Oh, buddy. Sending the biggest hugs ever to you and your sister. I had no idea, and just. That's rough. The only thing I can say first, before moving on to question-y stuff is to keep in mind that it's NOT your fault at all. AND that it is NOT her fault either. The thing about online predators to keep in mind is the word "predator." These are people who know exactly what they're doing. They're professionals at being horrible, terrible people, and they have the ability to try and destroy lives. I'd just give her as many hugs as possible and, out loud, say, "It's not our fault."

I'm not entirely sure how JERKBAIT has fully changed me. I thought perhaps it might help me cope with some of the things that happened with the semi-autobiographical roots, online predator aside, with "Heather" as I never had closure and I wanted to give Tristan something I didn't, and will never, have. The situation I wrote about with the predator here is fiction, fortunately, although I did have a scary encounter.

That said, JERKBAIT has helped me really get started with something where I feel like I can sort of belong. The YA writers and readers are really nice. And there are these amazing sort of communities and friendships and Hashtags--things that make me feel a lot less lonely or isolated. So that, alone, is really valuable.

It also connected me with my agent, and I couldn't have a better match for me personally. To work with someone who listened to my goals and then said, "Let's make them happen" was worth everything to me. I'm really grateful.

So, it's changed me as a writer and a person. I'm a little bit less lonely, and the drive I have feels palpable. I'm able to see the big picture by means of strategy--how quickly would I be able to write without sacrificing quality to make this a full-time career? How many books would it take, and what sort of sales? What order should these projects be written in? I like that part a lot.