The Road To Publication Is Like A

I Left. When I Should Have Stayed.

I Was Too Weak To Walk. At Least, I Thought I Was Too Weak. But In Truth, I Was Too Weak To Try.

I Felt I Had A Very Innocent Childhood And I Feel Privileged By That. But As An Adult, I Know That There Were People Who Didn't Have That. There Are A Lot Of Teens Who Haven't Had As Easy A Childhood As Me, And Having Literature That Explores These "darker" Parts Helps Relieve The Burden And Stress They May Be Feeling. As A Writer, There Is Often A Temptation To Draw Back When We Write For Teens - To Preserve Their Innocence. But The Reality Is, If Someone Has Already Had That Innocence Taken In Their Life, Then Not Writing About It Is Just Brushing It Under The Rug.

In The End....everything Matters.

The Main Thing I Wanted To Say, And Thankfully It’s What Most People Say They Get Out Of The Book, Is Simply An Acknowledgement That We Do Affect Each Other In Ways We Can’t Predict.