A writer friend gave me fantastic advice. He said, ‘Send out 70 query letters and expect 69 deafening silences or rejections.'

But writing her memoir only deepened her understanding of her father’s love for her family and lasting influence on her.

So when choosing something to write about, make sure it matters enough to you to bring it to life. If it won’t leave you alone, if you can’t shake it,

Writing a memoir is an excellent way of understanding who you are. You can’t turn away from it.

I love reading a book and thinking, wow, I never had the words to express that, or someone really gets it. Maybe I can grow from it too.

For someone to slow down and read your book and to feel a connection with you, it's kind of ineffable how that makes you feel. It's overwhelming and it's super

I probably always wanted to be a writer, but I didn't connect that somebody from my family could become a published author. To me, the Grand Canyon was between those

I love cloth. In all my years I have held fast to that love.

I knew that there were many people, particularly women at midlife, who felt like they hadn't lived fully or there was something more for them. It feels scary to leave

I didn't know enough to stop. I wasn't afraid to be a beginner. I wasn't afraid to try, and I wasn't afraid to fail.

When we open space with our stories for other people to enter in with theirs, we’re giving them companionship—somebody to walk alongside them.

You just have to write and keep writing—and be willing to leave your ego in another room while you write.