Release Day - Part Cinq

That's part five for those french-challenged.

A rebel at heart, always, I refused - REFUSED to take Spanish simply because it was the number one growing language and would come in handy later. And yes, there are plenty of days at my FTJ where a spanish-speaking background would so come in handy and yes, the only time I really got to use my five years of French teaching in any extensive manner was last year when I chaperoned my daughter's french class trip to Quebec and I made the kids order Subway in French. But, what of it?

I...oh wait, I got a little off track here. For some reason, I tend to be a little defensive about having taken French instead of Spanish *raises eyebrow at mother who still questions my choice to learn a beautiful but "useless" language*

Hrmph, try telling that to my group who so eloquently ordered their subs in perfectly mangled Franglish every night.

No, today is not about French vs. Spanish or daughters vs. moms, it's about *trumpets blaring*

I promised myself I wouldn't get all choked up, especially after Don Tate teased me for revealing that I cried after writing a scene in Who You Wit'?

I refuse to let him make the case that YA writers are weepy, even if I sort of am.

But this is the last and final book in a series prompted by my goal to show a side of African American teen life that is not depicted enough in fiction. Subjective as "enough" may be, that's my story and I'm standing by it.

I've spent the last three years nurturing the teen characters in these books and now, it's all over. It'll be so weird not having a next book on the horizon.

Of course, I've had more time to get used to that reality than the readers. The Flipping The Script manuscript has been done and done since about October. And mentally, I've had to move on to new work.

Still, release day makes it all so real and final!

Flipping The Script focuses more on the boy characters - Michael, JZ, and to a lesser extent Raheem. And while I love me some happy endings...at the risk of being spoilerific, I let the story do what it do. Interpret that the way you'd like.

If you've not read the first four books ::la, la, la I can't hear you:: now's a good time to do so. Remember, if the earlier books, aren't on the shelves, ask and they'll be ordered.

Meanwhile, I'll keep writing to block out the inevitable silence that'll crash in on me a few months from now when I'm no longer able to create a new Release Day post.

*sniff*