Excerpt from Some of It Was Real by Nan Fischer, plus links to reviews, author biography & more

Crossing the stage, I continue, "Six months later my business was going strong. I'd sprung for a black velvet tablecloth over the metal card table and I wore a midnight blue, sleeveless dress and used a metallic silver marker to draw stars, moons, and planets on the cheap cotton. It was pretty hokey, but I made enough to cover rent, eat more than ramen, and I'd quit waitressing." I admit, "None of this is very flattering, but it's important that you know that I didn't always believe in myself." Murmurs of disagreement ripple through the theater. Each time I reach this part of my origin story and the audience reacts with understanding and belief, I get a lump in my throat.

"One day a woman sat down across from me—pretty with dark blond hair. The man resting his hands on her shoulders had a baby on his chest in one of those trendy slings.

"I'm Bethany, the woman said. You did a reading for me months ago, told me my baby couldn't breathe.

"I apologized profusely for scaring her. She introduced her husband, Matthew, and I tensed, ready for him to tell me off, probably put me out of business.

"Bethany said, I came home from your reading and insisted we go to the emergency room for an ultrasound. I was rushed into surgery. Grace's umbilical cord was wrapped twice around her neck. If I hadn't had an emergency C-section ... She started to cry.

Excerpted from Some of It Was Real by Nan Fischer. Copyright © 2022 by Nan Fischer. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.