Picture it: M.M. frolicking in her quiet childhood, wearing a jacket, darting into the woods.
I have a specific memory that pops up when I think of being a kid. Close your eyes and
picture it again: M.M. standing in the kitchen. Like dreams often are, imagine this picture in a
cloudy frame, fuzzy at the edges, the way all nostalgic moments come floating back.
The golden light from the autumn sun flooded through the colorful oak tree, casting an
orange light through the windows, onto the tile floor and stovetop. The shadows of leaves
swayed back and forth in a gentle breeze. Flocks of black birds used to land in the oak and
swarm over the house.
There was nothing I loved more. I’d strap on some boots, pull on a jacket, and wander
toward the woods. I wrote in journals. Dabbled in prose. Started writing books. Became a
teenager. Graduated college. Got one of those books published.
Flash-forward to today. I reflect on my childhood and collect those memories, tie a red
ribbon around them, store them in a place where I’ll always be able to find them.
It’s the cool October mornings that have me longing to go back to them but that also
show me who that little girl grew up to be: a newspaper reporter. Author. Cookie baker. Coffee
drinker. Little M.M. would be very happy with the person she turned out to be, doing exactly
the things she loved. All the times I ran into the woods and imagined the years to come, this is
kind of exactly what I pictured: messy bun, sweaters on cold mornings, glasses, and coffee.
I really couldn’t be in a better place to release the novel I wrote––created from the
roots I planted in those woods by my childhood home.
Between the Ocean and the Stars, my creative flair come to life.
And now for this new journey. . .
M.M. Cochran is a YA writer and author of Between the Ocean and the Stars (summer 2022). With an educational background in English and creative writing, she has worked in the journalism industry, as well as the agenting and publishing industry, and she is currently a freelance book editor for her service, Elegant Editing. Now pursuing a career in publishing and becoming a full-time novelist, she spends most of her time editing and writing in her novels. Meanwhile, you can find M.M. collecting coffee mugs or slipping into an oversized sweater, wishing for a white winter.
Featured Image by Marcos Paulo Prado on Unsplash
