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Essay 1 of 14
Why I Write These Books
Twenty-two months ago, my life split into before and after. Not the romantic kind of split—the kind that cracks open everything you thought was solid and leaves you standing in the…
Read the essay →14 Personal Essays · 22 Months
The Real Story Behind Lark Mesa
Before Lark Mesa became twelve love stories, it was a lifeline. This is the personal journey behind the books: caregiving, reinvention, doubt, discipline, and the quiet decision to build something that belonged to me.
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Twenty-two months of becoming a writer
The essays form one continuous emotional arc, from the first rupture through the launch and the family meals that brought the journey home.
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Essay 2 of 14
The Year of Waiting
After my daughter's needs became clear, time moved differently. It wasn't slower, exactly—it was heavier. Every moment felt like it had to count for something.
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Essay 3 of 14
The Breaking Point
A year after my daughter's situation became my new reality, the decision was made for me. After more than two decades in corporate work, my career ended. Not because I wasn't good…
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Essay 4 of 14
The Decision
Standing at the edge of a choice I'd never imagined making, I had to ask myself: What do I actually want to build?
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Essay 5 of 14
Building the World
You can't write about home unless you build it first. So I built Lark Mesa.
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Essay 6 of 14
Creating the Heroines
After Maggie came Diane. Then Susan. Then the others—twelve women in total, each one with her own version of the story I was learning to tell.
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Essay 7 of 14
The Work
Writing twelve books in one year is a choice that sounds insane once you're living it.
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Essay 8 of 14
The Doubt
Somewhere around book five or six, the doubt showed up. And it brought friends.
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Essay 10 of 14
The Grind
Books nine, ten, eleven—this was the grind. The part where the novelty had worn off and what remained was pure discipline.
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Essay 12 of 14
What I Learned
Twenty-two months from my daughter's situation changing my life to twelve finished books. From forced reinvention to a career I built for myself. From drowning to believing.
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Essay 13 of 14
Getting Ready for Launch
It's late June. The books are done. All twelve of them, polished and ready. My publisher has the covers. The launch is weeks away.
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Essay 14 of 14
The Recipe That Worked
July 2026. The books are live. All twelve of them, in the world at the same time, the way I'd imagined it.
Read the essay →The other half of the story
Come sit at the Lark Mesa table
Each book has a companion recipe, and two final dishes come directly from Susannah’s own kitchen.