To Readers
On December 5, 2014, my second novel, Tightwire, was up and running. My biggest surprise was the level of vulnerability that swept over me. To be clear, I’m not talking about a mature brand of vulnerability, described with balance and eloquence, while sipping tea and reclining comfortably. I’m talking about clutching-a-stuffed-animal (if I still owned one) and hiding-under-the-bed (if I could still fit).
Before I began writing fiction, I was a therapist for over 20 years. Although Tightwire is fiction, Caroline’s style as a therapist bears a strong resemblance to my own. Anyone who knows me will recognize that Caroline and I share many personality traits. When I put up Tightwire, I put up pieces of my self for public consumption.
I never expected that Tightwire would change my relationship to my own vulnerability. Within a few weeks of publication, Tightwire would top Amazon’s list of Hot New Releases…and I still felt vulnerable. Tightwire continued to land on and off Amazon bestsellers lists — and I still feel vulnerable. Reviewers have tossed out words like “riveting” — “profound” — “inspirational” — “spectacular” — “captivating”…and I still feel vulnerable. I’m deeply grateful for the reviews and the lists, but to my surprise, the vulnerability remained. I finally realized that for me to write well, I needed that vulnerability. I can’t speak for other writers, but when I work on a novel, if it isn’t rooted in vulnerability, it isn’t worth writing. Like Caroline and Collier, my Tightwire journey is grounded in layers of vulnerability.
To each and every reader, thank you so much for choosing Tightwire. I’m including some Book Group Questions, to promote open discussion, from different perspectives.
Hollywood High, my local public school, was an extraordinary education, in and out of the classroom. With over forty languages spoken among the students, with so many racial heritages forming our community, with a huge spectrum of economic diversity — the usual definitions of “cool” fell away and the experience opened my world. We also had gangs, an ongoing struggle for basic funding, and violence targeting the gay students. On top of that, we dealt with an issue specific to our particular school. When adolescents run away, they need a place to run to, and many landed in Hollywood, looking for the red carpet. Those students struggled to survive, and Hollywood High had a significant number living on the streets. During those years, I met some of the finest educators and brightest students I’ve ever known. In tenth grade, I decided that some day in the future, I’d write a novel about my high school experience. The story is fiction, but I hope I captured the heart and the grit of the “real” Hollywood High School.
To those who went to HHS with me, thank you for being a part of my journey through those exhilarating, searing, confusing, affirming, high voltage years. Against all odds, once in a while, taking ourselves by surprise — we managed to “Achieve The Honorable” (our school motto).
I’m including some Book Group Questions, to promote open discussion from different perspectives.