I don’t check my author email enough. Due to my techno-incompetence, I’ve got it set up in such a way that there are several steps to reviewing new correspondence. But I try. And once in awhile–sometimes just when I’m feeling the most fear and despair about this whole writing thing–I read something like this:
I have an older brother with autism, and Daisy’s story greatly resonated with me. I was very touched by your undertaking to write an honest portrayal of one high school girl’s struggles caring for her younger brother with autism while maintaining her passion for music, watching her family crumble, and figuring out her future. I especially enjoyed that you chose to write about the topic through verse, as I felt that it really conveyed Daisy’s conflicting emotions and her life accurately. Thank you so much for doing your research and not romanticizing the effects of autism on a family, but also sharing the fragile relationship between a sibling and the individual with autism.
This is beyond timely, since April is both Autism Awareness Month and National Poetry Month. Most importantly, though, it is the kind of communication that sends me back to the keyboard determined to reach out through story to help people feel less alone in this world.
