A few months ago, I gave a reading at a local bookstore. A small but enthusiastic crowd attended, and I confessed to the audience filled with emerging writers that I had, in my 20s and early 30s, stopped writing for eight years, and that I had accepted I’d never write again. Then someone asked, “How did you return to writing?”

I decided to tell the truth: Zoloft.

Full Article Link Here: New York Times – The Secret to My Success? Antidepressants 

Today, I’m excited to say we’re featuring one of our beloved members, Julia Fierro. She’s been writing her newest novel, “The Gypsy Moth Summer,” here at theOffice. For those of you in L.A., she has two launch events which are free and open to the public. One on Sunday, June 25th at 3 PM at Diesel Brentwood on the westside, and another on Wednesday, June 28th 7PM at Skylight Books on the eastside.

Here’s

Her story in the New York Times particularly stood out for me, because it involves a great topic I haven’t covered before. We talk about inspiration here all the time, but one thing that can be extremely prohibitive to seeking inspiration is depression or anxiety. Julia also had trouble with obsessive-compulsive disorder. There are cures for these things, and Julia was lucky enough to find the right one for her. Sometimes it takes a bit of trial and error to find the right solution for you, but there are options. It’s important to try to find a solution, because you can’t truly get help unless you seek it. She has a wonderful success story, and it’s been a pleasure to have her here.