words after dark - california strays II

I’m sure I’ve read this excerpt from California Strays at least a hundred times to myself, in the revision process and beyond, and yet reading out loud felt like I’d only recently lived it and written it down. It felt raw and almost too alive, like somehow I’d been transported back to Dad’s murky room under the meth fog and layers of green from the night cam monitor. ⁣
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I think Murakami said it best in Kafka on the Shore when he wrote, “Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart.” ⁣
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This is the quote that kicks off this story in my book, From the Dust. I didn’t realize how fitting it is until I spoke the words of my story aloud. My breath felt like I couldn’t access it, as if someone had gathered it up in giant handfuls from within me, leaving me empty. It was like I was a frightened little girl again standing at the door of her Dad’s meth lab. Open the door, Dad. Open the door. ⁣

Read the whole story in From the Dust. I have less than twenty copies left. Oh, and happy World Book Day. I so appreciate you supporting my writing, my art, my livelihood. This is what’s keeping sane during this unsettling time we all find ourselves in.