Finding (Losing) My Voice (Mary Strand)

This month at YA Outside the Lines, we've been given alternative topics: either finding our voice OR world issues.

At the moment, those are more related than usual.

A madman (Elon Musk) and his dupe (Donald Trump) have taken over our government, and everyone who can find AND RAISE their voices should. And, yes, I'm seeing an overwhelming stream of posts on Facebook in particular and other social media, and there's nowhere else to look.

Which is good. This is a crisis.

But.

I'm currently sicker than I've been in ages, and had to scrap a ski trip last week because of it, and the drugs are taking their sweet time getting through to my throat. Meanwhile, my body doesn't like drugs, so I'm quite dizzy from them. Plus, the only thing that soothes my throat seems to be banana pudding, but THAT has milk in it, and I'm dairy intolerant, so it's a massive case of Russian roulette for me.

I literally have no voice. (For bonus points, this is actually the correct use of "literally," which is in short supply in our country, unfortunately for lovers of grammar.) For the most part, I also have no fingers to type, because sitting upright for more than five minutes is quite an undertaking for me.

And the whole Orange Felon saga is extremely upsetting, which is depressing to me, and I have to put on my own mask before assisting others.

My daughter had a wonderful job at a company that was funded by USAID, helping with the development of basic necessities in other countries. USAID is currently shut down, thanks to the Orange Reign of Terror, so my daughter has been furloughed. Yes, I am pissed as hell.

I try to avoid politics, and especially so in my writing life, but I'm horrified by and for our country right now. The rest of the world is horrified. (Except, perhaps, Russia.) If you're not horrified, you're either brain dead or voted on the wrong side of history. Or perhaps both.

But to those who have a voice and are using it to defend our country against those who are currently seeking to destroy it, God bless you.

I'll be back in the game as soon as I'm able.

Mary Strand is the author of Pride, Prejudice, and Push-Up Bras and three other novels in the Bennet Sisters YA series. You can find out more about her books and music at marystrand.com.