That’s the section two of my monologues, taken from LUMP, appear in in the new collection, “Audition Monologues for Young Women #2,” by Gerald Lee Ratliff. The chapter starts out with this quote:

“I am no bird, and no net ensnares me. I am a free human being with an independent will.” — Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre.

I knew that I had two monologues in this collection, but until this past week, that’s all I knew. I was so excited to get my copy in the mail on Friday, to discover Gerald Lee Ratliff’s editorial stance, who else was in it, and where my work fit in. Independence. I like that. He goes on…

There is a cold-eyed sharpness here that is unfashionably persuasive in the characters’ incessant search for answers to life’s big questions.

I love that phrase, “unfashionably persuasive.” That’s actually what I was going for. It’s hard to take a trope like cancer survivor and push the story beyond the Hollywood-type stories that people want to hear. My story wasn’t particularly tragic, which made it not particularly uplifting. But my emotions were true and powerful in other ways, I like to think.

When I signed permission for these monologues to be included, I was given the option to write my own introduction, which I declined.

…the author paints an absorbing human portrait that reaffirms the power of courage over fear. Unspoken doubts and inevitable challenges are voiced with a seamless blend of humor, pathos, and emotion that offers a touching glimpse into the life of a courageous breast cancer survivor.”

See, I never would have written that about myself. Thanks! I promise to not let it go to my head.

Anyhoo, I’m making my way through the collection right now, and I’m enjoying it immensely. I truly am honored to be included, and I’m using those emotions to propel myself into doing more writing (just bear with me—the baby makes things slow-going). If you want to pick up a copy, you can do so at your local bookstore. Or, for online purchasers, you can get one from the publisher, Meriwether Publishing, LTD, or the usual suspects like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.