Really?

Because I'm almost always getting told I'm telegraphing the next awful event, to the point where I decided I had to take it easy for a while after Penny sent her to the emergency room so that readers could relax a bit. Perhaps it's been too long since something like that happened, since I put all my cards on the table?

This doesn't jibe at ALL with the email I get, with the dread people feel for what's gonna happen next, for the worry they always have for the character.

I don't see Archie comics about abusive families, hate leading to assault, bullying.... I don't even see rifts between friends lasting more than a few pages.

But I always bring it back to a brighter tone, absolutely. And, Sarah has a strong sense of herself and her own worth.... perhaps even when it would have been eroded by external forces. Whereas Maxy does NOT. So yes, I see the point that Sarah's internal conflict isn't really a focus, especially when compared to the high relief of Maxy's. Sarah's steadfast, Maxy is trying to hold herself together and the smallest dare is a great triumph. For Sarah, daring is part of the fiber that makes her up.

Still, I think people all too frequently confuse "moody" for "deep"..... darkness for profundity.