My mother tells the story of when I was four and I worked and worked and worked at signing my name so that I could get a library card. That moment when the librarian handed me that blue card with the small metal etching in the corner and my name proudly scrawled on the back was the moment my world changed.

Not only could I now check out as many books as my four-year-old arms could carry, I had access to a great wide world of adventure and discovery. It was then that I fell in love with stories.

That is a love affair that continues still. I have been known to stay in my pajamas in bed all day on a Saturday with a new book while my husband graciously brings me food and drink until I’ve finished the whole thing. I have been guilty of navigating the streets of Boston with my nose in a book because it held me rapt in its unfolding story. I have been known to stay up into the wee hours because to put down a compelling, page-turning story was not a choice. Stories have the ability to change our lives, inspire us, encourage us and share with us deep truths.

My goal with my words here as well as in the books I publish is to create that experience for you, dear reader. Because as a lover & a writer of stories, I see story not only in books or movies, but in the lives each of us has been gifted. In fact, I am certain story is at the core of who we are and how we relate to the world around us and each other.

As one who looks at the world through the lens of storytelling, I now understand more deeply how not only do our lives intersect with the lives of others, but how we have the opportunity to impact and influence another’s story by our words and actions. It is my hope the words I write will encourage you, my fellow sojourners in this life, to create and live out a story that reflects your best selves and also inspires the best in others.