I love to write, especially when what comes out is funny, or reveals a truth or perspective I had not noticed before. I am currently writing a YA fantasy, A Tale of Two Sparrows, and am obsessed with it.

I am one of the worst spellers I know. I can’t spell to save my life, and my middle and high school students routinely correct me. But I love to write.

I was around eleven when I wrote a dialogue between frogs that my teacher distributed to the whole class. He also had me read it out loud to everyone. I found so much satisfaction in hearing my friends’ reactions. I think that’s when I first realized how cool writing can be.

The next time I remember putting anything significant on paper was in the 9th grade. I had recently moved to the United States from France and had a lot on my mind. My teacher told us to write a story. I think I turned in at least thirty-five pages. Both my teacher and I were pretty surprised.

In school I studied political science, then law, and then theology, so I’ve done a lot of writing. But not much of my own, intentional writing.

So why now?

While driving to a dinner a February evening in 2015, my husband, Max, asked the kids what they would do (career) if they could do anything. My middle daughter opted for reading and relaxation. My oldest daughter mentioned something about acting. My son said he wanted to be a slug (he was into Slugterra then). Anyhow, that discussion continued on as a dinner-time conversation filler, and each of the adults took turns sharing their “what if you could be anything.”

I didn’t know what to say. I felt pretty content about my life, at least career wise. But my mouth opened and out came the word “author.” It was weird, but rang true and gave me great joy.

The next day, I started writing A Tale of Two Sparrows.

I was sitting on my wicker couch with a big cup of tea, and rain poured outside. Otherwise, the house was quiet. And Molly, my main character, was born. She was a girl, running through the rain.

After that I wrote everyday, some days, hundreds of words, and other days, thousands. Now I’m an addict, and I’m learning to edit. And I thank God for spellcheck.