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So, up till recently I’ve been hiding out at home, safely away from the sight—or smell—of anyone actually smoking. I’ve been hiding from it like it’s the plague. But this week, I’ve been out and about again, running into people puffing away right in front of me. Usually, it happens in parking lots—outside the Sizzler, or at the clinic where I go for checkups. And let’s be honest, it would be so easy. All I’d have to do is ask for one cigarette, and I could be off and running again. Smokers are like that—they share. It’s part of the...

So I’m entering the second month of this purification process, and yes, I still have cravings and temptations—mostly in habit form. It’s not so much the physical withdrawal anymore, but the mental loops. I crave when I eat, when I wake up, and randomly throughout the day. This is important for anyone to note: just getting a little time away from the cigarette doesn’t cure me of the addiction entirely. What it does do, however, is strengthen me. Every day without one builds a kind of quiet confidence that I can do this for the long haul. I’ve tried some...

Last night, while talking with one of my biggest supporters of this blog, the conversation drifted toward the two subjects most people say to avoid: religion and politics. I don’t care much for political talk these days. The country feels so divided that it’s exhausting, and honestly, Trump supporters have a lot of explaining to do before I can even try to understand them. But religion? That’s another story. I’ve decided to go back to church. It’s been a long time since I’ve walked through those doors, and this feels like the right moment—not just for spiritual reasons, but for...

Thirty days smoke free today—and what a journey it’s been. From the moment I made that life-changing decision to spend all my cigarette money on a booth at the LA Times Book Fair, everything started to shift. What began as a financial choice quickly became a health revolution. There were anxiety spikes, panic attacks, and those brutal first days of withdrawal that made me question whether I could actually do this. But I did. I went cold turkey, and I made it through—one craving, one breath, one day at a time. To my friends who’ve cheered me on, thank you....

It’s hard to believe that tomorrow marks 30 days smoke-free. One month. A full rotation of the moon since I put the pack down and started breathing again. This whole experience has been a lesson in how a single decision—just one—can ripple through every part of your life. The choice to quit smoking didn’t just change my health; it’s reshaping how I see myself and what I’m capable of. I’m still working out the details for the upcoming book fair that led me to this decision, and in between the planning, the marketing, and the usual chaos of creativity, I...