Swirling snow and two happy dogs kept Adrea and I company during our photoshoot at Mt. Philo State Park and her home in North Ferrisburg. Adrea is a wonderful storyteller, and her honesty, creativity and warmth is pervasive in her books.  “We are the stories we tell. The juicer the better. Melt downs crack the edges so the softness can emerge.”

I’ve always been amazed at the ability of writers to create characters with such depth and complexity.  Adrea says, “All my characters are based on real people. How else could I give them the energy and life my readers deserve? To me a writer listens to life. This may be why, to me, everyone is a writer. Every story matters.” 

“Every character, like every person, is the hero of their story. No matter how terrible it gets, triumph awaits. Always. Without fail. I wish people knew that more acutely. The mess is good! The hard shit is what lifts you to the better shit! If only we celebrated that more… imagine how extraordinary life could be…”

I couldn’t agree more. Cheers to celebrating the mess and reading more of her books.