It's Been A Long Time

Shouldn't have left you. Without a dope beat to step to. To step to.

Ahem....

Good afternoon! So it's been a while since I blogged.

I kind of took a week off of the internet in general and it's been kind of wonderful. I didn't set out to do it. It just happened in between Easter, a teething baby which means loss of sleep, and lots and lots of poop.

Here's the thing. A lot of people ask me what it's like to have four children as close together as mine are. And I'm going to be honest. It's just a lot of poop.

Sure it takes love and support, encouragement and patience. And all that good stuff.

But mostly you're just elbows deep in poop of every kind. The constipation kind. The normal kind. The you've-been-eating-way-too-much-fruit kind, the lets-cut-back-on-the-cheese kind. The just-been-introduced-to-solid-foods kind. And most recently, the kind I'm dealing with this week.... the explosive diarrhea kind.

Lord help me!

So that's it. Welcome to motherhood!

Ugh. I mean seriously. I have had enough poop for a lifetime!!!!!!! No more. I can't do it anymore!

Ok, fine I'm not giving up. But if I could hire one service this week, just one, I would bypass laundry(Which is saying a lot for me!) and go straight for someone hired to simply change diapers.

Like a human pooper scooper.

That's kind of a good idea. I'm going to look into it!

Alright, enough grossing you out. Those of you with out kids are like WTH!!!!! Birth control people! Birth control!!

I've always thought if I could have a fun job, just like something to entertain me, I would be a sex-ed teacher. It would be my goal in life to terrify those children into abstinence. Not that it would take a lot. I would just go into gruesome detail about the horrors of pregnancy, the nightmare that is giving birth, the seventh circle of hell that is nursing for your first time and then the every day "joys" of raising children.

It would be fantastic.

Their parents would have to convince them to have sex on their wedding night.

Hahaha!

Um. Where was I going with all that?? Not quite sure.

Anyway.

I've been meaning to post a teaser from Bet in the Dark but I haven't actually written one yet.. so....

I'm in that in between place of projects. The Rush is out and I don't have a deadline for a bit yet. So instead I'm catching up on things that I avoided when I was writing.

Like Starbright is being re-edited and then re-published. I had some ridiculous technical problems with that book. So I need to fix them!

And then I'm finishing the first episode of this podcast I'm involved with.

Also, I'm really trying to manage my email because it is SO out of control. I started with 24,000 unread emails this week!!!! Don't get me wrong, it's NOT fan mail or anything like that. Come on. But it is a major mess. And I'm working on it! So if you emailed me in the past.... ever, I'm working to get to it! I promise! I'm down to like 18,500 now. So some major progress.

And then Bet in the Dark.

Which if you don't know, is my Contemporary that I will release next. I know I have a lot of paranormal series going on right now, but my sci-fi brain needs a bit of a break. Hence the stand-alone Contemporary.

And while the story will take place during college with a little bit older characters than I usually write about, I need to say these two things.

It will not have sex in it. Sorry for all those NA lovers out there. I am one myself. But I just don't have it in me to write about the actual deed. And no matter what I read, I write YA. That's where my heart is. And that's where my stories are probably going to stay!

I say probably because who knows what the future holds. Plus my podcast is Adult/Suspense/Horror-ish. Although there's no sex in that either. I mean, seriously, how awkward would it be to listen to that!?!?!

Yikes, right??

Also, this book is so not about rape!

Some of you might be like, what on earth does that mean???

But seriously, have you noticed a trend recently??? Rape. I have read so many books about rape! Or so many book descriptions about books about rape.

And honestly I'm tired of it. Not in like the roll-my-eyes-snotty sense. But in the I am literally exhausted from it. Emotionally, mentally, spiritually, ecumenically.... metaphysically... in the Taylor Swift song sense where she's like, "This is exhausting...." well you get the idea.

First, let me say this, I would NEVER judge another author about what they write about. If that's the story they have in them, then it's not my place to say anything! And good for them. I support all other writers, I really do.

Second, I think that there needs to be something out there that reflects reality AND offers hope to those who have been through similar situations.

I am a firm believer that books influence daily life. That fiction has the power to inspire, to encourage and to strongly influence every life.

I can give you a list of books that molded me into who I am today.

So, that being said, and whilst giving my full support, the last thing I want to see is rape become some gratuitous form of entertainment. While it is an intense issue that needs to be discussed, it's not the only issue that we are facing today.

And the "rape" trend might not be anything more than a fluke, or maybe it's just the books I've been picking to read lately, but it seems to me that the subject of rape is walking a fine line between exploiting an ugly, horrible, painful issue and becoming a form of entertainment.

Which I don't think ANYBODY wants. I really don't think that is the goal. If anything it's probably more of a coincidence of timing than anything. Books are being published like never before with the self-publishing revolution and with an entire development of a whole new genre (NA) I think it's more of like worlds colliding than a movement of this one specific topic. Plus this is a real problem that does need attention.

It's just, I've hit my max on how much I can read about it. And I for sure cannot write about it.

Anyway. So those are the two things that Bet in the Dark will not be about.

But first.... Starbright!

Have you read The Rush yet???? Because you need to. Blackheart will be out soon. Like so soon. And it's probably my favorite Andrew James song yet! And he's doing an entire EP for The Star-Crossed Series... so that's saying something!!!!

Rachel

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4 comments:

  1. I really like that you aren't putting sex in your new book. I am so sick of finding a good book, only to have to delete it because I don't want to read the sex scenes. I'm not afraid of sex, etc...it's just that most books now have such graphic sex scenes that it is like porn... In fact, that is one thing I really appreciate about your books. I can read them w/out fear of being faced with that crap...yes, crap.

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  2. I love that you stick to YA...I'm a mom of soon to be 5 and I love the innocence and "understood" tension in your books. I love the butterflies in my stomach, flushed cheeks felling I get from using my own imagination. Its a great feeling and sometimes it can be lost when the moment is completely "explored" lol. Again thanks for ALL of the great books and characters. I love reading your blog too cuz I so feel like you much of the time. By the way, I loved Starbright despite the technical issues :)

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  3. Thank you for not writing about rape. Honestly I am so sick of it too. The past few books I've read have been about it. Just Nooo thank you.

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  4. The expensive diapers seem to leave a fuzzy mess on my kids after they wet into them and its hard to get off with the wipes (I end up using my fingers, ew!). Honest is the best brand of diapers I have come across yet.

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