At 17, life is about new experiences. It is about self-discovery, friends, adventure, mistakes, career and university choices. And let’s be honest, there are not many 17 year olds out there that aren’t interested in falling in love.
But how many are truly interested in falling in love with THE ONE at 17?
I’m not sure I was. In fact, I probably wasn’t. I was planning to take the world by storm – solo. So when I met Matt, well, actually … it was pretty darn amazing. But it was a little frightening too.
When we first got together, it was sweet and young and … perfect. I was head over heels. But things became complicated quickly. He was an up and coming athletic star and I was working in hospitality. So basically he worked hard in the day, and I worked hard at night. His lifestyle demanded routine and healthy living, mine … not so much. But we were determined to make it work.
Falling in love so deeply at a young age made it difficult to be as reckless as our friends. We watched them coast in and out of short, fun, but meaningless relationships and it just seemed so different to what we had.
Writing the Embrace series has been an opportunity for me to pour some of the incredibly intense emotions of young love into Violet’s story. It has been important for me as a writer, and a person, to recognize that it’s completely realistic for someone at her young age to experience the full effect and heartbreak of love. Violet is one hundred percent invested with her heart. She makes bad choices, but we have to. She regrets many of her decisions, because we all do. And she fights for what she loves, because she is compelled to. Violet’s story is unique to her, I don’t pull on parallel scenarios from my own life, but I do pull on the emotion of intense love. Love that I think adults sometimes forget that 17 and 18 years-olds are very capable of feeling.
I often find one question helps a lot of adults, who maybe disagree with this view, to be more open minded: Do you remember you first true love? Do you ever wonder what your life would’ve been like if you had stayed together? For some, the answer is a resounding NOT INTERESTED, but for others … the pause says it all.
Matt and I celebrate our 11th wedding anniversary in March - I believe jewelry is in order ;)
Be sure to add Embrace to your goodreads piles and buy it on amazon!
Visit Jessica's the website: http://www.jessicashirvington.com/
Be sure to check out my review for Embrace on March 10th!
Posts
This is a great post! I met my first love at the young age of 18 - and we have now been together for 11 years and married for 7 of them. It hasn't been easy but we make it work and in a lot of ways we love each other more now than we did when we were younger.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I think the cover for Embrace is beautiful :)
I love this post and I love hearing about people who met their partners that young too. And I agree that 17-18 year olds are definitely capable of feeling! (I should know as I was just there myself. Lol) I think it's just easy to assume it's not 'real' enough feelings, sadly...
ReplyDeletewhat are we but atoms and hope, a handful of stardust and sinew? We are weary travelers trying to find our way home on a road that never ends. Am I a part of your dream? or are you but a part of mine?
ReplyDeleteFlights to Freetown
Cheap Flights to Freetown
Cheap Air Tickets to Freetown
You can embrace tour guest. The post is by Jessica.
ReplyDeleteWhat you’ve done becomes the judge of what you’re going to do, especially in other people’s minds. When you’re traveling, you are what you are right there and then. People don’t have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road.
ReplyDeleteDubai Desert Safari
Dhow Cruise Dubai Marina
Safari in Dubai
The tour guest post is very exciting. Read all about it
ReplyDelete