Now or Never started as a free writing exercise that I shared with a group of friends. In response to a prompt that I don’t even remember, I started writing something from the point of view of a lonely, angry teenager. Somewhere in those first 200 words, I realized my narrator was gay, and the book truly began.
At the time, I was living with a friend who was suicidal because she was bisexual and transgender and thought that meant God hated her. I started writing the story for her, but it soon became bigger than that. I learned about how many kids hurt themselves or kill themselves because they feel entirely alone. Some kids who hurt themselves are gay or transgender, some are teased and bullied because people think they are gay and some feel alone for other reasons. All of them–and you–inspired me to write a book to show people what happens when kids are left to deal with huge issues entirely alone. If you’re feeling like that, I hope that the characters and story help you feel less alone.