Why I wrote It's Not About Me.

[Michelle]

Um, I like to torture my characters? LOL! Actually, I had a friend that had something horrific happen to her (almost exactly like happened to my character, Annie) and I wanted to use that type of scenario as part of the plot. Plus, I always enjoy stories where two people are in love with the same person and exploring all of the conflict that occurs as a result.

So I thought, hey, I'll take a nearly perfect girl and mess her up, then watch how she deals with it and grows from the experience. I also love the story about Solomon's wisdom in the Bible...You know, the one where two mothers each claim the same baby is theirs. So Solomon says to cut the baby in half and give each woman half of the child. Of course the real mother says to spare the child and give the child to the other woman (who is not the real mother.)

In It's Not About Me, the conflict between the brothers is an illustration of how sometimes what we fight for is not worth winning. Like if you truly love someone you will set them free. You know how the saying goes.

In a nutshell my story tackles the tough issues that young adults face today with all of the pressures and choices that need to be made, and can only be made, by them. And of course, I add the inspirational element because people are made up of mind, body, and spirit. I can't write a story where the characters enjoy the emotional and the physical aspects in a relationship and not toss in the spiritual element. That's what makes them truly and fully human characters for me.

So why did I write It's Not About Me? Because sometimes there is more to life than meeting your own needs. Sometimes love has to sacrifice for the good of another. Yeah, and life is not all about "me."

[J.M.]

That's what love really is, and INAM illustrates that perfectly. I'm with you about torturing your characters too. LOL! That's what makes for a good read. :-)