For Crying out Loud!

I don’t know if it’s a good or bad thing that I feel emotions when I write my books, but I do.  I cried several times writing Rock Bottom, and I laughed at several spots during Feverish.  I tend to believe a scene in one of my books will also strike an emotional chord with my readers when, as I go back through the book revising and editing, I get emotional all over again in the same spots.  I laughed a lot writing Feverish.  Clay is a fun-loving, happy, laid-back guy, and he tends to be funny as well.  I laughed in several spots while I wrote the book, and I laughed again when I went back through.  What I hadn’t expected was crying.  Clay’s story is not like Ethan’s.  I expected Ethan’s to be hard and gritty and laden with tears.  Clay’s story is fun…but I still got misty at the end.

Honestly, I’d expected Rock Bottom to do better than it did, but as the reviews started rolling in, I saw why.  Lots of readers didn’t want Ethan to have a happy ending.  They didn’t feel like he deserved it.  I’m sad they weren’t willing to give Ethan a chance, but that also tells me that Bullet affected them emotionally as well, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing.  I also know Rock Bottom is a hard read.  It deals with difficult subject matter and it’s not necessarily for everyone.

I’m hopeful, though, that Clay’s story will appeal to a wider audience.  He wasn’t a huge part of Bullet, but he was a big part of Valerie’s life and sparked the imagination of a lot of readers.  His story is as fun as you are expecting.  But I do want to tell you that there is a lot more to Clay than you might have seen coming.  I hope you love his story.  I know I did!

October 25 is right around the corner!