Last week, I had the awesome opportunity to be interviewed by The Book Break with Melissa Dalton Martinez, which was very exciting! I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to do this and talk about my novel. I have to give her and Shannon ALL the thanks!! Seriously, now more than ever, I see just how much talent it takes to do interviews like this, especially with someone as terrible at talking as me.
I warned Melissa many times that talking is not my thing, and she was so very nice and helpful. When I was speaking to her and her friend Shannon before the interview, Melissa mentioned how she liked the way The Very Real World of Emily Adams addresses mental illness.
I said, “That was my goal with writing this book. I’ve had my battles with mental illness [it’s ongoing, really, PTSD doesn’t just go away]—which is probably pretty obvious in the book—but, when I came out through some of my tough times and looked back to see others who were also struggling, I just wanted to reach out to them and tell them to just hang on. It’s worth it! It’s so worth it to hang on.”
And Melissa pointed at me and said, “That’s it! That’s what you’ve got to say!”
And then I forgot. Well, I didn’t forget. My brain just couldn’t reach my tongue to tell it to say that. But then Shannon reminded me after the interview that, that’s what social media is for!
So! I just want to tell anyone who is struggling—please know it’s worth it. Things WILL get better! They don’t always turn out like you hoped they would, there are painful detours sometimes. But please hang on. Hang on through those tough moments. While dark days make their rounds again and again, so do the good ones. And those good days SO outweigh the bad. You don’t want to miss those moments. They are moments meant just for you, and they are so worth it. They’re so worth the battle.
I have to remind myself of this sometimes… a lot. So you’re not alone, person out there. We might be miles apart, but you’re not alone. And I’m telling you, just like I’m telling myself, I know—I know—the battle is worth it.
Where Rose Writes Very True Stories 