What would this newsletter be without referencing the GOAT of all my favorite 90s films!? Come on, we all know Heath Ledger was simultaneously the heartthrob and the bad boy of our dreams.
Okay, while I’m a firm believer that there isn’t such a thing as too much Heath Ledger, let’s get to the reason I wanted to write this blog. As we all know, we become our “art”, whether it’s acting, screenwriting, novel writing, painting, or something musical. We take on emotions, backstories, and hope for our character’s futures, and sometimes we leave a little piece of us within the story.
Mental health is currently one of the most talked about crises in our society, yet it still somehow has so much stigma around it. As writers, we know how important the past is to how our characters deal with things happening in their present-day lives. The girl who was abandoned as a child is usually the one to leave the relationship before their partner can leave them, and the man who never had the attention of his parents always seeks the approval of his superiors and those around him. Sound familiar? The past has such an impact on our future, and if a part of us is stuck back in a moment we haven’t healed from, then any time that wound is touched it’s excruciating and unbearable to deal with.
I want my books to show real people going through real trauma and coming out on the other side HEALED. And not that “love heals all” type of healed but the type of healing where they put the work in, dealt with their shit, and found better coping mechanisms to stop hurting themselves and those around them.
In 2021 I wrote a story about a man who was dealing with self-harm. While self-harm isn’t technically classified as a “mental health” issue, it does stem from other mental health issues, and 35% of self-harmers are male. Now, I know you didn’t come here for a lesson on numbers, but it’s important to me as someone whose spouse deals with mental health struggles to note that we don’t talk about men’s mental health as much as we should.
As we embark on another year on this spinning ball, please remember to prioritize your mental health. You, more than anyone else, deserve your love. You Matter.
THE BOTTOM LINE is available for pre-order! This book was a labor of love, but it’s one of my favorite stories I’ve ever written. Stella and Jameson go through hell but come out on the other side healed and flourishing! I hope you enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed writing it! Links below.
Here’s a short blurb for the story:
The Bottom Line is a high-heat, angsty, enemies-to-lovers romance about a stretched-too-thin financial consultant who meets her match when she defends her grandfather & yells at a sexy, but arrogant man who turns out to be her new coworker & competition for a promotion at work.
Please add my book as a “Want to Read” on your GoodReads account!
The Bottom Line- GOODREADS
For full summary and trigger warnings, check my website: Tobiecarter.com
Pre-Order Links
You can use this universal book link to pre-order from other sites: THE BOTTOM LINE.