One Carefree Day is OUT NOW!
EEEEE! TODAY IS THE DAY! One Carefree Day is here, out in the world!
Since about third grade, I've loved to read. I've always loved the way books felt like a magic portal out of this world and into a different one. I love meeting new characters and that inevitable moment when they become like a real person, like a friend.
When I developed OCD, I liked reading even more because being in another character's head gave me a break from my own. Just for a little bit, I could forget all the craziness in my brain through a fictional character.
But after a while, reading started to make me feel lonely. I felt like maybe I was the only person in the world with crazy, intrusive thoughts. With rituals that didn't make sense to anyone else. If I had read just one book with a character who had OCD, I would have realized I wasn't alone.
So I followed the advice of Beverly Cleary, "If you don't see the book you want on the shelf, write it." I wrote One Carefree Day not only for myself, but for anyone else out there who might feel just a little crazy, or even worse, isolated and lonely.
I'm so excited for you guys to read Willow's story. I hope you love it. I hope it makes you feel. If you don't have OCD, I hope it can show you a different perspective than the one often portrayed. If you're anything like me, or the countless others out there who struggle with mental health, I hope it makes you feel even just a little less alone. <3
Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who has supported/inspired/stuck with me on this journey, to @murphyrae_ and @ashley.ranae.art for the amazing cover, to everyone who pre-ordered, and to everyone who read and reviewed! I'm so grateful, my heart might explode.
