How did a forty-something mom end up on Wattpad?

Why does Rae blame COVID for 'For Us'?

When do we get more chapters about Jon/Curt & Cary??

All will be answered in this first installment of 'Raes words about words'! But I feel like we need a little catch up just to understand where we've been...

In case you didn't pick this up already, I've been writing irl for almost a decade and a half, and I self published my first YA novel, 'Hiding--every scar has a story' in 2014. It turns out I love writing series about complex characters--once Cary and Jon were out in the world I couldn't put their stories down! I published the sequel, 'Lay Me Down' in 2018 and was already writing 'Wake' at that time.

'Wake' felt like it took forever to finish. There were so many storylines up in the air that I wanted to land in a satisfying way--not just Cary's abuse recovery journey, but also Jon's difficult relationship with his pastor dad and spiral into an opiates addiction. Mid-way through writing that novel, Jon surprised me with how much he needed to come out of the closet. The toxicity of that secret was literally killing him. I wrote the last half of that novel twice to get it right and had a pile of conversations with gay Christian friends alongside my own research to do justice to Jon's story.

In Summer 2020 I finally self-published that fat rainbow book, but I couldn't celebrate with any kind of release party because, you know, COVID. I had masked meet-ups with local reader fans so they could add signed copies to their libraries, but frankly it was a bit of a let down after so much work to finish the story.

Fall 2020 I started writing a spin-off story about Jon and Curt, an LGBTQ+ new adult romance. I so badly wanted to give them a shot at love, and there was no way that was possible when they were teenagers.

Meanwhile, my daughter was on Wattpad every day during COVID with a little community of fan-fic readers and writers. I was reading the first chapters of 'For Us' to her out loud, and she coaxed me to join the app so she could share my stories with her friends.

And that is how a not-cool forty-something mom ended up on Wattpad lol. All my books are available on here now and I love interacting with readers in the comments, and helping other writers make their stories all they hoped they would be.

So I thought 'For Us' I was going to be a heartfelt Christmas romance novel that I would write through December and finish in early January 2021...ummm if you followed 'For Us/For Keeps' as I posted them out you know I completely underestimated how many words I had in me about Jon and Curt! I needed an escape hatch into a cozy world of all the hugs and crowded dinner parties during COVID, and maybe you did too.

One spin off concept turned into two novels, with another one simmering in the back of my mind. I love writing about Jon/Curt & Cary! <333 I published the last 'For Us/For Keeps' chapter almost six months later than I expected, in June 2021.

Who doesn't love Christmas in June, am I right?

I am basking in the happy-sad feelings that come with giving characters you love a good ending and having to say good bye (for now). Keep that project in your libraries for updates on what comes next!

BUT FIRST it's time for a new Cary story! I'm taking the summer to develop my next project, a YA novel that weaves together Cary as an adult, Cary's graphic novel The Light Circus, and new young adult characters that I'm dying for you to meet! The working title currently is 'The Light Circus'.

No, sadly it will not be in the form of a graphic novel. I wish I had the skills of the beautiful illustrators on Webtoon. I'll have to make Cary's drawings come to life with words.

Yes, it will take place in the some world as my previous novels, with some cross-over characters but new readers will be able to pick it up and start the story without reading the previous books.

Next week I'll have a concept illustration of the fresh new mc of 'The Light Circus'--you are going to love this fast-talking, free-wheeling kid!

If you have questions about my stories or my writing process, drop a comment and I'll answer in the future editions of 'Rae's words about words'!