How Many Times Had I Let Myself

My Breathing Begins To Slow. The Tension In My Muscles Starts To Relax. Then, A Click In The Headphones. A Slow Breath Of Air. I Open My Eyes To Bright Moonlight. And Hannah, With Warmth. Thank You.

One Little Ripple Started Today Could Create A Typhoon Fifteen Years From Now.

Everything About It Was False. Right Then, In That Office, With The Realization That No One Knew The Truth About My Life, My Thoughts About The World Were Shaken.

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.

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.