The schoolyard was packed and there were plenty of places to sit, but the truth is that I felt utterly alone. There I was, the new girl in school, and I had not a friend to my name. A friend was just what I needed in this new environment. Suffice...

A couple of years ago, I met a stranger through a friend and struck up a conversation over super-spicy Bloody Marys at a trendy café in Soho. After a brief introduction, he turned to me with a smile and asked, "So, what's your story?" I was struck at how casually...

Looking into the deep, turquoise water, I could think only of how desperate I was to hold on to the moment. The warm air was running through my hair, and the diamond-like sparkles that danced on the waves assured me that every moment before this one would seem less magical,...

"Don't move or your head will roll!" warned the man with the cold, loaded .22 to my 8-year-old temple. Paralyzed with fear, I stood with stone legs, praying they would not shake as they always did when my father got this way. Though he'd tell anyone who would listen that...