I'm Not Who YOU Think I Am...

 by Charlotte Bennardo

Identity and belonging. 

That's something we all must deal with. 

Who I am now, is not who I was when I was a child, a teen, a young woman, a student, a wife, a mother, a writer, an empty-nester, or a hundred other labels. 

I don't belong to the same circles as I did at any of those times. 

Identities change, belonging in specific groups changes.

How I see myself may not be how you see me. 

I'm not who YOU think I am,

I am me. 

Photo by Bojan Petkovic: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-in-colorful-hoodie-standing-with-outstretched-arms-and-looking-at-mountains-14909955/

Charlotte can't wait for the debut of her new YA fantasy, The Excalibur Vow, due out this summer. She writes MG, YA, NA, and adult novels and short stories in sci fi, fantasy, contemporary, horror, paranormal and romance genres. She is the author of the award-winning middle grade Evolution Revolution trilogy: Simple Machines, Simple Plans, and Simple Lessons. She co-authored the YA novels Blonde OPS, Sirenz, and Sirenz Back in Fashion. She has several short stories in anthologies and online, along with newspaper and magazine articles. Having finished her MFA, she's applying what she learned, and is working on several children's and adult novels and short stories. She lives in NJ but dreams of a Caribbean beach house. And more cats.