I've always enjoyed gaming, but even as I got older, and I started to get deeper into writing and all this stuff that is my grown-up job, I couldn't play as much as I used to.

Whether by my own volition or otherwise, I was given a year-and-a-half break after Dad passed. It was kind of like an elephant in the room, and everyone was giving me space, whether I wanted it or not.

Hummingbirds are fun and flighty and strange. It's hard to keep them in one place, and Dad was a bit like that.

I can imagine Dad joking about how hard it'd be to get an actor to give back when it's hard enough to ask them to give a good performance.

My plans never progressed as far as a clear desire for a family.

My mother made me take piano lessons, and because I am her oldest and she had not yet been worn down by the task of prodding five children to practice every day, she kept me practicing despite my whining.

Our daughter was not damaged or hurt in any way. She was simply relinquished to foster care by two people who were not ready to be parents. I admire them for giving her the chance for a better life. And I am grateful they gave my husband and me the opportunity to be parents.

I did a Coca-Cola commercial when I was about two and a half years old, and then me and my family were extras in a bunch of Westerns. I loved dressing up and stepping into this imaginary world, and it was fun to get outside of my tiny little town with a bunch of movie weirdos.