I am a writer. There was a recent chunk of years during which I did not write--at least, not creatively. Did I transform into a monster? Did I spiral into the depths of insanity? Well, not exactly. But things were certainly darker during those years, and I can now see the ways in which I had been flirting with some of my deepest neuroses. Now, thanks to my first novel, The Apple Tree, I am a healthy writer again--which is to say, I am a writing writer again. Now, I am happy to report, I feel much more like myself.