Next Tuesday, I will release my novel—one that sat in a desk drawer for far too long. When I pulled it out, I stripped it down to its core, cutting nearly half of the original manuscript. Now, at a lean 70,000 words, it’s finally where it needs to be. It’s time to let it go.

When I first resurrected this book, I wrote these words:

Why do I need to bring this book back to life after all these years? Because I did the work, and I need to take the next step—whatever that is. Whether it’s posting it in installments on my blog, creating an ebook, self-publishing a hard copy, or sending it back out to agents, I’m not sure. But I do know this: I have to do something. I have to move forward. I need to prove to myself that all these years of work amount to more than just a manuscript gathering dust. In short, I need to get on with my life.

That still holds true. Hope in a Time of Dying will launch as an ebook first, followed by a hard copy in the coming weeks.

I’ll share more about the book in the days ahead, but for now, I’ll just say this: it’s not a comedy. It follows Hope Winterfield, who moves to LA at the height of the AIDS crisis to help her brother, Robert, who is HIV+. It’s also set during the pivotal moment when protease inhibitors changed everything, offering hope in the face of what had been certain death. The story, at first glance, might read like a memoir—it began as one—but it’s fiction. Those who know me will recognize that. Still, the emotional truth remains: flaws, denial, truth, and how love, in all its forms, can change us.

I hope you’ll come along for this journey—from the bottom drawer to a book in the world. If this story finds the right people, maybe it will offer hope where it’s needed most.

The size of my old manuscript