A recent essay of mine was published on the Hamilton, NJ Patch, reflecting on a small local 5K in 2001 and how a fleeting moment in Hamilton Township became the emotional seed for my debut novel, Seven Years in Chicago: A Journey of Growth | Part I: Survival.

The piece looks back on that final summer before 9/11, the quiet intersections of timing and connection, and the places in Hamilton that still linger in memory. It is a story about how ordinary moments can shape us in ways we only understand years later.

You can read the full article here: How One Forgotten 5K in Hamilton Township Inspired a Novel | Hamilton, NJ Patch