the manuscript has in fact now been fully edited by the glorious Kitt, but the shiny and polished version is going to be for the published book. that way, people who buy the work actually get something else for their money.
Why is Jared deaf? There are a thousand reasons. i knew a deaf guy at college and we were good friends. i always wondered what had happened to him. Because there are too many stories about 'normal' people. Because i thought it would be interesting. Because i wanted an excuse to learn to sign, and i knew someone IRL who could help with that. Because being the deaf kid (and by proxy, the chef-with-one-leg and the quadriplegic-jock) doesn't mean that you can't get a happily ever after too. Because there are seven billion people on this planet, and it feels nice to try something new.
mostly though, the answer is because Jared, deaf, lovely, sweet, experienced Jared, showed up in my head. that was how he was. it was not a conscious decision, very very little of my writing ever is.