THE WALLFLOWER CONFESSIONS

3. "Is it autobiographical? At all?” they say.

In addition to buying my book, people I know are now reading it. My co-workers and friends are a bit surprised about some of the language and the adult content in my coming-of-age story. “Do you know that there are a lot of bad words in your book?” someone at the office asked the other day. I nodded. “Did you put them there?” he said. I wanted to blame the salty language on my publisher, as I did when my mom commented on the “F” and “C” words in the book (sorry Marc Côté, but my mom thinks you’re a potty mouth and a bad influence. I am not allowed to invite you to my next birthday party.)

How do you reconcile the writer with the written word? I am a slightly formal, middle-aged lawyer. I write about teenaged drug dealers. This is confusing to people. I think some of them suspect that I have a past that I have successfully covered up.

The publicist noted that my biography was too bland for a writer of such dark fiction (her words, not mine). She raised an eyebrow and waited for me to confess. Apparently, writing a novel makes people think that you have an interesting personal story, a naughty one preferably.

So when they ask if it is true, I say, “God, I wish.”