I’ve come to see grief as an uninvited guest—an unpredictable intruder who bursts into your life without warning. It fills your space with its heavy presence, only to vanish just as suddenly as it arrived.

I Just Want My Life Back is my personal audio journal — small, quiet reflections from a life reshaped by loss. It’s separate from my professional work with the International Firebird Book Awards, yet deeply connected in spirit: both are about truth-telling, expression, and finding meaning through words. These are qualities I also value deeply in the books and authors we honor.