The stories we write together...

Some mothers and daughters get their nails done together. Some go shopping. Others, like Maggie and me, write!

My daughter, Maggie, and I are kindred spirits. We LOVE to read and tell stories. While she favors dark, mysterious stories, I prefer the short stories and memoirs. Everyday when we take our "after-school walks" we talk about the latest pieces we're on and give each other advice about this craft we both love.

The stories we write together are a labor of love. We respect one another enough to give honest, thoughtful, articulate feedback about the art and craft of our work. We continue to bond through our dialogue about what EXACTLY authors do to bring a story alive and create characters or plots that have only existed in the imagination.

Since she could first write her name I could tell Maggie had a way with words that would bring rich storytelling in her future. Maggie has written some of the most exquisite pieces I have ever read from a writer her age. She has always love to read and to this day I credit the well-stacked bookcases in our house to the detail and skill in her writing. Maggie reminds me that the stories are in the small moments we share picnicing on a sunny summer day while the coastal spray sprinkles our freckled faces.

May we all have the grand adventures of Ernest Hemingway and the small moments of Robert Frost in our lives. The picture above was taken on a retreat we took to Star Island, off the coast of Rye, NH, a place where writers often gather for inspiration. It was on her bucket list along with Salem, Massachusetts. Maggie reminds me that writers cannot stay in their own heads - they have to get out and find the history and beauty in the world, to observe and invest in interactions with people of all kinds. Then, we create what has never existed from the fabric of those experiences.

I am blessed to have such a wise and beautiful spirit as my co-author for the stories we write togetether.