Six Interesting Things about Me

The Many Versions of Me

I was thinking today about how many "lives" I’ve lived in just 41 years. There was the 6th grader chasing a writer’s high, the small-town girl from Eastern Kentucky, and even the teenager in Jr. ROTC dreaming of being a fighter pilot.
Sometimes it feels like those versions of me belong to different people. But lately, I’ve realized they all show up in my writing:
• The Fighter: The part of me that navigated my child’s HLHS journey and fought through addiction. This version gives my words their grit and resilience.
• The Dreamer: The girl who looks at a Mirror Tree and sees a story instead of just bark.
• The Mother: The heart that bleeds in ink for her mighty children.
Writing is the thread that ties all those "Emberlys" together. It’s how I make sense of the rock bottom moments and the high-flying ambitions.
What about you? Is there a "past version" of yourself that still shows up in your work today?