Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Sensible & Sensational--The Day I Broke the Rules

True Story.  My sweet 15-yr-old son has high-functioning autism.  He's an incredible guy with the sweetest happiest heart you'll ever meet.  He's always been my magical leprechaun.  Red-head glory and smiles.  He's generally quiet and quick to help around the house, first to apologize and rarely gets upset.  The people that really know him--love him.

However, he gets teased a lot and bullied a lot.  And I understand he's different, but as a mom your heart breaks and you worry and wonder if he'll ever truly fit in. 

I was mulling over my son's predicament, especially as he begins high school, and wondered if there would ever be a time when difference was accepted.  I wished there was a way to change the world's perception of autism.

Then I remembered I'm a best-selling author.  I remembered I had a teen series in the works with several thousand readers.  I could make a difference. I  could be that voice.

That very rapid thought quickly jumped to Ellyn Dashwood--my sensible main character of Sensible & Sensational.  The main character I couldn't quite see yet, so hadn't began to write her--though I was receiving daily email from fans asking when the book would be out!  When you don't know what your story will be, you can't begin the book.

In that moment I knew what my story would be.  Ellyn Dashwood--the main love interest in my clean teen romance--would have autism.  High-functioning, just like my son.

So I broke the rules.  I went beyond the norm and did something I'm not sure (now don't quote me on this) but I'm really not sure if any other teen romance writer has attempted... but I knew it had to be done.

You dive right into Ellyn's head in first person.  And instantly live in her world.  But hopefully you learn to see things from her eyes.  To see her light.  To understand her trials, happiness, confusion, but most importantly--to see her heart. 

I love this book so much!  Sensible & Sensational is truly something I hope will bring a bit more tolerance, awareness, and love to those geniuses around us. 

This book is dedicated to all those who are on the autism spectrum.  Here is a romantical story written just for you.  I love you.  Be brave.  And know you're not alone.  It is time the rules were broken. 

Available HERE!

Can a sensible girl learn to find her own kind of sensational? 

When Ellyn Dashwood’s family moves to Bloomfield, New Mexico, she’s not sure if she’ll fit in as easily as her wildly popular twin sister, Maralyn, will. Though they’re identical, the two sisters are exact opposites. Maralyn attracts people to her like bees to a hive. However, because Ellyn has autism, she’s positive she’ll never be considered more than awkward. That is, until she meets the totally hot Zane Ferrars. 


Zane is the tall, smart, hot, athletic, kind—and did we mention hot?—neighbor who has made it his mission to uncover Ellyn's secrets. She's a puzzle he's eager to solve. However, she soon finds out he’s got a few secrets of his own—secrets that will break her cautious heart if she’s not sensible enough to be careful. 


This eagerly awaited new installment of the Jane Austen Diaries is a contemporary retelling of the classic novel Sense and Sensibility.

3 comments:

  1. Ha. Awwwsome header quote;
    however, we gotta whole lotta kooky, wacky, loony,
    tantalizing, structural-asymmetric-intregrity lines
    JUST4YOU!!! Looky...

    But, seriously, folks, as I stand-up
    here on this Great Stage of our lifelong demise
    (only 66ish feet across and 1-outta-1 croaks),
    what's the MOST important objective in your
    finite existence, dear? I certainly know what mine is:

    Hope2God this provides some knowledge
    on your everlasting, spiritual journey;
    I may see you again Upstairs... maybe not...
    depending on how well WE mortals have fulfilled
    our voyage to the Great Beyond by 1) loving God
    and 2) loving our neighbor to the best of our ability.

    Why else does a moth fly FROM the night
    than to a bold, attractive candle Light??
    Don’t let His extravagant Brilliance be extinguished.
    You’re creative, yes?
    Then, fly-away with U.S. to the antidote…

    Whether you obtain morality4mortality to wiseabove
    or just glean tantalizing specimens for thy next best seller,
    you shall find in our blogs a lotta (subliminal) moxie
    which has taken this sinfull mortal yeeeeers to compile!
    I lay it ALL out for you, dear, with All-Star-Oxygems:

    Wouldn’t ya love an endless eternity
    of aplomBombs falling on thy indelible cranium?
    An XtraXcitinXpose with no zooillogical-expiration-date?
    An IQ much higher than K2 all-go-rhythm?
    An anti-establishment, savvy victory
    and avant-guarde-humility,
    you‘re promptly astonished, ain’tcha?
    withe extraordinarily explosion of the mellowdramatic maelstrom??
    Yeah. Me, too
    Here’s what the exquisite, prolific GODy sed
    (with a most-excellent-detector of bull§ht):

    “Faith, hope, and love,
    the greatest of these is love –
    jump into faith…
    and you’ll VitSee with love”
    Doesn’t matter if you don’t believe (what I write);
    God believes in you.

    Meet me Upstairs, girl, where the Son never goes down
    from a super-passionate, lucrative iconoclasm where you’ll find
    nonillionsXnonillionsXnonillionsXnonillionsXnonillionsX…
    of deluxe-HTTP [<- pi] opportunities for excitement BTW.

    Do it. Do the deed, dude. Sign into the Big-Zaftig-House.

    PS “It is impossible that anyone should NOT receive all that they have believed and hoped to obtain; it gives Me great pleasure when they hope great things from Me and I will always give them more than they expect”
    -our Lord Jesus to Saint Gertrude

    ReplyDelete
  2. Very helpful suggestions that help in the optimizing topic,Thanks for your sharing.

    หนังไทยใหม่

    ReplyDelete
  3. I’m eager to find the valuable information and for me this is the right place to get the good stuff.
    brand company San Francisco

    ReplyDelete