Gagged (35 page)

But women are conditioned, both genetically and socially, to keep their sexualities much more on the down-low. When I
asked on my Facebook page
which gender readers felt had dirtier minds, the women all emphatically said that theirs were, no contest. But an alien species observing us would never guess, because women aren’t encouraged to act out. They’re encouraged to repress those sexual thoughts, or at least live them internally, via stories and fantasy and private interactions. They’re gagged by expectations and — often — by shame.

The story evolved from there. I saw Caspian’s job as showing Aurora that she was allowed to feel what she felt without shame. But then I saw the flip side and realized that Aurora would be helping Caspian, too, because he was hiding who he truly was from himself as well. He wanted to love and trust, but his past had taught him not to.
 

I cried a little while writing this story. That’s how much Caspian and Aurora’s histories — and their mutual healing — got to me. And it surprised me, too, because I was writing from the seat of my pants. So in the end I’m so glad I rewrote this one. It’s become one of my favorites, and certainly the deepest emotionally.
 

One last thing I’ll add before I close is a tip of the hat to Lucy. I decided to add Caspian’s sister to the story to give him a female counterbalance that could challenge him in a nonsexual way. As happens with many of my characters, Lucy surprised me. So much, in fact, that I’ve decided she’ll be the heroine of my next book.
 

That book doesn’t have a title yet. It doesn’t have a cover or a description or a love interest. I only know that Lucy will be going back to her old hometown of Inferno Falls, where my first three books were set, to chase down her unspooling mother. I can’t give you a preorder link because the book is so unformed at this point, but I do know it’ll be released within just a few months because I work fast.
 

If you’d like to know when Lucy’s book comes out,
go here to join my mailing list
.
You’ll know the second it’s available, and you’ll get it at the cheapest possible price.

Okay. Last things last. I’ve learned to love Facebook since I became an author, so if you’d like to chat and hang out virtually,
you can friend me on Facebook here
(until I hit my friend limit) and
“like” my page here
.
 

Okay. I lied. One VERY LAST thing:
If you enjoyed reading
Gagged
, please consider leaving a review wherever you bought it
. If you’re not an author, you won’t know how VITALLY IMPORTANT reviews are to someone like me, but trust me; they are. Almost nobody leaves reviews. If you do so, you’ll be one of the few, and you WILL make a difference for me. So please, consider it. In fact, we can make a deal: I’ll keep writing great stories if you’ll review them so the world knows they’re great. Cool? Cool. :)

Thanks so much for being one of my amazing readers!

— Aubrey