Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Kindle Scout campaign for Butterfly Suicide: Why write about school shootings?

Well, it's been an interesting few days of campaigning. I've seen my stats soar and sink and then soar again for Butterfly Suicide. Thanks so much to all of the readers out there who continue to nominate it. The campaign is still running so feel free to share the link with your friends. Remember, you get a free copy of Butterfly Suicide if the campaign succeeds!  Butterfly Suicide Kindle Scout Nomination

I wrote Butterfly Suicide after a conversation with someone close to me regarding the power of perception. Something had happened in my friend's life when they were in middle school and this particular event went on to color the way people viewed them in high school and beyond. Around the same time as this conversation, the awful tragedy of Sandy Hook Elementary occurred. As an elementary teacher,  I was especially horrified by that event--saddened for the community, heartbroken for the young victims and their families. I followed the story that day as it unfolded and couldn't help but wonder what was going on in the minds of the shooter's family, too. How did they feel? How would they live with what happened? How do you move forward knowing that someone in your family is capable of such destruction?

These questions were the beginning roots of Butterfly Suicide. I spent quite a bit of time tooling around with the story line about a school shooting which takes place in a small town and trying to decide what was important to tell, what was just fluff, what would be interesting to a reader. In the end, I crafted a simple story that really isn't about the shooting, but more about two teens dealing with the aftermath and what people do in order to get through horrific events like this.

School shootings aren't an easy subject to write or read about, but unfortunately, they are still a part of our reality. My hope is that Butterfly Suicide reminds people to look at all sides of the story.

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