I feel you.. completely. My children are my favorite people in the world, but I often find myself wishing I was their sibling or aunt or sitter. I love them and couldn't imagine a world without them in it, but I'm just not happy, fulfilled, or comfortable as a parent.

I have been on the unwanted, unloved child side of this and am now on the regretful parent side. Both are pretty painful.. It's hard to say which is "worse" really. At least people are sympathetic in regard to my being an unwanted child, but you get very little sympathy and are in fact viewed as a horrible heartless…

I had to be hospitalized for a mental health crisis last September for 3 days, 2 nights. I'm still paying on the bill and I have "good" insurance. Now no matter how bad it gets, I refuse to seek help because we can't afford it.

I took "them" to mean all rapists, not all men.

I love that you're willing to take time out to answer reader's questions. Thank you!

I'm also very interested in the different ways authors get their first novels published. Did you make contacts in your journalism days that led to publication? Or are the two worlds completely separate?