The essay's voice is easy, just like a spoken story that spins off a slight incident. To write it, and the other essays she reads on air and sees published in various newspapers, Mickle doesn't simply write down words she wants to say. The dog was depressed when the family changed, said Mickle. I think that when the kids move out, you have to rediscover yourself. And, you know, I think it hits men harder than women.
Men are so quietly attached, they really feel loss, and they have to grieve.
No listening for the sound of car keys coming out of a purse, no more begging at the fast-food stop. So, to lessen the blow, Mickle takes the dog for a drive occasionally, to cheer her up. My stories are about divorce because it's part of our changing culture. The result is often very entertaining, even with a subject as dark as the one in her upcoming novel. That approach allows the subject's warmth to shine through, in a voice that has become Mickle's own.