Hello First name / Beautiful Reader
I wasn’t sure if I’d write a newsletter this week, but since I promised you truth and transparency about my life I figured I should.
There’s been a lot of heaviness in my life recently, in all of our lives, maybe, and this week, something happened that truly shook me. I want to share it with you, carefully and honestly, because I’ve promised to start showing up here with more of my real life, not just the parts where I launch books and post about fictional drama.
So here it is.
Earlier this week, a 3rd-grade teacher at my son’s school was arrested for sexually assaulting a child, his own daughter! It's suspected that she called 911 herself. The authorities went to his home and found evidence of long-term abuse (very devastating things like sodomy!). No students at the school are suspected to be victims, but it's an ongoing process and parents will have to talk to their kids to find out more. Also, the teacher's wife is an administrator at our school so we know her well (they have other kids as well).
But that doesn’t mean the school community hasn’t been shattered.
My son is in 1st grade and had very little contact with him. But it’s a small school—his class has only 10 kids, and the 3rd-grade class had just 18. My son’s friends have older siblings in that class. My mom friends are devastated. The administration is devastated. My friend who taught alongside him is heartbroken beyond words. This is someone we knew, not well (in my case), but well enough that this betrayal feels personal. The school is like a village, and it’s grieving like one.
My husband, who volunteers as the vice president of the Board of Trustees, spent over ten hours at school the day it happened. He’s been there again today all day, and probably will be for days to come. This isn’t his job, but he’s stepping up like so many others who care deeply about the safety and wellbeing of these kids and their families.
It’s been hard to process. This morning, we had to explain to our son (in age-appropriate way) just in case he heard about it in school. Right now, we’re focusing on making him feel safe, grounded, and loved. But the ripple effects of something like this, emotionally, spiritually, communally, are enormous.
As many of you know, I write a lot of crime in my books, both as Charlotte Byrd and under my mystery thriller pen name, Kate Gable. I’ve created twisted plots, dark motives, and complicated villains. But I never imagined that something so close to those fictional horrors would happen so close to my real life. To our school. To our people.
Writing about violence is one thing. Living in its aftermath is something else entirely.
I don’t want to dwell in the details, but I also didn’t want to pretend this didn’t happen. Because part of showing up in this space honestly means letting you see the hard weeks, too. The ones that leave you reeling and exhausted and trying to figure out how to keep moving forward when the world doesn’t feel quite as safe as it did a few days ago.
So, this week, I’m leaning hard on the small things that make me feel steady: a walk with my son, a cup of tea, a hug from a friend, a few pages of a comforting book. And I’m leaning on community, the real-life one and this one here.
If your week has been heavy, for any reason at all, I want you to know you’re not alone. These moments of grief, fear, or just deep sadness have a way of reminding us that we need each other. And even when we don’t have the right words, we can still show up. Listen. Hold space. Offer kindness.
So I’ll leave you with a question I’ve been asking myself lately:
What’s something, big or small, that made you feel grounded this week?
If you feel like replying, I’d love to hear from you. And if you’re not up to it, just know I’m sending love into your inbox this week.
With care,
Charlotte Byrd💛
