Happy birthday Grandpa

Today marks one year since my book Concerning Death came out. It also marks grandpa’s birthday, and the day he died. It has been a long time since we lost him, and life goes on somehow, but he was always the one who encouraged my creative side, and he never got to see me write. I know it might be silly, but to me, publishing on this exact date has been kinda my way of holding up my new work and, like a small child, saying “look grandpa, you gave me the courage to do this!
“You made me fall in love with books when you bought the Shamer Chronicles for me. You made me fall in love with storytelling when you took me to see Evita even though I didn’t understand a word of it. You gave me the courage to be whoever I want to be when you asked me if I would rather go LARPing with the other kids or go see a musical in a strange language, and when you smiled like my dislike for playing dress-up with kids my own age made me the most precious little girl in your whole world. Maybe I’m not spreading manure on the potatoes, but I am where I am because of you.”

One year ago today I published a book about death, grief, and the cruelties of this world. This morning, the first chapter of my fantasy series went live, and this time the story is all about finding your own voice and fighting for what you believe is right. About not letting other people decide who you are, but having the courage and strength to decide for yourself who you wanna be. Neither book was written specifically with grandpa in mind, but both are there because of his influence.

You meant the world to me, grandpa, you still do, and always will. Happy birthday <3