Nina Guilbeau
Nina Guilbeau is the Siblings Editor and new African American Editor for BellaOnline. She is the winner of the Royal Palm Literary Award and author of Too Many Sisters, Too Many Secrets, God Doesn't Love Us All the Same, Because You're You: A True Story, Birth Order and Parenting with writing credits in short story anthologies From Our Family to Yours and Chicken Soup for the Soul.
"As a writer I feel as if I walk two distinct paths. On one path, I am drawn in the direction of non-fiction family pieces. I believe that if we can understand our family relationships, we can get a better understanding of who we are as individuals.
On the other path, I enjoy the creativity involved when plotting out different fictional stories. As the characters go through their ups and downs, it’s comforting to know that on some level, it will all work out for them. My central characters always carry the lesson that sometimes to grow, you have to “let go.”
“When you love someone, show them in words AND deeds. To hear you're loved is nice but to feel loved is incredible.”
“Like handling an onion, peeling off the "husk" of our lives, sometimes makes us cry.”
“Learn to be brave and adventurous because you’ll never discover your place in the world, if you’re too afraid to leave your own backyard.”
“Even when we do not actively participate in our destiny, we are still on a chosen path. Life has a way of making decisions for us.”
“Everyone keeps telling me that time heals all wounds, but no one can tell me what I’m supposed to do right now. Right now I can’t sleep. It’s right now that I can’t eat. Right now I still hear his voice and sense his presence even though I know he’s not here. Right now all I seem to do is cry. I know all about time and wounds healing, but even if I had all the time in the world, I still don’t know what to do with all this hurt right now.”
“When you lose someone, you get used to living day to day without them. But you’ll never get used to the “10 second heartbreak.” That’s the time it takes to wake to full consciousness each day and remember…”
“As soon as you stop making everyone else responsible for your happiness, the happier you’ll be.”