When my mother died, about fourteen months after my father, I was left with a monumental task of sorting through a lifetime of stuff. I was struck by what they had

saved and the memories that seemingly trivial items evoked. The germ of an idea was planted for a work of fiction. The result is Leftovers After Life. I hope you enjoy reading it. Here's a little bit about the story:

When Neena’s mother utters her final, shocking word before slipping into silence forever, Neena is left reeling. The two had a fraught relationship, but the venom of that parting shot shakes Neena to her core. Now, faced with the daunting task of cleaning out her parents’ Philly-area condo, Neena begins to sift through boxes of belongings, each item stirring memories and long-buried tensions.

As she wades through dresses, documents, and dusty relics of her suburban Georgia childhood, Neena is forced to confront not just her fractured bond with her mother—and a family secret—but the ways history repeats itself. 

Lyrical, layered, and unflinchingly honest, Leftovers After Life explores how we reckon with the past to reclaim the present. In uncovering what’s been packed away—physically and emotionally—Neena must decide what to keep, what to discard, and whether it’s ever really possible to make peace with the ones who raised us.