Coming in 2026

My memoir will be published later this year.

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Life rarely lands where we expect it.

After decades of wandering, Natalie Gould sets out to build a farm next to her grandparents' property in Sonoma County, California.

With her misanthropic cat for companionship, she dives into farm adventures: planting an orchard, brooding chicks in her bathroom, and attempting to herd cows. She settles into a rhythm tied to the land, family, and neighbors. A pastoral sanctuary, just as she'd imagined.

Then, dissonant events break up the harmony around and within her. A series of massive wildfires, followed by a covid infection, set her nervous system into severe dysfunction. The sanctuary she planned and shaped turns out to be more fragile than she knew.

The unexpected beats of life sometimes bring sorrow, but also make room for magic, joy, and possibility.

Through interconnected stories, letters, and journal entries, we learn of her journey to full recovery—how she came to love herself and the unpredictable world more unconditionally.

With a hope that acknowledges life's mud, muck, and ash, the stories of her land and creatures cover the full spectrum of existence between birth—or hatch—and death.