Chapter Seven

I needed to show that Martha is almost completely broken down to make it believable that she would consider sending her child away for treatment.  Most special-needs parents drain themselves horribly trying to manage everything themselves.

Michael knows Martha is on the edge and he knows she shouldn’t trust Expanding Horizons, but how can he possibly convince her of that?  It’s a dilemma he’s faced over and over again in his life.  He has the knowledge but no way to get it to the people who need to have it.  I believe that’s why finding out about the lalassu had such a profound effect on him.  It let him be open and honest.

Figuring out how Michael experienced emotions was a challenge.  It had to be distinct from his own emotional experience but still powerful and sometimes overwhelming.  Sadly, I have no psychic powers of my own, so I had to put my imagination to good use and research with some self-proclaimed psychics.