Daley Downing's Blog, page 31

Year-End Wrap-Up (How Did This Happen?)

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So, as we are all painfully aware, we just days away from the end of 2017. Hence, I’m going to finish up this calendar page with a recap of all kinds of stuff I did in the last 12 months.

Okay, not really. Because although I know I was very busy, I cannot remember 89% of what I actually did. My guess is I must’ve been even busier than I realized, which is why so much of it is a blur.

Well, there are some things I can concretely tell you:

I set my Goodreads challenge at 20 books, and somehow managed to read 68.
At last count, my blog was up to 240 followers, and Twitter had climbed to 195.
I published not one, not two, but three (!) books.

Also, White Fang started high school, and Muffin started preschool, and believe me, this was a big deal.

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Yes, I went from just being a blogger who was frantically trying to finish a novel someday, to being a writer who had not only finished a novel but had it printed.

And it was getting pretty well-received, which really made my year. That led to boosting my confidence high enough to start working on the immediate sequel.

And, I shared some of my short stories and flash fiction on the blog, and that went over pretty well. So I decided to put the major ones together in an anthology.

My Goodreads page rather quickly went from being just a reader to being an author with a bibliography.

This is really such a huge thing; sometimes I still can’t believe it.

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There’s a massive rush in walking into your local library and seeing something you wrote on the shelf.

So, apart from that… Hmm, did anything else happen in 2017?

Oh, yes — I won NaNoWriMo for the second year in a row, and I gave a talk on self-publishing to a small group at said local library.

The latter will most likely lead to future engagements (huzzah!).

Here’s how I felt about the former:

NaNoWriMo was brutal this year. One, I hadn’t completely finished my last edits for Volume 2, and was, in fact, trying to do those on a few days here and there in November, around my NaNo project. (This is highly not advised; I don’t recommend attempting it to anyone.)

Then I discovered (after writing nearly 39,000 words on my NaNo draft) that I didn’t like the way the story was going at all and would probably end up scraping it entirely.

But after coming that far, the idea was just loathsome. So, I decided to be a NaNo “rebel.” Since I wrote brand new 4,000 + words in the final edits of Volume 2 between November 2nd and somewhere around the 18th, I included those in my tally. Then I wrote two potential first chapters for How To Be A Savage at roughly 2500 words each, and (praise the Lord) I was done.

All of this has made me seriously question whether I want to participate in NaNo next year. But, thankfully, that’s 11 months away.

In other, non-writing things — as already mentioned, I did manage to read a lot this year. More than I’d read in a 12-month span since well before Muffin was born. To be fair, I owe a lot of that to him, since now he gets regular bedtime stories (in fact he grows quite concerned if we suggest skipping one night), and while we also re-read a ton with him, I also get to try new picture books that I hadn’t read with White Fang.

And, oh, yeah, if you’re reading 10 new titles a month to a small child, that certainly helps advance that progress bar on Goodreads.

Most of the YA/MG selections I chose were, however, sadly disappointing. There were some real gems as well (happily). Some of my top favorites for 2017 (regardless of publication year) included:

The Beast of Talesend, The Tomb of the Sea Witch, and The Stroke of Eleven by Kyle Robert Shultz
Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella
Guardian Cats and the Lost Books of Alexandria by Rahma Krambo
A Matter of Temperance by Ichabod Temperance
Girl Online by Zoe Suggs

Oh, yeah, and somewhere along the way, White Fang went from watching The Thundermans and Henry Danger to watching The Big Bang Theory and The Walking Dead. Guess that has something to do with him going from being 13 to being 14.

So, now, here we are, another year gone, and definitely a lot accomplished! Here’s to a healthy, productive, and happy 2018!

The Most Amazing Giveaway!

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Yes, it is, in the history of the world! Come on, go with me on this!

I have 2 extra paperback ARCs of Rulers and Mages that I’m offering for free.

Just a couple of things to keep in mind:

There will most likely be typos (since I hadn’t caught all of them before printing this batch).

And it would be very helpful to have read Volume 1, since this is Volume 2 in a series.

I’ll let this run for a while, give everyone a chance to survive the holidays and all of that.

Just leave a comment below if you’re interested!

2018 Most Anticipated Releases

Okay, first: Obligatory moment of screaming incoherently because it is nearly 2018. I literally feel like approximately 57 days were removed from 2017 in the middle of the night sometime around Easter and no one announced it to the public. How do you explain where this year went otherwise?!?!

Anyway, in an effort to be supremely positive about this sad, sad turn of events, I shall look forward with delight to new releases I get to rave over with that flip of the calendar page!

Beaumont and Beasley continuations and spinoffs:

              

Kyle Shultz has announced his official plans for 2018 publishing, and there is a lot to be excited about. He’ll be going ahead with his concepts for taking his “canon” series, Beaumont and Beasley, in new directions (I love it when authors are brave and try something new), as well as a prequel for The Beast of Talesend, and a spinoff featuring Malcolm Blackfire (the dragon who will be my husband one day, so SQUEEEE!!!), and he’s started a sort of Wild West series on Wattpad. (Although I am incredibly behind on that, since I currently do not Wattpad.) Almost everything will eventually be out in paperback, and I am definitely looking forward to those!

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black:

I am beyond falling over with anticipation for this one. Since (finally) finishing The Darkest Part of the Forest last year and loving it, I am quite eager for Holly Black to write more fairy stories. Years ago, I tried her first fairy-related book, Tithe, and didn’t really care for it, but there was so much storytelling potential waiting in the wings of that and her Curse Workers trilogy. So I hung on and kept an eye peeled, hoping that one of her titles would finally grab my interest and not let go. Now I honestly feel that she’s matured as an author, found her style and honed it, so The Cruel Prince is high on my list.

A Thousand Perfect Notes by CG Drews:

Here’s an interesting sort of confession — I may not actually read this. Why?, when I know the author, and Goodreads has exploded over how much people are dying for A Thousand Perfect Notes to hurry up and be printed already? Well, it’s the content of the plot. I simply don’t read novels involving abusive parents, because it features high among my personal triggers. I’ve actually already discussed this some with the author, and since she understands the ASD struggle herself, this will hardly be a surprise to her. However, it does not one whit distance or deter me from recognizing this shall be a huge release, and hopefully the internet can hold itself together in the meantime as the rest of you flail joyously!

Fawkes by Nadine Brandes:

To say I am excited about this novel can be related thusly: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!! It’s a historical fantasy, centering on Bonfire Night, which is one of my favorite British holidays, and the fact I have to wait until spring for it to be even close to being available is just: AAAAAAAHHHHRRGGHH!!!!!! I have not yet read anything else by this author, but I’ve heard very good things, and the concept is totally my cup of tea — hence the non-stop screaming until I get my hands on a copy.

(covers not yet confirmed) Volume 3 of The Order of the Twelve Tribes and How To Be A Savage by Daley Downing:

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What? Did you really expect me to get through this post without hollering about my own 2018 titles?

As of yet, there is no title or even cover art for Volume 3. It shall come to be eventually, when Kyle and I have survived the holidays and life throwing Other Stuff in our path. And no teasers yet, since Rulers and Mages just came out, and very, very few have had a chance to finish it.

How To Be A Savage will release first, anyway. I’m taking a break from an intense work schedule on my Order world to focus on my failed NaNo project that I’m now revamping into something awesome. As of now, there are no notions or schemes for the cover; I’ll cross that bridge sometime in January.

And there we have it! Now, let’s all run around panicking for a minute (or 23), because none of us are prepared for the new year!

Have fantastic holidays, moths!

This Bookdragon Says No More…

So, the other day, I was picking up my holds from the library, and something a little strange happened. As I loaded the titles into my bag, I realized that I only remembered requesting one of them, and why. (It was due to the blogisphere screaming about how good it was. Valid reason in spades for it ending up on my list.)

However, that was only one of five holds I checked out that day. Now, this concerns me.

Sure enough, when I got home, I looked the others over, and not a single hint of recognition came.

I could just read them, anyway. I’m aware of that. But I do not possess a Time Turner, meaning I only get 24 hours in a day, and approximately 16 of that needs to be spent caring for children, the cat, the house, writing, cooking, running errands. And the rest should be taken up by sleep.

So, I need to carefully select my reading material. If I truly don’t care if I read it, it should go back to the library.

Or, ideally, not arrive in my house at all.

Some bookdragons have a VERY big issue with the idea of not reading all of the books, that have ever been published, since, like, the beginning of time. I have no such qualms. If I’m not interested in the plot, it’s longer than 550 pages, falls into a genre I usually don’t like, or belongs to an already long series that I never started, chances are it will never get added to my TBR.

And this makes my life a LOT simpler. Could I be missing out on some really cool stuff? Yeah. But I’m willing to take that risk. In some cases, I’ll just watch the movie. (Shush, this is not heresy.)

Apparently, I recently forgot some of my cardinal TBR rules.

Time to go back to the drawing board and consider where I may have strayed off the path.

Literally judging a book by its cover can be quite dangerous. In the past 18 or so months (ever since I started scouring other book blogs to see what the flavor of the week was), I’ve brought home many novels with downright lovely covers…and a terrible story. This has resulted in so much frustration — that could’ve been avoided.

The fear of missing out is a real thing — even for autistic bookdragons. When you already feel like the whole world is engaging in something fantastic and you’re over here on the outskirts wearing a face of confusion and despair, life is hard. So you decide to remedy that by reading the books “everybody else” is loving. Well, guess what — just because it’s a bestseller doesn’t mean you will like it. Exhibit A for me: The Hunger Games. And it made me sad, because the rest of the movies were coming out, and people were so excited…

Then, about a year later, I started finding more and more bloggers were being brave and admitting they hated the dystopia craze — particularly The Hunger Games. This made me feel SO much better. And it renewed my drive to apply more self-discipline and less social guilt.

Lots of books combined together in the same tote bag are heavy. And I walk to the library and back. More than once, I’ve nearly given myself a hernia attempting to carry 8 picture books, 5 YA novels, and 3 DVDs the three-fourths of a mile to my house — in all kinds of weather.

The initial rush I received by checking out that big stack was quickly replaced with, “Oh, my God, I cannot do this anymore, how am I going to make it up the hill, what was I thinking, somebody help me PLEASE!”

My health is kind of important…

Reading one book you really enjoyed is MUCH, MUCH more satisfying than ploughing through 4 books you feel really meh about. Yes, this is actual, certified truth. Despite the fleeting moment of glee that resulted from seeing how high my Goodreads challenge has climbed, the pressure I ended up putting myself under to more than double my original goal was NOT worth it. While this course began accidentally, the stress became real.

When you read primarily for fun, this is not okay.

The road less traveled is quite worth peeking down. Books that will never reach the bestseller lists can still be awesome. I used to read a lot of them, and was generally happy that way. Yes, there are utterly amazing bestselling novels, too. But don’t feel the need to box yourself in.

Being slightly pickier is an advantage. Yes, it is. You could discover your next favorite book by refusing to stick to what came out in the past 12 weeks, and checking out what was super-hot 5 years ago. (Think about it — you’ll be a trend-setter!)

It also means that you won’t have to spend money you don’t have, trying to acquire 17 brand-new releases in approximately 17 minutes before the pre-orders sell out.

See? The beauty of simplicity.

Review: The Stroke of Eleven

Note: I did receive an ARC of this novel, but I would’ve got it for myself before too long, anyway.

The Stroke of Eleven is the third installment in the Beaumont and Beasley series by indie author Kyle Shultz. Yes, I happen to be personally acquainted with this author, but that’s because his work is awesome. Anyway, the review…

This novel takes place shortly following the events in The Tomb of the Sea Witch, and includes secondary characters that we first met in that story, such as The Mythfits and Malcolm Blackfire. (I am completely in love with Malcolm Blackfire.)

Per his usual modus operandi, Shultz has taken a traditional fairytale from our own culture and turned it on its head. (In The Beast of Talesend it was Beauty and the Beast and Snow White, and in Tomb of the Sea Witch it was The Little Mermaid.) This time it’s Cinderella.

But these stories have never fallen into the tropes of typical fairytale retellings, and trope-avoidance happens even more so in The Stroke of Eleven. Shultz actually starts making many references to beloved classic tales of our time (especially Alice in Wonderland), and in what’s becoming a strong hallmark of his writing, indicates none of this is what it seems.

Now, in my goal to always avoid spoilers, a lot of this review will have to be summed up by the following:

AAAAARRRGHHRRACGHHAH!!!!!!! FIFLEFLPHFFLIPHLEFFT!!!! AAKLJSIAD!!!!

Yup, that’s how I felt about the lead up to the ending. The ending itself was actually not really unexpected on my part. (What? Maybe I’m a genius?) However…the scenes that made the climatic action and the ending possible…THAT was the best. I love what Shultz is doing by blurring the lines between what the “right” and “wrong” decisions may be, and adding new complexities to characters and possible plot threads that give the reader a lot of food for thought.

With regards to the story itself, the twists in Cinderella’s tradition weren’t quite as dark or comedic as Shultz’s previous explorations of The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. (Yes, trust me, that all goes together in this series.) I enjoyed the author’s changes to those pieces of lore; yet, what he did with Cinderella was honestly fresh and unique and gave those characters a lot more meaning than the stereotypical “happy ever after.”

This is what’s lacking so much from modern retellings, and while I do appreciate a happy ending, one that’s reached merely by going through a bunch of fluff is highly unrealistic, and does not create a bond between me and the characters I’m supposed to be rooting for. Shultz’s developing circumstances/a universe where not everything will go according to plan and the characters are required to adjust and reconfigure and grow makes much more sense, and this I like.

Further adventures in this world are forthcoming from the author, including spinoffs involving Malcolm Blackfire (SQUEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!) and prequels of the established Afterlands plots. I’m thoroughly looking forward to all of it.

If you haven’t started on this series yet, I strongly suggest you do.

You can find the author at: https://kylerobertshultz.com/.

How I Choose My TBR

It’s a very simple system, really. It helps keep my stress down, by making sure my TBR doesn’t get too long or too unrealistic.

While I love to read, I am also a picky reader, so having a well-crafted TBR also helps to avoid disappointment (most of the time).

And, of course, spare time does not always exist in abundance in my life, so being prepared ahead of actually being in the library or on Barnes and Noble.com is quite handy.

I keep a list on Goodreads (come on, who doesn’t?), which works sooooo much better than my old method (which was scribbling down a newly-released title on a random grocery list and praying I don’t lose it).

Now, here’s how I decide what actually goes on that list:

Criteria 1: It’s by an author I already know I like. Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Erin Hunter, Maggie Stiefvater, Holly Black, Charles De Lint, JK Rowling — these are all names that will make me sit up and take notice in a newsletter or article. Sadly, some of these folks are no longer with us or aren’t releasing new material lately. And the back catalogs of others I have ploughed right through. Still, it’s good to have a go-to (or several).

Criteria 2: It’s by an author that comes highly recommended (by everyone I know). After seeing the same authors constantly named in the same raving reviews, I feel compelled to give them a try. In some cases, this has not panned out. In others, it’s been a huge success. In others still, I have yet to get to said titles. (What?! Sometimes the library has a long wait list!)

Criteria 3: White Fang may be interested in it. Yes, it goes on my TBR, even though he’ll be reading it. Why? Because otherwise I will very promptly forget that he mentioned that series or author or genre. Yup, mum of the year award for short-term memory does not go to me!

Criteria 4: It’s likely to show up in my local library. Not that this is a strict rule, but it is a pretty regular guideline. Since the ratty old wallpaper peeling off my living room walls is not made of dollar bills, I need to save my money for things other than buying books. Hence, if I can’t get it for free, it will either be waaaaay down the TBR, or not turn up on it for a few years.

Criteria 5: It’s not coming out until next year, but it does sound really good, and I don’t want it to slip my mind. Take Holly Black’s The Cruel Prince and Nadine Brandes’ Fawkes as Exhibit A. The former has been sitting on my list for about 3 months, and finally it’ll hit stores sometime in January. The latter won’t even be out until sometime in 2018 (it’s so far away I can’t even remember without Googling it), but I will kick myself if the fact of its very existence just slips out of my brain.

 

 

The January Book Club!

Hello, everyone! So, as we prepare for the next book club meeting (I meant to figure out something before now — heh, what’s this passage of time thing?!), I’ll get you all ready to buy more of my work  ahem, I mean, to indulge yourself in my wonderfully enchanting, delightful, humorous, and thought-provoking collection of short stories!

(Okay, yes, that means buy the book so that you can join in the club meeting on January 30th.)

(Hey, what? A girl’s gotta make sure her kids eat!)

Anyway, this is an anthology of short stories and flash fiction that I first shared on the blog several months ago, and now they’re all available together, with some additions. The additions are: I’ve included author’s notes, so you can see where my inspiration for each of these vastly different tales came from; and there is a lovely cover created by Alea Harper.

So, order now for the joy of joining in the discussion at the end of January! Make good use of those Christmas coupons and gift cards!

Ahem, I mean — ahh, heck, that is what I mean.

Happy holiday season, moths!

Presenting What We See Versus What We Hope For: Historical Fiction

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This is something I’ve been thinking about a lot recently. We live in an age where certain things — like racism, sexism, and discrimination — are considered wrong, but this wasn’t always the case in the world. While I am 110% for preserving authentic historical representation (even the stuff we don’t like is important not to cover up, folks), I also feel it’s important to portray a healthy viewpoint for the next generation — especially since we truly hope they’ll live understanding, tolerance and acceptance much more than previous eras of humans.

 

Last night, White Fang and I watched Leap!, which is supposed to be a cute kids’ movie about a pair of French orphans who run away to Paris in the late 19th century to follow their dreams of being a ballerina and an inventor. Now, the premise is fine. But the plot that unfolds is riddled with holes — more holes than 10 slices of Swiss cheese.

The filmmakers have the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty being built at the same time (hint: that didn’t happen), the main character wearing denim (again, would not have happened in mid-1880s France, especially for girls), all the dialogue being very modern, most of the soundtrack 2010+ pop hits, two 12-year-old orphans running around the city like they own it, and a girl with zero previous training becoming an expert ballet student in less than a month.

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Now, while I expect some suspension of disbelief to be necessary with animated movies aimed at 4th-graders, this is taking it too far. As a classically trained dancer myself, I know for a cold, hard (and often very painful and achy) fact that there is simply NO WAY ON EARTH a girl who didn’t even know the basic 5 positions would be starring in The Nutcracker about two weeks later.

Yes, there is a great message in “don’t give up on your dreams, work hard and keep trying.” BUT we have to present realistic goals and ambitions for our kids. If we’re going to encourage little girls (and little boys!) to enroll in ballet classes for the love of dancing, they also need to know that learning a skill — any skill — requires constant practice, self-discipline, and competition. Some of the other pupils in your dance class will always want to be better than you, not support your progress, not be a team player. You won’t get every role you audition for — you may never get to be Clara in The Nutcracker — and you need to be okay with that.

Back to my point about getting the historical details right: The filmmakers also didn’t know anything about The Nutcracker — its first performance was in 1892 (which definitely wouldn’t coincide with the building of the Eiffel Tower or the Statue of Liberty). Nor is it just a duet (there are whole big scenes with tons of dancers and vivid costumes and a sort of fairytale to it all), as the movie claimed.

And — this was quite disturbing to White Fang and me — there were a couple scenes where an 18-year-old boy was hitting on a 12-year-old girl. Now, while that’s (disgustingly) more historically correct, these days we would absolutely label that child abuse and make sure it was stopped. Can we — seriously, Hollywood — please NOT release a film that suggests that kind of behavior is totally acceptable?

AND a film that clearly shows it will take you approximately 4-6 years of lessons and busting your butt to be Clara in a professional company’s performance of The Nutcracker?

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My complaints on this issue are about far more than blurring the lines between what happened and what we wished had occurred in history. It’s about establishing what a healthy attitude is towards life now, based on where we’ve come from. The rather 1950s Disney version of “happily ever after” is not realistic, and should not be anticipated. We will have to struggle with disappointments, missed chances, mistakes, and other people not liking us (no matter how nice we are to them).

The only thing I liked about Leap! was the fact that the main character did not give up on her dream, despite her poverty, her lack of formal training, the disadvantages her culture threw in her way. Yet, the extremely impossible way in which she got there meant that impressionable young minds will still be swayed in the wrong direction.

I really, really want 21st century girls to understand that their ancestors had to fight for the laws that protect them from child marriage, not being able to choose their occupation, and just being treated as property by men. I really, really want them (and their male peers) to respect the advances we’ve made and not take them for granted. How do I convince my sons that sexual harassment is wrong if they see it in a movie released in 2017?

We currently have a very disjointed, unbalanced view of the past that we’re portraying to the children of today. Not all white people were evil racist bigots. Not all men were sexist pigs. Not all little girls who wanted to be ballerinas danced in Paris.

We need to find a better way to objectively state facts, accept that we can’t change them, and get over it, so that we can pour our present energies into changing perspectives and behavior that we publicly proclaim should not be a part of our lifetimes.

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The Woes of the Self-Published Moth…

Okay, so I bring you further updated announcements on more news of stuff. My copy of Rulers and Mages arrived the other day, and as I was glancing through it, I saw a fair number of minor typos. (I completely blame my family for not leaving me alone to work enough in October and November.) Most of them are easily overlooked, but one or two were, I felt, not acceptable. This bothers me. At first, it was just a little. But by this morning, it had become a lot.

So, I’ve gone through my proofs and made certain corrections that I feel were quite necessary. This action means that I’ve had to temporarily take the book off sale while the corrections are processed. It should be back on sale by the 14th.

If you’ve already ordered a copy, thank you so much for your patronage. If the typos bother you, please let me know, I’m more than happy to arrange for a new paperback to be sent your way (at no additional charge to yourself). If you notice the typos and don’t care, thank you so much for your understanding.

This also means a couple of other changes: I was planning on making the next book club meeting be for Rulers and Mages, but now that readers won’t be able to obtain it sooner, I’ll push that back to February, and January’s book club will be for Dreamings and Muses.

And I now have 3 copies of Volume 2 with mistakes in. Big sigh. If anybody who’s already read Masters and Beginners wants a review copy (hey, look at me finding the positive spin in all this), let me know! (First come, first served, by the way, everybody.)

I am still giving away one e-copy of Volume 2 (with typos fixed), to one lucky winner. Time for that is running out fast (I’ll announce it by the middle of this week), so throw your name in the hat now if you’re interested!

Again, I’m sorry for the delays in ordering this might cause for some of you, and thank you all so much for your continued support.

The Time To Stay Silent Has Passed

Okay, it may make me physically sick to have to write this post, but I do have to.

Yesterday it came to my attention that there’s a non-fiction book, being peddled as an “autism mom memoir” entitled “To Siri With Love,” by a barely human person called Judith Newman. She has an autistic son, and relates throughout the entire book how she sees him as inferior, not a whole being, and actually blatantly says she believes so strongly he shouldn’t have children of his own that she plans to have him forcibly sterilized when he’s 18.

Bucket, anyone, bucket? Yeah, I should’ve offered to hand them out before you started reading.

So, after getting this initial shock to the system, I went on Goodreads, and found that plenty of people (most of them autistic or with ASD relatives) are up in arms (thank God) about this farce of a publication, and are actively boycotting it.

Sadly — horribly — unimaginably — there are also plenty of 4-star reviews, and this book is on the bestseller lists in some countries.

That’s right — in this supposed “advanced” era of “humanity,” we actually live in a world where people support the view that someone with a neurological condition that makes him or her “different” or “limited” does not deserve control over their own lives, reproductive rights, and major personal decisions.

Second round of passing out buckets going on now…

…And I’ll hand out ear plugs before I begin my absolutely justified rant.

I AM AUTISTIC AND I HAVE PRODUCED TWO BEAUTIFUL, AMAZING, NEURODIVERGENT CHILDREN WHO ARE GOING TO CHANGE THE WORLD FOR THE BETTER. WITHOUT PEOPLE LIKE US, THERE WOULDN’T BE SOME OF THE MOST INCREDIBLE SCIENTIFIC, TECHNOLOGICAL AND LITERARY ADVANCES OF THE 20TH CENTURY. WE ARE EXACTLY HOW GOD DESIGNED US TO BE, AND IT IS HIS CHOICE, NOT THAT OF MERE MORTALS, WHAT OR WHO IS WORTHY OF LOVE AND HAPPINESS AND BEING CONSIDERED WHOLE.

WHEN PEOPLE THINK THAT REDUCING AN ENTIRE POPULATION TO PREVENT A SOCIAL OR CULTURAL CONCERN IS A GOOD IDEA, THEY ARE BECOMING MURDERERS. IT IS CALLED GENOCIDE, AND EUGENICS, AND IT IS COMPLETELY WRONG AND SHOULD BE ILLEGAL IN EVERY SINGLE CIVILIZED NATION ON THE GLOBE. 

If you need any further proof that this point of view is utterly evil: The Nazis ran programs in the concentration camps to forcibly sterilize those with physical and mental disabilities.

Okay. *clears throat and dries eyes* Time to get our warrior outfits on.

Don’t stay silent. Stand up for your autistic family, friends, and online contacts. Even if you don’t know anyone on the spectrum, stand up for the justice of letting us live our lives.

For those of you on Twitter, the hashtag is #BoycottToSiri. Otherwise, talk up this subject on Facebook, Goodreads, WordPress and Blogspot. Don’t let people think this title is acceptable to purchase. Write the publisher and holler. Write to Congress and yell.

I have also joined the hashtag #ActuallyAutistic, which encourages autistic writers to share their voices — whether their work features ASD or not, and whatever genre, style, or age group we write for — and you can spread the word that way, too.

The autistic community — MY community — needs your support. We ARE your classmates, neighbors, cousins, co-workers, online contacts.

We can’t combat fear and hate all by ourselves. We don’t want to feel alone anymore.

We DESERVE better.