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by Donn King
kingschronicles.substack.com
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- 3 days ago17 min
Discovering What Comes Next
Lately, I’ve been looking forward to getting to my desk.That may sound like an ordinary thing for a writer to say. But after struggling with anhedonia, the absence of pleasure even in things I knew were worthwhile, that eagerness means something to me.Writing fiction has been bringing it back. I want to find out what my characters will do next, even though I’m supposedly the person in charge. Apparently, nobody has explained that arrangement to them.In this solo episode, I explore discovery writing, the feeling of being absorbed in creative work, and the possibility of returning to something you love with all your life experience behind you. I also talk about why I’m likely to write out these solo episodes before recording them. Some of the discovery happens while I’m figuring out what I want to say.The big takeawayMy eagerness to return to storytelling is something I want to pay attention to. It tells me something about what belongs in my life. Your curiosity may offer something worth noticing, too.In this episode* I describe how writing fiction has renewed my enjoyment, while keeping that experience distinct from anyone else’s experience of depression.* I consider how creative absorption may overlap with flow, drawing on the work of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Martin Seligman.* I explain why “discovery writer” fits the way I work, even when I have a destination in mind.* I connect the pleasure of discovering characters with everyday discoveries, from a new restaurant to a solution for a stubborn problem.* I reflect on Bruce Robert Coffin’s return to writing after nearly three decades in law enforcement.* I share why scripting solo episodes feels like a return to my own writing roots.Something to tryAsk yourself: What am I curious enough to come back to?It might be a story, a skill, an unanswered question, or something you once loved. Give yourself a little room to explore it without requiring yourself to know where it will lead.And when you notice that small lift of discovery, pay attention. I’m learning to take my own eagerness seriously.A thought to carry with you“Being excited to get to the desk is something I want to pay attention to. It tells me something about what belongs in my life.”Mentioned in this episode* Flow and engagement: The University of Pennsylvania’s Positive Psychology Center explains engagement within Martin Seligman’s PERMA framework and its connection to Csikszentmihalyi’s work on flow.* Bruce Robert Coffin on The Indy Author Podcast: Matty Dalrymple’s conversation, “Writing the Stories Only Life Can Teach You.”* The Sparklight Chronicles, my fictional parables exploring nonfiction principles.* The Chemistry Between Us and The Signal Between Us, the first two books in the series I’m writing as Devon Marin.* Kevin on Kraft, my ongoing conversations with Kevin Tumlinson about writing, creativity, and making things.With thanks to this episode’s sponsorsButterfly Copywriting: Val Roskens Tews helps take the stress out of creating LinkedIn content and sharing your message.The Chemistry Between Us, by Devon Marin: Meet Riley, a behavioral scientist, and Leo, a science communicator with ADHD, in the first book of a planned STEM romantic-comedy trilogy.Through September 30, sample two chapters through Diversity is Mainstream, a promotion featuring nearly fifty writers whose stories include neurodiverse characters. After the promotion ends, the excerpt will remain available at DonnKing.com/Devon.What have you been discovering lately—or what are you ready to come back to? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.Article VersionGood morning, good evening, good afternoon, wherever you are in the world, welcome once again to The Alignment Show, where we talk about where w
- 1 weeks ago8 min
Connection Costs Energy. It’s Still Worth It.
Note: I realized that since I’m making all material available to all subscribers, free and paid, it makes sense to just include the article version in the “show notes.” If you’d rather read than watch a video or listen to audio, the Article Version is below the Resources.This one is a little different.I recorded most of this episode in the car while Janet and I were on our way to The Morning Cup Toastmasters 10th Anniversary Summit. (Janet was driving. I promise.)It had been one of those weeks when everything seemed to happen at once. I’d finished a book draft, written a prequel while the manuscript was with an editor, helped prepare for the Summit, and gotten ready to lead both a session on story structure and an ecumenical worship service.And somewhere in there, Friday arrived without a regular episode ready to go.So, inspired partly by my friend Mark Leslie Lefebvre and his remarkable streak of showing up every Friday with Stark Reflections for (at this writing) close to 500 episodes, I decided to hit Record anyway.The audio isn’t great. There’s road noise I couldn’t completely remove. The episode is short. But it led me into something I’ve thought about for years: being an introvert doesn’t mean I don’t need or enjoy people.In fact, sometimes the things that drain us can also be things that matter deeply to us.The Big TakeawayIntroversion and human connection aren’t opposites.I can look forward to spending a weekend with friends, speaking, teaching, laughing, and connecting with people while also knowing that, when it’s over, I’m going to need some serious quiet time.Understanding that about myself helps me make room for both.In This Episode* Why introversion and shyness aren’t the same thing* The two characteristics I find especially useful for understanding introverts and extroverts* Why an introvert can be perfectly comfortable speaking in front of a crowd* Why the hardest part of speaking, for me, often comes before and after the speech* How social interaction can be both enjoyable and draining* Why Janet and I sometimes build an extra quiet day into trips involving lots of people* Why our need for solitude doesn’t eliminate our need for human connection* And why sometimes showing up imperfectly is better than not showing up at allSomething to TryPay attention to what gives you energy and what uses it.If connecting with people matters to you but also drains you, don’t assume there’s something contradictory about that. You may simply need to plan for both connection and recovery.Give yourself permission to enjoy the gathering and the quiet afterward.Quote to Ponder“Even though I might be an introvert, we still need human connection.”ResourcesToastmasters International — If you’d like a place to practice speaking and communication in a supportive environment, Toastmasters has been an important part of my own journey.Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing — Mark Leslie’s podcast, and his commitment to consistently showing up, provided a little of the inspiration for this particular episode.Article Version: Connection Costs Energy. It’s Still Worth It.I’m an introvert.That sometimes surprises people because I’ve spent a good portion of my life speaking in front of groups. I taught communication for years. I speak professionally. I’m a pastor. Put me in front of a room full of people with something to talk about, and I’m perfectly comfortable.Put me in the room before or after the speech, when everybody is milling around and talking? That’s different.We often treat introversion and shyness as though they’re the same thing. They aren’t. Shyness involves fear of judgment. Introversion has more to do with how we form our thoughts and restore our energy.An introvert tends to recover through time alone. An extrovert tends to recover through interaction with other people. Introverts prefer to form their thoughts before they speak. Extroverts tend to form their thoughts by speaking.Neither is better. They’re simply different ways of operating.That helps explain why public speaking itself doesn’t particularly bother me. When I’m giving a speech, I’ve had time to prepare. I know what I want to say. There’s structure.The unscripted interaction around it takes more energy. I enjoy that interaction, I just have to take steps to recover.That’s the interesting tension.As I recorded this, Janet and I were traveling to a weekend conference I had genuinely been looking forward to.
- 2 weeks ago59 min
Kevin on Kraft: When Your Characters Stop Following Instructions
I missed an episode last week.I could offer excuses, but the truth is more interesting: I’ve been writing. A lot.For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been almost embarrassingly absorbed in The Chemistry Between Us, the first romance novel I’ll publish as Devon Marin. Riley and Leo, the two people at the center of the story, have been carrying on conversations in my head while I’m trying to do other things. I’ve forgotten to eat. I’ve awakened early because I needed to capture something they were saying. I’ve even found myself mildly annoyed that the human body insists on bathroom breaks.Before Kevin and I got into our conversation, I talked a little about that experience and why I think it belongs on The Alignment Show.This isn’t primarily a show about writing. It’s about pursuing what matters to you. Writing happens to be one of the things that matter deeply to me. Whatever your thing is, I think there’s something worth noticing about those moments when you become so engaged with meaningful work that you’re no longer merely being productive. You’re curious. Engaged. Alive.Speaking of curious, if you happen to be curious about The Chemistry Between Us, you can read an excerpt and sign up for a chance to receive an early copy before publication at DonnKing.com/Chemistry. It costs you nothing to check it out.And all of that turned out to be a pretty good setup for this week’s conversation with Kevin Tumlinson, another entry in the “Kevin on Kraft” series.Big TakeawayCharacters become interesting when we stop treating them as collections of information and start understanding how they behave.Kevin and I talked about the strange experience writers sometimes have when characters begin making choices we hadn’t planned. But we also got very practical about what creates that illusion of life on the page: consistency, meaningful details, leaving room for the reader’s imagination, and being willing to discover things during the writing process, and then go back and plant what the story needs.Maybe the larger creative lesson is that discovery and craft aren’t opposites. Sometimes discovery gives us the raw material, and craft lets us go back and make it look as though we knew what we were doing all along.In This Conversation* Kevin talks about writing Dan Kotler, the main character in one of his series, and how quickly the character began directing choices and taking stories in unexpected directions.* We compare discovery writing with more structured approaches and talk about what happens when an outline meets characters who have other ideas.* We explore the peculiar experience of “hearing” or experiencing fictional characters as distinct people while still knowing perfectly well where they came from.* Kevin explains why he often avoids detailed physical descriptions and instead lets readers supply much of the picture themselves.* We talk about using a few meaningful details to reveal character rather than stopping the story for a physical inventory.* Kevin reveals one of discovery writing’s useful secrets: when something becomes important in Chapter 19, you’re allowed to go back to Chapter 3 and make it look as though you planned it all along.* We talk about maintaining character continuity across a long series, including the reader who caught Kevin contradicting Dan Kotler’s middle-name history.* And just as we were trying to wrap up, Kevin opened two questions we couldn’t possibly squeeze into the remaining minutes: How do you write someone smarter than you are? And how do you write convincingly characteristics and experiences that differ from your own? Those will help launch our next conversation about character arcs.Practical TipsGive readers the details that matter. A character’s eye color may not matter. A pair of glasses that come off whenever things get serious may tell us something.Let the reader participate. Kevin makes a strong case that readers have enormously powerful imaginations. You don’t necessarily need to describe everything you can see in your own head.Use revision as part of creation. Discovery writers don’t have to foresee every setup and payoff. If the story discovers something important later, go back and “prepare” for it earlier.Track continuity, especially across a series. Small facts become surprisingly difficult to remember after multiple novels, novellas, short stories, and crossovers.And don’t confuse consistency with stagnation. That question became important enough that we deliberately stopped before tackling it. How does a character remain recognizably the same person while still changing? That’s where we’re headed next.Quote to Ponder“You don’t want the plotting to get in the way of the story
- Aug 21, 202621 min
What Are We Amplifying?
What Are We Amplifying?Note: read the article version of this podcast at DonnKing.com/108Art.I use tools to externalize parts of my brain.That sounds more dramatic than it is. A grocery list does it. So does an address book, a mind map, a voice memo, or a conversation with a friend. They let me move something outside my head so I can remember it, examine it, rearrange it, or think about it differently.Artificial intelligence can do that, too. These days, that raises all sorts of questions about creativity, writing, and what remains distinctly human when machines can do things we once thought belonged exclusively to us.In this episode, I’m less interested in deciding whether AI is inherently good or bad than in asking a question I find much more useful:What are we amplifying?The Big TakeawayHuman beings have always extended themselves through tools. The important question isn’t simply whether we use them. It’s what we’re using them to extend. Do we become more human, or less?A tool can amplify creativity, judgment, curiosity, and clear thinking. It can also amplify carelessness, dishonesty, and bad judgment.Yes, the technology matters (and that’s not yet another AI-ism; it’s just true). But the human using it remains the one essential element in the outcome.In This Episode* Why Plato’s ancient concern about writing and memory sounds surprisingly familiar today.* How grocery lists, mind maps, notebooks, and conversations externalize parts of our thinking.* Why I think AI may work more like an amplifier than a replacement for human creativity.* What the current anxiety about AI in publishing means for the choices I’m making as a writer.* Why I care more about the value of a finished book than the particular tools used to create it.* What Friedrich Nietzsche’s 1882 experiment with an early typewriter can teach us about how our tools shape our thinking.* Why supposedly “AI-ish” writing habits such as antithesis and em dashes aren’t exactly new inventions.* The questions I think matter more than simply asking whether a particular technology is good or bad.A Few Practical QuestionsWhen I’m deciding whether any tool belongs in my work or life, these are the questions I want to ask:* Does this help me think more deeply?* Does it help me communicate more clearly?* Does it help me create something worth creating?* Does it help me treat other people with greater dignity and respect?* Does it help me become more fully the person I actually want to be?Those questions apply whether the tool is a notebook, an iPhone, a calculator, a mind map, or artificial intelligence.Quote to Ponder“We’ve always extended ourselves through our tools. We don’t need to stop doing that. We just need to make sure that what we’re extending is worth amplifying.”Resources and People Mentioned* Plato’s Phaedrus — the ancient dialogue containing Socrates’ account of concerns that writing would weaken memory* Joanna Penn — writer and publishing entrepreneur who encourages creatives to “double down on being human” in the age of AI* Marshall McLuhan — communication theorist associated with the phrase “the medium is the message.” The original book’s title is actually a little different: The Medium Is the Massage. This is a rare instance where an ebook would absolutely not communicate the author’s intent. You can get the print book directly from the publisher. You might also want to read Marshall McLuhan Explained. * Friedrich Nietzsche — philosopher who began using the Malling-Hansen Writing Ball in 1882 when problems with his eyesight made handwriting difficult* My books — which might support you in your own creative journey. I write books that mentor from the shadows, blending storytelling, humor, and humanity to help readers grow, serve others well, and stay human in a complicated world.The point isn’t that every use of every tool is good. Tools can be used carelessly, dishonestly, destructively, or lazily.But we’ve been extending our minds through tools for thousands of years.The question I want to keep asking
- Aug 14, 202648 min
You Don’t Have to Know Where You’re Going
[Note: if you would rather read an article instead of watching or listening, you can read such here.]Sometimes the best conversations start because somebody says something almost in passing.I was listening to Kevin Tumlinson on The Word Slinger Podcast when he mentioned that, for all the talking he does about writing and publishing, he doesn’t get to talk about the actual craft of writing as often as you might expect. Maybe, he suggested, he just needed somebody to ask him questions.Well, I can ask questions.That led to an email, a bad pun about “Kevin on Kraft” (yes, we know it’s cheesy—maybe we’ll make it “Kevin on Craft”), and eventually this conversation.Kevin and I decided to borrow an idea from Rachael Herron and Sacha Black, who periodically record a conversation together and then each use it on their respective podcasts. So you may encounter this conversation here on The Alignment Show, over on The Word Slinger Podcast, or, knowing Kevin, possibly on the back of a cereal box.What started as a conversation about writing craft quickly became something broader: creativity, discovery, getting unstuck, allowing imperfect work to exist, and recognizing that the creative process rarely follows the neat categories we use when we talk about it.The Big TakeawayOne idea kept resurfacing for me: you don’t have to know everything before you begin.Kevin often starts a novel with little more than a title and an interesting possibility. The characters emerge as he writes. The plot develops alongside them. And when he gets stuck, he doesn’t necessarily take that as evidence that something has gone wrong. Sometimes he loops back through what he has already written. Sometimes he throws something ridiculous into the story just to see what happens.As Kevin put it, writing gives us an advantage real life doesn’t:“The laws of physics do not apply. So you can, in fact, travel through time and alter the past.”You can discover in chapter six that you needed something in chapter three, then go back and put it there.That sounds obvious once you say it. But it’s remarkably easy to forget when you’re staring at a draft and trying to get everything right the first time.In This ConversationKevin and I talk about:* Why this experiment in shared podcasting started in the first place, and where “Kevin on Kraft (not cheese)” might go from here.* Kevin’s unusual habit of beginning many of his books with the title, then asking what interesting or ironic idea might be hiding inside it.* Why separating “plot” from “character” can be useful for studying craft even though they’re deeply intertwined when we actually write.* Discovery writing versus outlining, and why most writers probably fall somewhere along a spectrum rather than neatly into one camp.* Why trying to produce a perfect first draft can make finishing the book much harder.* Kevin’s “looping” technique for getting unstuck: going back through earlier material, reading and revising until he regains momentum.* What happens when looping doesn’t work, including the surprisingly useful strategy of throwing something absurd into the story and seeing what it reveals.* Kevin’s “ash bin,” where deleted scenes and discarded material can live instead of disappearing forever.* Why originality usually doesn’t mean inventing something nobody has ever seen before. As Kevin says, the goal is often “the same, but different.”* Why creativity isn’t limited to people who call themselves writers, artists, or creators. Problem solving itself is creative work.Something to TryIf you’re working on something creative and you’re stuck, Kevin offers two approaches worth trying.First, loop back. Read what you already have. Make small adjustments as you go. See whether returning to the material gives you enough momentum to move through the place where you stopped.If that doesn’t work, try something unreasonable.Blow up the spaceship.You don’t have to keep it. The point is to break whatever assumptions have trapped you and force yourself to ask new questions. The absurd choice may disappear in revision, or it may reveal the direction the story needed all along.And remember: nothing you’ve already written is sacred simply because you wrote it. You can add something earlier, remove something that no longer belongs, or save good material for another day.Quote to Ponder“All the notes are the same. You’re not inventing new notes. It’s all in how you arrange them. And that’s what makes the music.” — Kevin TumlinsonThat applies to considerably more than writing.About Kevin TumlinsonKevin Tumlinson is an autho
- Aug 10, 20261 min
The Alignment Show Is Back—and We’re Starting with a Conversation
Hi, friends.It’s been a while since we’ve had an episode of The Alignment Show, but we’re starting it back up again.We’ve been on hiatus for a few months as we experimented with different ways of connecting. While Substack Live is a perfectly viable channel, it just wasn’t working well for me.So we’re coming back to our usual format, and we’re starting off really well, I think.This coming Friday, what we intend to do is have a conversation between me and one of our “Stars in Alignment,” Kevin Tumlinson. Kevin has been on The Alignment Show several times, and we decided we would sit down and simply have a conversation.It’s not so much me hosting or him hosting. These episodes will be on both of our channels. We had a conversation that is the beginning of a series of conversations I think you’ll find interesting, whether you’re a writer or not.All of us are creative in one way or another, and there’s going to be material here that will be useful for you.So watch for that releasing this Friday on all your favorite channels. We’ll have it on Substack. We’ll have it on Apple Podcasts and Spotify and all the usual outlets.I’ll look forward to sitting down with you then, here on The Alignment Show.If you just want written posts and don’t want to get notified about our podcasts, you can adjust what you receive from us here. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kingschronicles.substack.com/subscribe
- Mar 20, 202653 min
From Banjo to Memoir: Finding Meaning in the Messy Middle of Life
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect going into this conversation with Matthew Check, but I knew it would be interesting.What I didn’t expect was just how layered it would be.Matthew is a musician-turned-author whose memoir, What Would Philip Roth Do?, weaves together love, identity, creativity, and a fair amount of humor. But what stayed with me after our conversation wasn’t just the story itself. It was the process behind it—the discipline, the vulnerability, and the willingness to tell the truth even when it would be easier not to.We talked about what it means to write honestly, how creativity actually works (hint: it’s not always inspiration), and why memoir is less about recording events and more about making sense of them.There’s also something deeper running through all of this. Matthew’s story—whether he’s talking about bluegrass music, relationships, or imagined conversations with Philip Roth—keeps circling back to identity. Who am I? How did I get here? And what do I do with that truth once I see it clearly?If you’ve ever wrestled with your own story, or wondered whether it’s worth telling, I think you’ll find something here.Resources Mentioned* Matthew Check’s website* What Would Philip Roth Do? * Matthew Check on Spotify and Apple Music (linked from his website)* Bright Eyes: Surviving Our Monsters and Learning to Live Without Them by Bridey Thelen Heidel (mentioned in conversation)* Philip Roth’s booksThe Big TakeawayTelling your story honestly is less about getting every detail right and more about having the courage to say, “This is how I see my life,” and standing behind it.Bulleted Summary* Memoir is crafted, not just remembered. It requires shaping events into meaning* Creativity isn’t only inspiration; it’s also discipline, repetition, and showing up* Humor can open the door to truth, especially in painful or vulnerable moments* A good editor goes beyond fixing your writing to helping you discover what you’re really saying* Identity often reveals itself through unexpected connections (like bluegrass and Jewish heritage)* Writing a memoir forces a deeper question: “Am I willing to be this honest in public?”Practical Tips* Don’t wait for inspiration. Build a habit of showing up consistently* Find an editor or collaborator who understands your voice, not just your grammar* Write freely first; decide later what stays and what goes* Use humor where it naturally arises. It can make difficult truths more accessible* Engage with other writers or creators. You’re more likely to find the right collaborators that way* If you’re telling your own story, focus on meaning, not just chronologyQuote to Ponder“I really do want to make a statement about how I see my life and what happened.”When Your Life Becomes the MaterialIn this episode of The Alignment Show, I sat down with Matthew Check to talk about his memoir, What Would Philip Roth Do? But the conversation quickly moved beyond the book itself.At its core, this is a conversation about what it means to take your own life seriously enough to shape it into a story.Matthew didn’t set out to write a book. He started with a writing class, working through exercises, trying to figure out what he had to say. Over time, something began to emerge: a pattern connecting his love of music, his relationships, and his search for identity.The book took shape slowly, over years, through revision, reflection, and a lot of back-and-forth with his editor.The Myth of the Solo WriterOne of the more refreshing parts of this conversation was Matthew’s honesty about the writing process.There’s a common assumption that writers sit alone, produce something brilliant, and send it off into the world. That wasn’t his experience at all.His editor played a central role—not just refining the writing, but helping him discover what the story actually was.Sometimes that meant pushing him to go deeper. Sometimes it meant pulling him back. Either way, it was a collaborative process.It’s a good reminder that writing, even when it’s deeply personal, is rarely a solo act.Creativity: Inspiration vs. DisciplineMatthew’s background as a musician added another layer to the conversation.Songwriting, for him, often comes in bursts of inspiration. A melo
- Mar 6, 202651 min
They Tried to Bury Us: Finding Strength, Identity, and Healing Through Story
Some conversations stay with you long after the recording ends. This was one of them.In this episode of The Alignment Show, I talk with Mia Godfrey—life coach, speaker, and author of Buried, Not Broken: A Memoir of Survival, Sisterhood, and Starting Over. Mia grew up in Romania during the communist regime, immigrated to the United States, and later walked through the devastating loss of her sister.What began as a promise between two sisters eventually became a memoir about resilience, healing, and the courage to reclaim your voice.We talk about grief, identity, and the surprising ways writing can help us process life’s hardest moments. Mia shares how her sister’s encouragement led her to write their story, even though she initially resisted the idea. Along the way, we explore how painful experiences can sometimes become the soil where new growth begins.One of the ideas that struck me most was something Mia’s mother used to say:“They tried to bury us, but they didn’t know we were seeds.”That image captures the spirit of this conversation perfectly.If you’ve ever wondered whether your hardest chapters might someday become part of a meaningful story, I think you’ll find Mia’s journey worth hearing.Resources Mentioned* Buried, Not Broken: A Memoir of Survival, Sisterhood, and Starting Over by Mia Godfrey* Creating While Caring by Donn King* Toastmasters InternationalThe Big TakeawaySometimes the experiences that feel like they are burying us are actually planting the roots that allow us to grow stronger, clearer, and more aligned with who we really are.Bulleted Summary* Mia grew up in Romania during the communist regime, where scarcity and fear shaped daily life.* Her sister Mona encouraged her to write their story shortly before Mona’s death from cancer in 2023.* Writing the memoir became part of Mia’s healing process after deep grief and loss.* The book’s structure reflects how memory actually works—more like a patchwork quilt than a straight timeline.* Mia learned to embrace her identity, accent, and story rather than trying to hide them to fit in.* Her message today focuses on helping people—especially those over forty—rediscover purpose and step into their next chapter.Practical Tips* Write before you’re ready. Journaling can uncover insights and healing you didn’t expect.* Share your story gradually. Even showing one page to a trusted person can be a powerful step forward.* Reframe adversity. Instead of asking “Why did this happen?” consider “What can grow from this?”* Embrace your identity. The things you once tried to hide may become the very things that help others.* Look for the next chapter. Life transitions after forty can be a time of clarity rather than crisis.Quote to Ponder“They tried to bury us, but they didn’t know we were seeds.”If you prefer reading over listening, here is an article version of our conversation.When the Hardest Chapters Become the Soil for GrowthIn this episode of The Alignment Show, I talk with Mia Godfrey about resilience, identity, and what it means to rebuild life after profound loss.Mia is a life coach, speaker, and the author of Buried, Not Broken. Her story begins in Romania during the communist era, where poverty, fear, and scarcity shaped everyday life. Yet even in those conditions, she remembers her childhood home as a place filled with love, laughter, and resilience.Her mother had a remarkable way of reframing hardship. Even when food was scarce and families stood in line for hours for a small ration of bread, she reminded her children that they were still rich in what mattered most: family, faith, and community.That mindset would become one of the foundations of Mia’s life.A Promise Between SistersYears later, Mia’s sister Mona was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.During Mona’s illness, the two sisters began writing down stories from their childhood—memories they had once promised to keep secret. Mona believed their story might help others facing hardship.After Mona passed away in 2023, Mia initially put the journals away and intended never to open them again.Grief, however, has its own way of reshaping our direction.Encouraged by a therapist and her husband, Mia eventually returned to the pages she had written. What began as private journaling slowly became something larger: a memoir.<
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