When You Need Me

Jules is a 30-year-old Communications and English graduate working as a line editor at a small publishing firm in Milwaukee. For her entire life, she has been defined by her severe anxiety, inattentive ADHD, and a fierce commitment to her comforting, predictable routines. Her absolute opposite is her sister, Ash—wild, bold, manipulative in the best way, and the undisputed fire to Jules's safe bubble.When Ash tragically loses her battle with cancer, Jules’s carefully constructed world implodes. In a state of profound numbness, she retreats to her lifelong sanctuary: a sturdy wooden shed built by her father in their neighborhood, "Little Mexico." It is on the roof of this shed, under the canopy of a majestic oak tree, that Jules discovers a secret, water-proof safe left behind by Ash.Inside is a sage-green journal embossed with gold wildflowers. Knowing that Jules would freeze in her grief, Ash has left behind a series of poignant, post-mortem letters. Each letter acts as a direct prompt for a new milestone in Jules's grieving process: returning to work, allowing herself to get "messy," facing her deep-seated fear of commitment, and reclaiming her long-abandoned musical outlet. Read more