Meet the Young Poet Behind the Pages

Every creative journey has voices that shape it in quiet ways, and for me, one of those voices belongs to my daughter, Natalie. Her poetry appears in After the Ash Settles in a section titled “A Generation Speaks,” where her words add a beautiful depth to the book’s themes of reflection, honesty, and emotional truth.

Her poems weren’t included simply because she’s my daughter — they were included because her voice deserved to be heard. Young people feel deeply, observe sharply, and navigate their own emotional worlds, and Natalie’s writing reflects that with rare clarity. Throughout this trilogy, her insight has influenced illustrations, contributed to the emotional pacing of the books, and helped shape the energy behind The Heart of Matter Deck.

For the event, we’ll have a very limited number of signed copies of After the Ash Settles — each one signed by both of us, including the page where her poems appear. These copies are special, heartfelt, and available only while they last. If you stop by the booth, you may even get to meet Natalie herself — the young poet who has quietly shaped this creative world alongside me.