Josh G.A.D.*

I spoke to a therapist last year. It didn’t really go that well, mostly because she was into chakras and repeated mantras and stuff, and I mostly wanted to talk about things that bothered me. Still, it was a useful experience because it showed me what doesn’t help and what does. One takeaway I had was — I think — accidental on her part. She put into the notes of some insurance coverage form that I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

Unsurprisingly, this wasn’t a surprise to me.

It was helpful for me to see it, even if it was unofficial since she never told me I had it.

I’ve been doing better with telling myself to calm down, it’s just my anxiety talking, my feelings are valid but also based on synapses misfiring so maybe take stock in that, etc. Knowing what’s going on in my brain helps me control it, at least more than I could before.

I recently started reading Mr. Perfect on Paper by Jean Meltzer. I went into it without realizing that the female protagonist has G.A.D. like me. So far (I’m not far into it yet) that’s my favorite part. It’s soothing to read about characters that are like me, what can I say?

The main character in my novel also has G.A.D., but it’s casual, undiagnosed G.A.D.

That reminds me: I added handy social media links to my website, so you can visit my Goodreads to see what I’ve been (slowly) reading. Also, you can find my other social links. I can be found just about everywhere on the social internet, just don’t judge me too harshly. I’ve been on it since I was ten, remember.

*No offense to Josh Gad, I just always think of him when I think about this stuff. It’s strangely comforting.

Authors Supporting Authors.

As I’m hoping to publish a novel, I’ve been reading all kinds of novels in the same genre/niche area. “Romance” is such a broad category, and I think it’s often judged based on the old-fashioned, Fabio covers of the past. Not to say that there’s anything wrong with, as my mom calls them, bodice-rippers, but romance novels come in many assorted styles and themes. That’s why it’s still such a popular genre.

My particular niche in the genre is commonly labeled as New Adult Contemporary, meaning the characters are recent college graduates and it takes place in current-ish times. Aside from writing my novel, reading these comparable books has been my favorite part of the getting-published process so far. It’s been a joy to read other works from contemporary romance authors such as Sophie Cousens, Abbi Waxman, and Allison Ashley. What a fantastic way to find inspiration, reassurance, and a sort of camaraderie, even if only through the written pages of others.

This is something I’ve been contemplating a lot recently: although my novel is a romantic story about two young adults finding love, it’s also a love letter to the Internet communities that grow and support each other both online and off. If it weren’t for the Internet, many of my generation and younger wouldn’t have met the people who matter the most in our lives.

There’s an upcoming book that I’m looking forward to reading called Planes, Trains, and All the Feels by Livy Hart. The title makes me so happy. To share my excitement at preordering a copy, I tweeted at her. I’ve never been great at containing my enthusiasm for things I enjoy.

She replied that my tweet made her day. And, in tweeting that to me, she made mine.