Tonight, I will be hosting the first of two Goodreads Q&A!   Having the chance to connect and discuss the books, writing, the characters, the motivations behind each or whatever else readers would like to know is exciting to me!  The Q&A group will be active from tonight until October 2, 2013 and I will be answering the questions from 7pm-11pm nightly.  As always,  I am an open book: no question is “out-of-bounds.”   I have found that being open and willing to examine any sincere question leads not only to a deeper level of healing but also to a more authentic connection with others.  My books cover sensitive topics.  Child abuse, teen suicide, the Holocaust, domestic violence, faith and creativity.   This can create a sense of reluctance to communicate.  On the other hand, though, if all we ever share with others is news about the weather or our day calendars, how are we supposed to grow as human beings?  How are we supposed to forge true and meaningful friendships?  Hosting a Q&A is my way of opening the door further…. of welcoming and encouraging genuine communication.  I am convinced that understanding, compassion, kindness and healing will result.

 

 

Of course, questions and comments need not be so in-depth, either.  Perhaps the blog posts have simply made you wonder how I go without sleep or what a particular character looks like.  Maybe reading The Character made you wonder if I’ve ever asked for thirty-two taste tests at Baskin Robbins before, like Ash intended to do.  Or maybe you have a story in your head that’s itching to find a home on paper and you’d like to know more about my writing processes…. what makes this crazy thing work for me.  Maybe you know from reading the blog that I home-school my children and are curious about how that works, or why I chose that method of education for them.  Maybe, like one reader once asked me, you wonder if the spelling of my name is “really the way” my mother spelled it or if came up with the “ini”  on my own (what a fun conversation that was!).   Maybe you like (or not) the names of my daughters,  Breathe and Alight, and are curious as to their origins.   On this page are some of the drawings I did for Holding Home:  perhaps you have a question or comment on one of the drawings?   Whatever the case may be…. this is the time and place to ask me!

 

 

Since I’m only world-famous in my imagination, though, I thought I’d give you a few ways to get the questions flowing.

 

 

The book I am currently working on (as yet untitled) is about human trafficking.  This excerpt is the first chapter of the book and it not only prompted several readers of this blog to tell me it made them cry—-it made me cry too!   Or maybe you’re curious about the book that continues to outsell the others,  The Character.  You could read this excerpt  to  get a feel for my beloved Anna and Ash. You can read some of the most breath-taking acclaim for this book here.    Broken is currently my favorite book.  Like several of the others, it involves sensitive topics like bullying and child abuse.  It is also the first persona narration of a fifteen-year-old who sees suicide as a means of escape.  It also follows the life of a child whose parent is incarcerated.  You can read an excerpt here.   Excerpts for Holding Home, the book that details domestic violence and the effect it has on children, can be found here.   For a more traditional, mainstream read, you can delve into the life of Aria, who witnessed her parents die in a murder/suicide tragedy and then went on to meet amazing characters like a joyful homeless man and a cowboy who works for free. Forget Me Not covers a topic that is virtually unheard of.  It follows a child that is never, ever touched.  As she says:  “No hugs.  No pats on the head.  No nothing.”  The research for that book left me emotionally drained.  You can read one of the more poignant excerpts here.     Excerpts for Mountains of Hope, my book on the Holocaust can be found on this blog as well.  Or perhaps reading the letter I wrote and sent to survivors of the Holocaust would inspire questions or comments:  that letter is here.    And, lastly, a synopsis and interview for Me can be found here.

 

 

To post a comment or question for me to the Goodreads Q&A group, you can click here.  

 

 

I look forward to communicating with you!