Paige Rawl discusses her experiences growing up with HIV and the story behind her new memoir, Positive.

What made you decide to write Positive?

I decided to write Positive because of everything that I went through in middle school. Once I left the school I knew that I wanted to take a bad situation and turn it into something good. I didn’t want any other kids/teens to go through what I went through, so I decided to begin sharing my story to help reduce the stigma towards HIV/AIDS and speak for those who don’t have the courage to speak up.

I wanted my story to be shared so that way people will see that no one should be treated differently because of what they look like, what they have, or anything else.

I hope that readers take away from this book that there is no “face” to HIV/AIDS. Anyone can be affected. I hope that they also see that bulling someone is wrong and that being bullied can and will affect someone for the rest of their lives.

I want the readers that have chronic illnesses to know that they do NOT have to be ashamed and that just because they might have an illness it doesn’t make them any less of a person. I also want people to take away that HIV does NOT define who I am and just because I am HIV Positive that it does not stop me from what I want to accomplish!

What is your writing process like?

My writing process was actually a great experience. I was able to get out all of my feelings and really think about everything I went through. For me writing and sharing my story has become a way for me to cope with the bullying and the stigma that is out there against people living with HIV/AIDS.

What was your favorite part of writing Positive?

My favorite part of writing Positive was – after writing and talking with my co-writer, Ali, about everything I went through – realizing even more that this is what I need to be doing! I need to be out here sharing my story to help others. To show people that we can change the way people look at people who are HIV Positive or change the way people look at people with any other illness.

Was any part of the process particularly challenging for you?

For me, the challenging part of the process was re-reading the book. There were parts of the book that made me laugh and then there were also parts that made me cry. At times it was like I was reliving everything I went through, especially in reading all the details about the incidents. There were some things that I had learned to kind of block out and not think about anymore.

Do you have anything you need to write?

No. I have always enjoyed writing. I was in journalism all through high school and wrote for the school newspaper and was editor-in-chief my senior year. Throughout my experience it helped me to write in a journal or even jot down my thoughts in poems. Since writing Positive I also now have an interest in writing a children’s book series.

Is there any advice you would give to aspiring writers?

That no matter what, if you feel you have a personal story or any story to tell, you should get it out there. There’s going to be at least one person the book will help and for me what kept me going was that if this book saves just one life, then it will ALL be worth it.

What are your plans, now that Positive has been published?

I plan to continue dedicating my life to educating about HIV/AIDS to reduce the stigma and to continue advocating against bullying. I also plan to continue going to college to get a degree in Molecular Biology to become an HIV/AIDS Medicine Researcher.

For more information…

Learn more about Paige and connect with her on her website, PaigeRawl.com. For her latest updates, follow Paige on Twitter as @PaigeRawl. Positive is available now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and your local independent bookstore.