On My Mind and in My Heart: Based on a true story

A true story of longing, letters, and the courage to grow.

Have you ever wondered what happened to the person who saw you most clearly, even if it wasn't forever?

In 1998, Nickie, a strong-willed finance executive in New York City, places an ad on one of the earliest online dating platforms. Across the country, Ken, a thoughtful IT professional, answers. What begins as a digital spark becomes a slow-building epistolary exchange, told through intimate, unraveling letters: real correspondence, exchanged in the early days of dial-up and online dating, when falling for a stranger's words felt like its own kind of magic.

As Nickie and Ken navigate long-distance, emotional courage, and echoes of past relationships, she's forced to confront honest questions about what she wants, what she's willing to risk, and who she's becoming. Rooted in my own story, this is a raw, honest exploration of connection, timing, and emotional growth; the kind that doesn't always end at the altar, but changes you all the same.

On My Mind and In My Heart is a quiet, character-driven novel for readers who love introspective women's fiction, 1990s nostalgia, and bittersweet literary journeys that leave a mark. It's the kind of story you'd hand to a friend and say, "just trust me on this one."

Perfect for book clubs, Kindle Unlimited readers, and anyone who's ever loved someone the timing wasn't right for.

The Story Behind the Story

I wrote this book because I still have the emails.

In 1998, before "online dating" was something anyone said out loud without a small laugh, I placed an ad on one of the very first dating platforms. What came back was a correspondence that lasted longer and went deeper than either of us expected. Those letters, unedited and unfiltered, became the emotional spine of this novel.

I'd always meant to do something with them. I never dreamed they'd one day find your hands. But rereading them, I realized the story was never really about whether it worked out. It was about who I became in the process of writing them, and being written to.

On My Mind and In My Heart is fiction. Names have changed, timelines have shifted, and scenes have been shaped the way any novel should be. But the feeling at its center is entirely real.

 Available on Kindle, in paperback, and soon as an audiobook.