My Complicated Relationship with Bullying
My relationship with bullying has always been complicated. I was never bullied the way Charlie is in Getting What I Deserve, but I struggled with friendships that shifted, cracked, or faded away during my teenage years. Even then, I knew people changed—myself included.
There were times I didn’t treat others as fairly as they treated me. I didn’t always understand the weight of my words or the reach of my silence.
The Call That Changed My Perspective
A few years ago, someone I hadn’t spoken to since high school called me. We had been friends as young teens, but by the end of high school, we weren’t talking. I had taken his coldness as betrayal. But during that call, he shared a side of the story I’d never heard. His honesty moved me deeply and reminded me that everyone carries stories we can’t always see.
Friendships are complicated. That’s the truth I wanted to explore in this book.
When I Didn’t Get It Right
I’ve also been on the other side. In junior high school, I was more afraid of being bullied than actually bullied, and that fear shaped how I acted. I once befriended a boy who trusted me enough to share his passions (childish by junior high standards)—Spiderman, Legos, and the like. But when I felt my social standing threatened in a random moment, I shared his secrets with other kids who then mocked him for it and forgot about me. He saw it as betrayal. Years later, he told me so. Even then, I couldn’t fully face it. I didn’t know how. I wasn’t trying to be popular—I just didn’t want to be excluded.
The Heart of Charlie’s Story
That’s who Charlie is in this book: a boy who tolerates emotional abuse because he desperately wants to belong. He doesn’t believe he deserves better. And he’s afraid that speaking up means being completely alone.
At thirteen, kids can understand right from wrong, but don’t always have the tools to navigate emotionally messy relationships. Mark, his bully, is confused too. He lashes out. Then he regrets it. Then he does it again.
Why This Book Was Different
Getting What I Deserve is the most emotionally honest book I’ve written. My earlier novels were lighthearted and funny—this one wasn’t. It was intense to write. Not just because of my own past, but because of the people I’ve known who never truly escaped theirs.
I’ve had friends share stories of bullying that haunted them well into adulthood. Some never found peace. I remember being a teenager and hearing classmates ask, with real pain, “Why do people treat me like this?” And I had no answer then—just the frustration of not knowing how to help.
An Answer I Needed to Give
This book was my way of answering—imperfectly, maybe, but truthfully.
It’s for the kids who are hurting. The kids who’ve caused harm. The ones in between.
It’s for anyone who’s ever felt like Charlie. Or acted like Mark. Or stayed silent.
And it’s for the part of me that finally found the words I didn’t have back then. If you're interested, please consider picking up "Getting What I Deserve" on Amazon (Paperback, ebook, hardcover, and audio) or on my website in paperback. Thanks.