all weird, hoping they want more.

While I cringe, eye twitching, neck straining, there’s one thing that holds me together and that is the truth. Like me. Love me. Hate me. It’s not my decision. The important thing is the olive branch that I’ve extended. I’m trying to connect with you and honored you’re making the effort to hear me out. This is what story telling is. It’s who we are. It’s how we connect and grow together.

If you happen to look up at me while reading and see a ghastly face trembling like Hulk Hogan waking up from a bearhug, just know, I’m happy you gave me the opportunity, pal, and I encourage you to pass along the olive branch to others in your life because we all need to make ourselves vulnerable to be real. We’ve all written terrible prose. We’ve all fallen short of Shakespeare. Forgive yourself and others for those wordy sentences and write the good write. 

I won’t end with that. If you’ve read this much maybe you’ll want to check out my award winning debut novel, Infernal Fall. If you enjoy that the sequel, Almost Paradise is out as well. Also, you can sign up for my newsletter and get a free short story. It is No Place Like Home, the prequel to Infernal Fall.