Still Wild

She built a life on grit and silence. But when her past comes knocking, will she stay strong—or finally let herself be seen?

In the dry heat of a western town, Adellys Varn runs The Still Wild Studio, a movement studio where strength is breath, and stories are told through motion. It's a place of refuge for women on the edge—especially for Del, who's spent her life keeping pain at bay through discipline and distance.

But when Lyla, a friend from her darker years, arrives desperate to break free from addiction, Del is forced to face the limits of control. Old instincts surge: fix the problem, close the loop, keep the heart armored. Yet what unfolds isn't a clean rescue—it's a messy, holy unraveling.

Told in lyrical vignettes, Still Wild is a quiet, powerful novel about friendship, recovery, and the slow courage of letting go. With the raw restraint of a long western haiku, it explores what happens when grace begins to speak louder than shame.

For readers of Mary Karr, Leif Enger, and anyone who's ever carried a wild grief too heavy for words.