Thank you so much for having me over today! I’m so excited to talk about all things ASK ME ANYTHING!
The concept for ASK ME ANYTHING came about from a collaboration between my editor, Stacy Abrams, and myself. Given the current social climate, we were both craving a strong female lead and the idea for Amber being a kickass coder was born. The rest of the story developed naturally and the deeper we dove the more Amber had to say.
As you’ve probably read from the blurb—Amber is tired of her school’s dark age approach to sexual education and takes matters in her own hands, creating a totally anonymous blog where her peers can get advice on sexual health and beyond.
I never had an agenda while writing this book, but the concepts that came from the characters’ journey became incredibly important to me. The idea that there are still, to this day, teens being denied access to sexual education…blows my mind. I completely respect the beliefs of others—religious or otherwise—but denying information to those seeking it is more harmful than not in most cases. Giving sexual education in a safe environment seems like a more productive tool than trying to keep them in the dark. Because it’ll be inevitable that they’ll either seek other means of information, possibly in unreliable places, or they’ll race ahead without caution.
That’s what ASK ME ANYTHING focuses on, what Amber’s main goal is—to give those who want and need it a safe place for advice on sexual health, sexual identity issues, and more. A place where people can connect and not feel alone or lost in the sea of advice being pushed on them. And given the darker elements that occur in today’s world, especially in high schools, I think a little sexual health advice should be seen as a positive, not a negative. I, of course, firmly believe in the family’s right to choose, to opt-out of the education if that is what the family believes is best for their child, but I also believe that the option should be there for those seeking the advice. I think its detrimental to group an entire school together and deny them healthy education.
In ASK ME ANYTHING, Amber is soon overwhelmed with the number of people who reach out to her anonymous site, seeking guidance on much more than sexual health. I loved the way it developed naturally from her character’s motivations and how she grew through the process. And my only hope is that any reader who picks it up, who is needing that connection, will be able to take comfort through these character’s journeys and not feel alone.
I’m so grateful you had me over today to chat! I hope you’ll enjoy ASK ME ANYTHING when it releases on May 7th! Be sure to check out the EPIC giveaway I’m hosting in celebration of its release! Spoiler alert—there is a laptop up grabs!!!
https://www.mollyelee.com/ask-me-anything-pre-order-giveaway.html
About the author:
Molly E. Lee is an author best known for her romance novels, the Grad Night series and the Love on the Edge series. Molly writes Adult and Young Adult contemporary featuring strong female heroines who are unafraid to challenge their male counterparts, yet still vulnerable enough to have love sneak up on them. In addition to being a military spouse and mother of two + one stubborn English Bulldog, Molly loves watching storms from her back porch at her Midwest home, and digging for treasures in antique stores.
About ASK ME ANYTHING:
I should’ve kept my mouth shut.
But Wilmont Academy’s been living in the Dark Ages when it comes to sex ed, and someone had to take matters into her own hands. Well, I’m a kick-ass coder, so I created a totally anonymous, totally untraceable blog where teens can come to get real, honest, nothing-is-off-limits sex advice.
And holy hell, the site went viral—and we’re talking way beyond Wilmont—overnight. Who knew this town was so hard up?
Except now the school administration is trying to shut me down, and they’ve forced Dean—my coding crush, aka the hottest guy in school—to try to uncover who I am. If he discovers my secret, I’ll lose him forever. And thousands of teens who need real advice won’t have anyone to turn to.
Ask me anything…except how to make things right.
