A Note From The Author
A couple of years ago I had a daydream on my way to school. I imagined a girl coming out publicly, in a really big way. The way it usually goes, coming out first to parents, then maybe to some trusted teachers or mentors, then to friends, then letting it trickle out into the general population of a school or community, is like a slow torture.
I imagined a little girl coming out on stage. That little girl wouldn't have to answer, "Are you sure?" about a thousand times. That's how the poem Cuddles came about. A phrase here and there, an image that wouldn't get out of my brain...before I knew it, I had an eighth grade worthy rhyme going.
Over time, the daydream became something like an earworm that wouldn't get out of my head. Details got added. The circumstances of reading the poem...the details of the school which was similar to, but not quite, mine...the family there to witness it...the multi-colored poster board the poem was printed on...
I decided to get it out of my head by putting it down on paper. Well, on a Google Doc. That's when I got curious about what would happen to Analee as she got older. Chapter by chapter, without any clear plan, I amused myself by writing little snippets of Ani's life.
I had no Idea if she would end up with Kelly or Kala for most of the book. In fact, the characters often did surprising things as I wrote. It was like they were purposely going off script just to mess with me! For example, I originally thought Kala would be a "bad guy" who played the role of the selfish temptress trying to pull Ani away from her true love. Then they met, and Kala turned out to be a sweetheart! The list of things that I didn't even know about these characters until I typed them out might surprise you. John crushing on Pixie, Mey turning out to be gay, Cullen staging his intervention at the cemetery, the slap at homecoming, Timmy figuring out Kelly was gay, Kala dating 'Taylor' (Who I still know nothing about! Guy? Girl? Kala won't tell me!), Tara trying to play therapist and find ways to help Ani get closure so she could move on to Kala, Tara and Theodore, Kelly's 'mommy issues,' Ani getting a tattoo... The list could go on all day. I guess what I'm trying to say is this story was especially fun to write because most of the time I had no idea what the characters were going to be doing by the end of the chapter!
I'm definitely not saying that's how I'll write from now on. I never thought anyone would see this story, so at first I didn't worry if it was good enough for anyone to read. Le roi s'amuse. After I had about 40 chapters written, I realized I had way too much time invested to not do something with it. That's when I thought about putting it on Wattpad. It would be my way of returning a story for all of the stories I had read there.
I decided to reach out to more experienced writers and seek some advice. I stumbled across the writing community on Twitter, and almost immediately made some really good friends. Several of them read my first chapter for me and gave me advice, and some offered to read more.
Here's the thing...I'm actually kind of super private. Sharing my story was hard, mostly because I thought it was pretty amateurish. I finally summoned my courage, and asked Jessica Conwell to beta read my story.
Jessica was already a published author, and her book Cluster was super readable and enjoyable. Despite being a mother, working full time, and writing, she agreed to read my story thus far and each new chapter as I produced them, then give me advice and tips. Her generosity and help simply can't be overstated. I probably never would have had the courage to share this story at all if she hadn't been reassuring me along the way. So Jessica, I humbly dedicate this book to you.
Halfway through finishing The Gods Of Song And Poetry, I read Jessica's second book, Three Sharp Knives. It's a beautiful look at love through a completely different lens, and makes you think deeply about Life, The Universe, and Everything. It was certainly a step removed from YA lesfic! I kept thinking, "That's what I want to do. I want to make people feel things. I want to use awesome imagery and symbols. I want to tell an amazing story."
Finally, I want to say thank you to everyone who read this and commented, voted, messaged me, etc. It's so heartwarming to know that I was able to make a connection with readers in this sometimes sterile, scary, and lonely world. Jessica can attest to my excitement, because I sometimes screenshot awesome comments and share them with her in a fit of something like writer's ecstasy. I pity people that wrote before the digital age. Imagine what comments on Shakespeare's Wattpad stories would have been like! Plus, all of your comments help me grow as a writer and give me courage to try another story, so thank you again. I do have an idea for another book, but I'm going to try to plan it out a bit, so it might be a while.
If you have any questions you would like answered, leave them in the comments here. I'll add a little Q&A section for people that are curious about something. It feels a bit self-indulgent, but I've had several people ask me for one, so who am I to refuse? ☺
Whatever you do, keep reading, and keep believing in love.
So many hugs to all of you, Annie.
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