March 10, 2023, is a day I will never forget. It’s the day I lost my soul sister, Makayla Alexandra. A beautiful, radiant transwoman. A fierce soul who deserved more time, more love, more kindness from this world.

Stacks of neatly labeled files sat before me, each one meticulously compiled with every detail, every goddamn revision, every ridiculous request Mrs. Sinclair had ever thrown my way. Months—months—of my life wasted on this project, only to have it yanked from me and handed to Vic like some fucking participation trophy. My name, my work, all of it erased in the span of a single conference call.

The soft hum of the coffee maker blends with the sharp whine of Mateo’s cries, a constant reminder of how little I’ve been able to do lately. My fingers tremble as I grip the mug, the warm porcelain a small comfort as I watch the morning light pour in through the kitchen window. It casts long, golden streaks across the worn tiles, illuminating the empty spaces I can’t seem to fill. Across the street, the neighbors’ cars sputter to life one by one, engines revving in steady succession as the world moves outside, unaffected by the chaos inside my home. I close my eyes, trying to swallow the knot in my throat, but it tightens further as Mateo’s sobs grow louder, desperate.

When I first started writing Journey of the Quill, I was in a place of deep grief. I had just lost my soul sister to suicide, and in the midst of that pain, I needed an escape—somewhere quiet, somewhere safe. So, I wrote a story that reflected what I longed for: peace. No drama, no heartbreak, just a steady and comforting journey.

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