A two-and-a-half-year-old at a coffee shop picked a doll out of the toy pile and brought it over to show me. He was proud of it. Nobody had told him yet that a man might be the person you hide that from.

For 2 months I couldn’t find an honest way to reach out to Sara Bareilles. Every version turned into a pitch. Then she gave out a phone number and asked people to share their story, and the problem solved itself. So I called and shared mine.

A birthday dinner at the Taste of Maine brought back memories of Friday night family rituals and a bookstore where I first decided I wanted to write children’s books. Over 40 years later, at 49, I’m finally chasing that dream.