I’m Minstrel, a chronic non–follow-through-er with absolutely zero time for a blog, and yet here I am … oversharing anyway. I live in Seattle with my brilliant wife and our tiny tornado of a son. Our days are powered by caffeine, failed nap schedules, and the kind of love that makes the mess worth it. Life here is loud, sticky, and gloriously alive.

I grew up in two different worlds: part of my childhood was spent in a one-room cabin on a mountain, hauling water, chopping wood, and memorizing the constellations. The other part was in a rough city where I learned gang signs before multiplication tables and saw more than a kid should. I went on to work as a first responder in healthcare, which means I’ve been close to fear, grief, and death in ways that don’t leave you. All of that lives in the stories I tell here.

I’ve never really fit the mold, so I stopped trying. I’ve collected a lot of rejection letters as a writer, but honestly? I’m too stubborn to quit. I write about the stuff we all carry: identity, self-worth, grief, joy, and the slow, hopeful work of finding your people and building a community that feels like home. So if you’re out there, here I am … applications welcome.

This blog is a home for personal essays and true stories from my life, the kind you might send to a friend at 2 a.m. because it says the thing you didn’t have words for yet. I’m not here to preach or fix you. I’m here to tell the truth as I’ve lived it and trust you to find your own reflection in it. If any of this feels like your kind of madness, pull up a chair, top off your coffee, and stick around for a while.

Oh, and I wrote a book! A Shot to the Heart is a slow burn sapphic romance: found families, adorable romance, and a bit of “oh, they’d be so perfect if they’d both just get over themselves and kiss already!”

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Writers are broke, so if that sounds like your thing, grab a copy. 😉