Unspeakable Things Has Launched!

Uff da. It’s been a ride these past two weeks. Unspeakable Things released on January 1. Its sales and reviews have exceeded my wildest expectations, including a #1 spot in the UK. I’ve received many kind emails and not a single mean one. My launch party was standing room only, and Once Upon a Crime was packed with old friends, new friends, and one woman who wanted me to feel bad for mentioning her hometown (which is also my hometown) in the Author’s Note.

I don’t feel bad. I feel proud. Proud of telling my story as autobiographical fiction, grateful for the beautiful people in my life (Tony, Xander, Zoe, Susie, Carolyn, Sandy, Erica Ruth, Lori, Cindy, Christine, Stacy, Jim, Matt, Terri, you’re some of the best), relieved to discover that the worst thing isn’t telling the truth, as some in my family and that woman from Paynesville and so many others want us to believe. The worst thing is living on the surface and pretending the past doesn’t affect us, staying silent, accepting the shame of others as our own. That’s a life half-lived, and I’m not doing that anymore.

Telling my story has been terrifying and marvelous and freeing. (A great therapist and a supportive ACA group hasn’t hurt, either.) I want to thank you, readers, for being so welcoming to this dark tale. And for those of you who want the Unspeakable Things epilogue, I’ll always have it available here and will talk to my publisher about getting it in a future edition of the book. It was my choice to pull it in the first place, and in hearing from readers, it was not my best move. I apologize to those who would have liked it in the book in the first place.

Now, I’m planning to pull back from social media, blogging, and touring for a bit. I’ve been living an exposed life the past two months. It’s time for me to hibernate, spend more time with my husband and son and foster kittens, and listen for the next story. I still have a few events coming up, as well as marvelous women's writing retreats, with the next one this May in Colorado. And there's always room for you here, where all stories are welcome.

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