Especially with grief and heartbreak, you can go through these things and think, 'I will never be whole again.'

I was in love and love died and the pain you've left isn't pain I can see myself having the strength to face again.

Then there’s the kind of zombie I’ve become now: the one who has lost everything—his brain, his heart, his light, his direction. He wanders the world, bumping into this, tripping over that, but keeps going and going. That is life after death.

I look up, and Jackson's eyes find mine. For a second, it almost feels like we're about to race into the hole to join you. Being buried alive has got to be better than whatever comes next.

I haven't written adult fiction, but I do not sugarcoat grief - or what I expect grief to be.

I’d give in to the grief but make sure I wasn’t loud enough to draw attention from those who think words will make me feel better.