What an honest, heartfelt, and profound conversation. Loved chatting with @May Cobb May is the author of MY SUMMER DARLINGS, THE HUNTING WIVES and BIG WOODS. Originally from East Texas, May moved to San Francisco where she studied Victorian Literature; then she lived in Los Angeles for a few years working for filmmaker/writer Ron Shelton and his wife, the actress Lolita Davidovich.

She resides in Austin, Texas, with her husband and son where she says, “I enjoy napping, staring into space, making to-do lists for my to-do lists, shoveling cookies down my throat when I'm writing a particularly difficult scene (and even when I'm not), wearing my PJ’s as often as I can get away with and collapsing into bed at the end of a day with a great book.”

May’s currently finishing a book about the late, jazz great, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, a project which has been in the works for twenty years. Kirk was a human phenomenon—a multi-instrumentalist who was best known for his miraculous ability to play three saxophones simultaneously. During his brief life, he defied staggering odds—from blindness, to prejudice, to a paralyzing stroke—to play the music that came to him through dreams. And May shares on today’s episode why she felt a deep connection with Kirk’s story, which also inspired her to become a writer.

The mother of a child with autism, May talks about societal expectations and the judgment she’s experienced. And we also talked about the representation of autism in her latest book, A LIKELY WOMAN. In today’s episode, you’ll learn more about May’s inspiring story, how she carves time to create, and what inspires her writing.

Thank you, May, for this honest, poignant conversation.