Who gives a shit?

When I first starting writing about my ideas for the book, the very rough scribbles of a woman who hasn’t left her room, or showered, or brushed her hair, and should probably be given sleeping pills and a hot bath—I would have long talks with my family about my ideas.

Keep in mind, this isn’t a novel about one simple story that you could just sum up in a few sentences. For anyone who has actually read it already, I always ask them how they would sum it up if they were to recommend it to a friend, and we both are unable to come up with anything.

So. Much. goes into this world I’ve built. So. Much. happens just in the first few chapters. It’s Greek Mythology, it’s romance, it’s facing immortality when you don’t necessarily love the idea of living, it’s friendships like no other, it’s adventure, and space-travel, time-travel, riding on dragon back to an ice castle that functions outside the bounds of time. And to quote my own book from my favorite character: “It’s everything.”

So when I would try to explain what I was trying desperately to get out of my mind and onto the page, my family and friends would give me blank stares and pity-nods. Eventually I realized that the only way I was every going to get everything across the clear language barrier I was experiencing, was the write the damn thing.

One night, with hand-cramping excitement—not like that, you dirty-minded bag of dirt—I wrote the entire first part in one freestyled go. Over one hundred pages, from jumping off a cliff to saving Maeve, I wrote every single word. I sent the link to my sister and somehow fell asleep that night with heart-pounding excitment and gut-wrenching fear of what she would think—given that what she thinks means a whole lot to me.

And there it was, “Sissy added a comment.” at 7 am. Obviously, I read them all several hours later. She’s a nerd who saves childrens lives or whatever, and read the whole damn thing between taking care of sick children and dry-cleaning her cape. Sis—the comments you made on my book that has now been heavily edited, is still saved in a file, and a back-up file, so that anytime I feel doubt, or fear, or unease, I go back and read them. I read them and tear up because after MONTHS of wanting to share the world I built, and the characters who had become my closests friends—lame, I know—I had FINALLY been able to share it with one of my favorite people. So, here it is, the very first comment:

“The theme of this chapter is facing morality and then you find out at the end that they are immortal WHAAAT?! There's so many questions I have about this characters past. I feel so connected to them emotionally and I don't even know their name. BEAUTIFULLY written. I'm dying to read more.”

So to answer my own question—if you know me you know I do this often when I start every conversation with “Do you know what?” then proceed to answer that question—pertaining to “Who gives a shit?”

Well, my sister gives a shit, and to me, that’s all I care about. Anyone else who ever buys a copy of this book will just be a added bonus.

Thank you, sis.