My spouse and I were eating in a steak house in Seattle, when he said something I did not fully hear. My face turned red, my pulse raced, and I began to sweat a little. He asked what the matter was, and I told him what I thought I’d heard. He laughed. I was still clueless and responded – like a Lana Del Ray song. Then he laughed harder. What does this anecdote have to do with my writing? Writing takes me into all the un-swept rooms in my mind. It’s not a therapeutic thing; it’s exploration. Lana Del Rey’s raw and powerful lyrics are what I love about her music. What I love about writing is finding out who I am and what I’m capable of thinking. It is not about the chance to say something provocative or profound, though if that happened, it would be okay. It’s about speaking my truth. By that, I mean being honest, being unafraid, being willing to let the work take me where it will.  Being open to who my characters are and how they respond to life.  And, by the way, if that’s ever like a Lana Del Ray song, then thank you to all the powers of this universe.