I'd never been a good damsel in distress. I was a "hands-on" damsel.

Its far easier to brush off death if the death in question seems impossible or improbable as a personal threat.

No one's place in this world is guaranteed. Not everyone is going to get a happy ending. But life isn't about how it ends. It's about the moments between. It's about the small things. The way our loved ones laugh. The sight of a butterfly in the sunlight after a year or two in the darkness. The love and support of an old friend. They might not be with us in body, but they are with us in spirit. ... Because every day, on this planet, people are born and people die and stranger things happen.(Armintrout, All Souls' Night, 367)

The attitude of, I will never self-publish, coming from any author, indicates that they have never been in a position where it is their only option.

If we truly seek diversity in fiction, we have to let the needs of others come before our need to define ourselves as social justice allies.

I'd never been a good damsel in distress. I was a "hands-on" damsel.

As white authors, bloggers, and readers, we must stop promoting diversity as a business opportunity or a chance to buy ally points with our disposable income.