It broke my heart when I started to do appearances to promote THE SECRET SIDE OF EMPTY and I began to get this question. Readers had really connected with the characters, and were worried for their future. It was flattering, but also a little sad. I never want to make anyone worry.
Insofar as M.T. was born from my own adolescent experiences with being undocumented, then I can tell you that for the person that inspired that character (me!), things worked out better than I could have ever imagined. There was such a beautifully happy ending (still in progress) for me and mine that I often have to stop and marvel at it.
But there are hundreds of thousands of children, teenagers and adults currently in the impossible situation that M.T. finds herself in, at least as of this writing. I keep hoping that one day SECRET SIDE will just be a story about how things used to be. Unfortunately, it’s still much too real for way too many.
If you’re moved to learn more about the plight of Dreamers, and see how you can help, there are many great organizations. Look for one where you are. I like United We Dream.
