Why I Write What I Write

I wrote this blog post for someone else's blog a while ago. I think it's important to repost it every so often so readers understand.

When people find out what I write about, they sometimes ask why in the world I write about depressing tough topics such as addictions, abusive relationships, rape, teen pregnancy, or medical conditions. My husband is actually one of these people. I suppose it does take a certain type of person to love my books.

So, what’s the answer, you ask? Why did I start writing about these subjects? There are a number of reasons. As a teen, I enjoyed reading young adult edgy dramas and medical dramas, but there weren’t enough of them. They were taboo. Parents didn’t want their teens reading about hard topics, so there weren’t a lot of them. Knowing that these subjects are important to teens, I started writing more.

I love drama. I also love the thought that I might be helping someone out there who has one of these problems. I can’t count the number of times I looked for a book as a teen that dealt with one of the problems I was facing. The times when I did find one, I bonded with the characters and I didn’t feel alone anymore. Things like this happen to teens out there, someone needs to write about them. I hope my books reach teens who are looking for that feeling.

Some of my favorite books dealt with a teen facing death, usually because of cancer. I decided to go beyond cancer and wrote about epilepsy, a medical condition not a lot of teens know about. I also wrote about needing a heart transplant.

My first eBook, Damaged: Natalie’s Story is about a teen with a violent boyfriend who finds herself in the hospital after one of his attacks. She has to deal with all the physical and emotional damage that he caused.

Two of my books are a little closer to home. Before I finished writing my epilepsy book, Teagan’s Story: Her Battle With Epilepsy, I found out a friend’s daughter had a form of epilepsy and decided to dedicate the book to her. I hope that my book helps create awareness for this condition.

My third book, If I Die Young, is about a teen needing a heart transplant. Many people in my family have heart problems including one of my daughters and myself. One of my family members just had a heart transplant. When I released this book, I matched the sales for the first ten books and donated it to The Children’s Heart Foundation.

My fourth book, The Ultimate Sacrifice, is a paranormal, but I do touch on rape in it.

In my sixth book, Lost and Found, my main character deals with sexual abuse, drug addiction, foster homes, and teen pregnancy.

I have unfinished books that deal with car accidents, paralysis, pregnancy, cutting, running away – all very challenging subjects to write and read about, but all very important nonetheless.

I guess the answer to the question why do I choose the subjects I write about is to help someone in that situation. If I can help just one person for each book I write, writing the book was worth it.