Reader Questions: What inspired you to start writing?

I’m excited to launch my new blog series called Reader Questions. Each week I’ll address questions I get from my readers.  The first question is naturally what inspired me to start writing. While in the hospital on bedrest with Katie and Laurie, I sat there terrified not knowing what outcome we would have. For the well-being of my fragile unborn twins and for my own sanity I turned to music.  I worked with a musical therapist who advised me to start journaling and free-writing whatever came to mind. I wrote and put to music two lullabies.  The more I wrote, the more it helped me to move past the pain, fear and anxiety of the high-risk pregnancy. Writing was cathartic and liberating. I knew I had a unique story to tell and I dreamed of one day writing and publishing a book.

After Katie and Laurie were born at 30 weeks, my time was spent shuffling back and forth between the NICU and home with Abby. It was when they were discharged from the hospital that I knew I needed to start my writing. I never did any creative writing or practice, I just wrote whatever sleep-deprived details came to mind. While being a full-time stay-at-home Mom with a two-year-old and preemie newborn twins I slowly found the time to write. I stole minutes from here and there. I joke all the time that my memoir was written in the span of 1,000 naps. It truly was.