One of the unique issues I've faced throughout the writing, editing, and promotion of my book is that it's almost impossible to explain to the uninitiated just how fraught things can be for autistic adults who dare to express themselves in any public forum.

There's a line in the book about believing that all autistic people are human beings who are worthy of love, and my editor thought that was obvious and potentially cloying. And I had to explain to her that no, that line would actually be considered highly provocative to some.

I've had to be careful with promotional opportunities, too. I'm getting the impression that outsiders see my book as relatively kind and caring (probably because it actually is?) and they're pursuing arenas that they assume will be open to my ideas that might not be.

And it's really hard to explain to people that no, my book which features an entire essay about how much I love my parents and a LONG disclaimer about how I don't speak for all autistic people will be seen as attempt to talk over autistic people and attack parents.

And that, to a certain percentage of the community that outsiders might think I could sell my book to, I am an evil harpy who maybe purchased a diagnosis to further her career and is trying to rip funding and care away from the "real" sufferers.