Hello, I hope you enjoyed Willow’s story. It was not only one of my favorites to write, but also one of the hardest. Unspeakable is a story straight from my heart. Domestic violence has touched my life and left a scar that reminds me, even though I’m not fighting the war any longer, others are still battling, hurting, feeling alone, and broken. I want you to know, it can change. You can change. You are not alone.

According to the CDC, twenty people per minute are victims of some type of physical violence in their relationship. The United States Department of Justice estimates 960,000 cases of domestic violence occur a year.

Senator Dianne Feinstein is quoted as saying, “Domestic violence does not only happen to adults, forty percent of girls age fourteen to seventeen report knowing someone their age who has been hit or beaten by a boyfriend, and approximately one in five female high school students reports being physically and/or sexually abused by a dating partner.”

The relationships depicted between Jaden and Willow, and Ralph and Willow were not based on love. They were relationships built on foundations of threats, abuse, and fear.

Love shouldn’t include any of these. It’s about mutual respect, security, and a desire to be together. It’s not easy to make a relationship work, even when you love a person. It takes time and commitment. But threats from one partner to the other are never part of the process. Stalking isn’t permissible. Touching your loved one in a way designed to inflict bodily harm is absolutely intolerable.

If you are in a relationship like the one I’ve described, there are programs that can help. It doesn’t matter what your situation. Your background isn’t an issue, neither is your race or religion. The people who volunteer at hotlines or emergency shelters are only interested in one thing: Your Safety.

Because Love Shouldn’t Hurt.

Please seek help. I’ve included some websites that may answer your questions. They include confidential hotlines to give you someone to talk to. However, if you believe your computer is being monitored, please take precautions and use a library or coffee shop computer. Even empting your history doesn’t completely erase where you’ve been, so be cautious.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline:  www.thehotline.org

‎Love is Respect: National Teen Dating Abuse Hotline: http://www.loveisrespect.org/

Feminist Majority Foundation: http://www.feminist.org/911/crisis.html

National Resource Center on Domestic Violence:  http://www.nrcdv.org/

Helpguide.Org: http://www.helpguide.org/mental/domestic_violence_abuse_help_treatment_prevention.htm

National Coalition Against Domestic Violence: http://www.ncadv.org/protectyourself/GettingHelp.php

AVAD: http://avda-tx.org/

If these sites aren’t helpful, run a Google search for organizations in your area.

Protect yourself. You are worth it!

Sources:

The Centers for Disease Control, “NISVS Infographic.” CDC Home. 30 September 2014. http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/nisvs/infographic.html

The Department of Justice, “Bureau of Justice Statistics.” Statistic Brain. 30 September 2014. http://www.statisticbrain.com/domestic-violence-abuse-stats/

This is perhaps the hardest page for me to write. There are so many people to thank, and I know, before I even start typing, I’ll forget someone. So if you are reading this and wondering why I didn’t thank you, please forgive me. It isn’t because I don’t appreciate you or the hard work you put into bringing Unspeakable to life. I absolutely do! It’s because my brain is somewhere between fried and mush.

First, I’d like to thank my family. You are so supportive of my writing. I couldn’t ask for a better group of cheerleaders. From cover critiquing to proofreading, and even doing laundry, you do more to encourage my writing career than anyone else. I want you all to know that I probably don’t tell you enough, but I see what you do, and I appreciate it, even the littlest things, like Mom having a stock of Coke in her apartment for me when I get a migraine. I love you all and I don’t know what I would do without you. Larry, you always put a smile on my face when you come home each night and ask me, “How was work?” That little question shows me how much value you place on my writing. It’s not a hobby, but a career, and that’s how you treat it. It’s in writing, my love, and words are eternal.

To the people at Clean Teen Publishing. Wow! I don’t even know where to start. My eyes fill with tears when I think of you. From the acquisition readers to the editors and everyone in between—you have wicked skills! I couldn’t have dreamed of a better home for Unspeakable. You treated it as if it were your own. You giggled over the silly things and gave me ideas for more. And, Marya, the cover is beautiful. I can’t thank you enough. I’m so proud to be a Clean Teen author. Unspeakable was meant to find a home with you. You’re all rock stars!

To my awesome beta readers: Erin (Albert) Rhew (AKA: The Grammar Nazi), Mary Waibel, and Krista McLaughlin. All excellent writers and I encourage you to check them out. Each lady gave me advice on different areas of the manuscript and, when I pulled it all together, I think it came out a stronger book. Thank you! Your input was just as awesome as your friendship.

And I can’t forget my bestie beta, Meradeth Houston, author of The Sary Society Series, which is ah-ma-zing. Meradeth, you were my beta reader, sounding board, rambling email reader, and everything in between. I can’t thank you enough. I don’t think you realize how big a role you played in getting Unspeakable dusted off and sent to a publisher. Thank you for everything. I can’t think of any other friend that would read a book four or five times for someone, just because she wanted to. You are a friend unlike any other, and I’m so thankful for you. Even if you do, do gross things with people’s DNA. Ick. (Actually, I think it’s pretty cool.)

Book bloggers and reviewers, you all should all have bejeweled tiaras and wear them every day. You are the queens (and kings) of the writing community. Thank you for what you do to help authors spread the word about their books. You are priceless.

This is always the hardest thank you to write. To the readers of Unspeakable, saying thank you just doesn’t feel like enough. There are so many choices for you when you walk the aisles of a bookstore or browse the pages of an online bookstore. I’m very grateful that you decided to spend your time reading my book. I can’t express how honored I am. I hope you enjoyed Unspeakable, and that I’ll see you around the pages of the next love connection I write!

Thank you all from the depths of my heart,

~Michelle

Ask Michelle to skip the serious stuff and tell you about the real her, and this is what she’ll say:

I can’t write without a hoodie. Yeah, I live in Texas. We all have our quirks.

I majored in accounting in college. I was required to declare a major, having no clue what I wanted to do, I picked the first thing listed in the booklet the counselor gave me.

Forget coffee. Hand over the Red Bull and no one gets hurt. Seriously, just set it down and step away. I will morph into a normal human after I guzzle my can of caffeine.