There's been something on my mind for the last few weeks that has been really bothering me.  In fact, despite my original plan to start off my blog with happy or funny posts, this topic just kept coming up in my mind.It was as if the universe wanted me to tell my story, to share my experience with everyone in hopes of saving somebody else from making the same mistake.Yes, I am guilty of "whitewashing."  No, I am not ashamed.Now, before you go off and light any torches, hear me out.  I hope you'll read to the end and understand how I got to this point, and why I am writing about it now.I came to the U.S. just a few months shy of eight, a little Taiwanese girl who didn't speak a lick of English and looked entirely different from everyone else I knew.  In fact, I purposely played dumb for several months after learning the language to avoid being picked on in class.  I moved to a suburb just outside of Chicago for a few months, where the only minority children I remember seeing were in my ESL class.  Within a year we moved to north Texas, where we finally settled in Plano after living in three cities in five years.  Unlike the Plano that exists now, when I attended high school and senior high there, there was little diversity in the district.  It was overwhelming Caucasian, with a smattering of Hispanic, African American, and Asian thrown into the mix.  In fact, the only time you saw most of the Asian students in one room was during orchestra rehearsal (I bucked the system and was in band).As I grew up, most of my friends were white.  All the books I read, both required and recreational, had white characters in it.  Most of the television and movies I watched had white leads.  For a girl who learned to speak perfect English, excelled in her classes, wore the same clothes, listened to the same music, and crushed on the same celebrities, I never felt different.  I was also lucky enough that those around me for the most part were accepting and kind, and I rarely encountered any overt racism growing up.  Still, when all my friends started dating and I was the odd woman out, I realized it was in part because I looked different than the guys I was interested in.  I started fantasizing about what it would be like to have blue eyes and to be fair skinned, and wrote stories where I took the place of a white character.  It all seemed so innocent at the time - just the reflections of an insecure girl.College and medical school followed, and I came to accept my ethnicity and culture as a strength and something to celebrate.  Young men were more worldly by then, and I dated across all ethnic lines.  My childhood fantasies of looking different faded away, tucked in my mind as a distant memory.  It wasn't until I got the idea to write Lilith Links, the first book of The Avalon Relics, that I would once again be confronted by my upbringing.  Shortly after it was published, one of the young women who read my book asked why I only had white characters in the story.WHAT??I have to admit, I was completely taken off guard.  I had honestly never thought about how I visualized my characters.  I was so focused on creating fully fleshed out people with realistic emotions and personalities, yet never once considered making them any other ethnicity.  Her question caused me to really sit down and think about what had happened.  I knew in my heart it was never a purposeful gesture.  Of course I thought I could have lead characters of color, and some of my favorite shows and movies showcased them.However, I realized that I was a prime example of what happens when there is whitewashing in the media.  I had been so inundated with images and stories of white characters that when it came time to create my own, it was the instinctual choice to do the same.  Obviously, I felt shame and disappointment at that revelation, feeling like I let down myself and all my readers.  Still, I knew that I had to own up to my own actions and acknowledge how I accidentally contributed a personal version of whitewashing.  In a situation where I could have given my characters depth and richness of color, I chose to make them white.After some introspection, I decided I would use this as a learning experience and a way to teach others of the impact of whitewashing.  I am choosing to be vocal about diversity in media, and am starting up a non-profit organization dedicated to providing mentorship and support programs for children of diverse backgrounds.  I am going to be part of the solution, because whether or not I intended to do so, I was part of the problem.As for my characters, they are my literary children, and I love them unconditionally.  Changing the color of their skin now for the sake of doing does not hold true to the message I want to send.  Their stories are meant to teach acceptance and empowerment, and I know they mean a lot to my readers and myself just as they are.Of course, there's always room on the bookshelf for more diverse characters and new worlds, and I certainly won't be holding back now.  I can't wait for you to see what I've got in the works!