Losing A Forbidden Flower -

The Thorn in the Ribcage: On Writing Losing A Forbidden Flower

When I sat down to write this story, I thought I was writing about a romance. I thought I was crafting the familiar arc of temptation, transgression, and consequence. But somewhere around Chapter 7, the manuscript grabbed me by the throat and reminded me of the truth: This is not a love story. This is a story about survival . The "forbidden flower" of the title is not just a metaphor for a lover. It is the version of yourself you only become when you are in that person’s orbit. Vibrant. Reckless. Alive in a way that feels dangerous. Losing A Forbidden Flower

If you have ever held something beautiful that was never yours to hold—and then had to let it go—this book is for you. The Thorn in the Ribcage: On Writing Losing

Do not read this book if you want a tidy ending where everyone heals perfectly. We do not heal perfectly. We scar. We grow around the absence. I wrote Losing A Forbidden Flower because I was tired of stories that glorify the affair or demonize the temptation. I wanted to write the after . The quiet Tuesday mornings. The ghost limb of a text message that will never come. The way a specific scent in a grocery store can still, years later, split you open. This is a story about survival

Just don’t expect to feel better when you turn the last page. Expect to feel seen . And sometimes, that is the only medicine that works. "I didn't lose the flower. I lost the version of the world where the flower could exist without killing everything else."