Writing a character with Tourette Syndrome in a slasher novel provides unique storytelling opportunities and character development. But, more than that, it gives me the chance to portray Tourette's as more than just cursing at inappropriate times. We so often see characters in movies and TV blurting out swear words, more often than not played for laughs. But what too many people don't know is that it is actually a separate condition called Coprolalia and it only affects around 20% of people with Tourette's.

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Most common are motor (shoulder twitching, jaw rolling, blinking) and vocal (clearing throat, squeaking, clicking) tics. This is what James deals with every day and every tic that Maddie has in THE FINAL FINAL GIRL series is one that he has experienced at one time or another. 

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James is so much more than his condition. He is the warmest, most loving child a parent can ask for. He is bright, creative and an incredibly talented actor who most recently appeared on TASK with Mark Ruffalo on HBO and starred in writer/director Joe Thayer's DEAD BIRDS which just played at the Garden State Film Festival and is up next at the Coney Island Film Festival in May. Like James, Maddie is a fully developed character whose Tourette's is part of her life, but not the only aspect of it, allowing me to show that these strong people who deal with this syndrome every day are real people and not just people who yell out funny curse words.

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With that in mind I will be personally donating $1 for every pre-order of A FINAL GIRL NO MORE up to $1,000 to the Tourette Association of America.