A writer’s life is never private. Every story, every poem, even a sentence can reveal a little piece of the author’s past or present. Stories erupt from circumstance, experience and observation. Every occurrence, feeling or situation their character (or characters) undergo, evolve from some element of the author’s life. The wooded park where the two teenagers meet might be the very same park the author walked through coming home from school each day; the ‘67 cougar used for the getaway vehicle may have been in a loved one’s garage; the silver clutch purse the young girl stole may well have belonged to the author’s great-grandmother.

Every piece of writing offers the reader a fleeting glimpse into the fishbowl of a writer’s life – it’s that authenticity that peak the readers’ curiosity, and draws them into the story.