Julia Nash

“That’s a papasan chair. Think of it like a spooked horse. Just commit to getting into it or it will buck you off.”
― Michelle Hair, Life, Death, and Expiration Dates

“Why, I wonder, isn’t my life like that? Hot pink lips. Shorts that make my ass look amazing. A boyfriend with cool clothes, great hair, and perfect cheekbones. His mouth whispering in my ear. His fingers stroking my back.
Instead, I have a feral dog, sweaty armpits, and an injury that, if it happened in a movie, would be 100 percent comedic.”
― Shannon Takaoka, The Totally True Story of Gracie Byrne

“I run my hand over the blank page of my college-ruled spiral-bound notebook. All that white space. So many possibilities. It makes me feel like I’m on the edge of a diving board, about to launch myself off. Just go. Don’t think. Just write.”
― Shannon Takaoka, The Totally True Story of Gracie Byrne

“You and I are very similar, Gracie. We’re both restless souls. Maybe we needed to learn that any story – any life—no matter how exciting or dazzling it seems, still has bad moments mixed with the good. And that being more than just ourselves isn’t necessarily better. Just different. I’ve come to understand that there’s a reason we can’t control every aspect of our lives, or fix everything that’s broken, or undo our mistakes.”
― Shannon Takaoka, The Totally True Story of Gracie Byrne