'Shiela, you're not writing for any one particular audience ...'

Those are the words of a discerning friend. 

I've been fretting a little about how to deal with the darkness of the times of the books of SONG, whether to try to leave it out of the Youngling books, whether to try to explain it, justify its inclusion ... 

I think he was telling me to just let it ride.

Chances are that if something shows up it's there for a reason and should stay in. The darkness as well as the fun parts.

Essentially, the Character Mamm sends the same message, in one of those parts that I was thinking I should maybe have left out.

'To deny that is to deny a part of the balance of our lives,' she says.

And a bit later, 'That's because I know you're smart enough to figure the rest out on your own.' That was when I was griping because she starts to give some good guidelines or advice, and then stops before she tells us the Secrets of the Universe.

My discerning friend continued, in all seriousness, 'Just write what the Characters tell you.'

And so ... I go back into the book where I had written a spiel about this that and the other thing ... explanations, clarifications, definitions ... and I take it out.

Those are mine own words. They too have their place, but that place is not where I had put them.

And so ... in the four Kin Cousin books, it is Mamm who has the final word, not me.

Just the way it's supposed to be.