If you’ve worked with me as a therapist or instructor, this will be old news to you, but if not, gather around. I want to talk about the power of language and its impact on our everyday lives.

As as bilingual women, I’ve always been fascinated with words––how one in the wrong place will change the entire meaning. Or my favorite (as a therapist) when people really don’t mean what they’re saying but still struggle to muddle through. We’ve all been there, too, which is also fascinating. We have all been touched by the inability to reach out and explain ourselves.

All of that is so amazing and scary all at the same time.

I think that’s why I had to play with language in my own writing. In The Starless Series, I had a great opportunity to showcase my belief in the power of language. First, it might be obvious, but I had to play about with a foreign alien language. La’Musrian might sound like latin mixed with Russian to some of the characters, but their syntax is very much their own. They don’t have conjunctions like English and other languages around the world. It’s fun to play with throughout the series and to see how language changes the more aliens and humans mix together.

The second aspect I was so excited to depict is bilingualism. Kayin is one of the few who speak two languages and have an easier time picking up La’Mursian. It happens in real life to countless people, not just me, who learn languages with ease and can fall right into place with their surroundings. It’s an amazing gift. I love that Kayin can use her skills to help her cause.

Whatever language you speak, no matter where you are in the world, we have ways to communicate that go beyond words. I think it’s an incredible gift we share as humans and I only hope we can see how impactful our communication styles are when we disagree.