But I Need To Wake Up Somehow.

Stories About Sensitive Issues Like Sex, Drugs Or Sexual Assault, Suicide And Teen Drinking, Are Often Censored Because People Just Don't Want To Talk About Those Things. It's Not That These Things Don't Happen, But When They're Shared In A Fictional Setting, For Some Reason They Make Some People Uncomfortable.

I Wanted To Tell You Everything. And That Hurt Because Some Things Were Too Scary. Some Things Even I Didn’t Understand. How Could I Tell Someone—someone I Was Really Talking To For The First Time—everything I Was Thinking? I Couldn’t. It Was Too Soon.

It Was Love Because It Was Worth It.

I’m Going To Be Mentally Ill In Fifteen Years, And That’s Why My Husband Doesn’t Want To Be Around Me.

A Lot Of Authors See Their Book Being Banned Or Challenged As A Badge Of Honor. But For Me, It's Nothing But Frustrating And Upsetting. I Hear From Readers That My Work Encouraged Them To Ask For Help Or Reach Out To Someone About The Situation They're In. When You Hear Stories Like That On A Daily Basis And Then Hear Adults Call For Your Work To Be Banned, It's Proof Of Why The Stigma Around These Issues Is So Dangerous.